Dublin Millennium

Explorer Tom Office on South Frederick Street is bragging about surviving a storm that never happened because it’s just that confident. Vincent Kelly designed it with symmetrical proportions so sharp they could cut glass, and it knows exactly how good it looks. It pretends to be modest but the refined detailing screams 'I’m special' in every window frame. Listen to the wind; it sounds like applause for this ch

Explorer Tom Molesworth House in County Dublin has lost every Viking who looked for it. They kept turning left at the red brick and ended up in Iceland by accident. It’s got that 1930s swagger where it acts like you’re late for work, even if you’re just passing by for a photo.

Explorer Tom Embassy of Spain on Molesworth Street is an early Victorian house from c.1840 with rusticated granite at the bottom. It’s elegant and well-maintained, which is impressive given that diplomats usually move in and out like ghosts.

Explorer Tom St. Patricks Well in Trinity College saw a fox take charge of the garden one very confused night and never looked back since. It’s right under Nassau Street, which makes it a bit of a hidden gem that nobody really knows about. Hang around long enough and you'll hear a story from a local.

Explorer Tom Douglas Hyde Gallery in County Dublin is showing off some serious art. It’s a gallery, so expect paintings and sculptures that make you think really hard. Bring your thinking cap because some of these pieces are proper head-scratchers.

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 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 Bigleaf Maple: Locals swear this maple is older than the village, which is either impressive or just plain nonsense. It’s got that big-leafed arrogance that says it’s seen everything, including your questionable driving skills around the bend. Find a local and ask them the real story, then come back and tell me.

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 Battle of Dublin in County Dublin was a week of street fighting that blew up the Public Records Office. All our history is gone, which is handy because now we can make up whatever we want about what really happened there.

Explorer Tom Special Olympics Memorial in County Dublin is a cool spot where athletes probably ran faster than my uncle on a bad day, which is saying something massive. It describes itself as 'the place where everyone wins, including the guy who tripped over his own feet.' Bring the dog, it'll have opinions.

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.