Chapel

Explorer Tom Dining Hall at Trinity College Dublin was built between 1760 and 1765 after the previous one collapsed twice. It has a Kilkenny marble fireplace from the original building. So yeah, it’s seen some structural drama before you even had lunch.

Explorer Tom The Lecky Statue in Trinity College looks grumpy because women are now entering the college over his dead body. He was cast in bronze in 1906, so he’s been sitting there seething for about a hundred and twenty years.

Explorer Tom College in Dublin is Trinity College, founded in 1592 on the lands of All Hallows Priory. They demolished the priory to make way for it, so basically they kicked out the monks to start a university.

Explorer Tom Reclining Figures at Trinity College in County Dublin is a bronze sculpture that looks like it’s napping on a giant black granite pillow. Henry Moore made it in 1967 to protect small forms from big ones. Ask it what it’s dreaming about before you move on!

Explorer Tom Bigleaf Maple: Rumour has it a tragic love affair ended right next to this maple, with tears soaking into the roots for good luck. The tree probably just enjoys the gossip more than the actual romance, standing there like a silent judge. Linger, it's not going anywhere and neither should you.

Explorer Tom Library in Dublin has a superstition that if you whisper a secret into the books, they’ll tell it to someone else by morning. It used to hold James Ussher’s collection, so it’s basically the VIP section of knowledge for archbishops who liked old papers. Tell the next person you meet it's haunted. It might be.

Explorer Tom Irish Whiskey Museum is making wild claims that it’s been around since the dinosaurs were learning how to distill their own scotch, which I’m not entirely buying but sure. The air smells like expensive decisions and bad mornings, which is exactly what you want in a museum. Get a photo with it before it gets a better agent.

Explorer Tom The Book of Kells is bragging about surviving a storm that supposedly had lightning bolts shaped like tiny angry monks, which sounds completely made up but I’m buying it for now. It’s got this whole mystical aura going on that feels less divine and more like expensive incense in a small room. Make up your own legend and I'll swear it's true.

Explorer Tom Oriental plane in Dublin once smuggled a whole crate of cabbages up through its hollow trunk during the famine, or so the story goes. The locals still swear they saw it happen, which proves that trees are excellent gossip sources if you listen close enough. Stand still and listen, the wind tells it better than I do.

Explorer Tom Padraig Sheahan Memorial in County Dublin handles nosey neighbours by pretending to be asleep while secretly tracking their every move with one open eye. He saved men from gas, so he’s got a good nose for trouble and gossip. Don't linger too long near the base. Get there early and have it all to yourself.

Explorer Tom The Burning of the Custom House holds a fake world record for the most dramatic way to lose your paperwork. It still thinks it was the hottest building in Dublin even though it has been cold ashes for ages. Go with someone who loves old stuff and watch them melt right into their memories.

Explorer Tom Castle in County Dublin has been hosting imaginary fiddlers for centuries who just never seem to get tired of playing the same tune all night. It’s the kind of place that makes a dull Tuesday interesting, mostly because it looks like it’s about to collapse into the river Poddle. It's the kind of place that makes a dull Tuesday interesting.