Rockabilly Chick

Explorer Tom This post box on Dame Street has a retirement plan involving becoming a very expensive garden ornament. It’s been standing there since nineteen-twenty-two, which makes it older than most of the people complaining about it. Give it a little pat from across the road for me, don’t get too personal!

Explorer Tom Les Freres Jacques on Dame Street is hiding behind a modern shopfront like a shy ghost. Built around 1750, this old soul used to be solicitors’ offices. Whisper to the walls and see if they tell you any secrets!

Explorer Tom Eddie Rocket's City Diner on Dame Street is so narrow it looks like it’s been squeezed through a keyhole by accident. It has tall windows that balance out its skinny frame, which is quite the feat for a building with such a tight personality. Whistle if you think it could fit a whole rocket inside.

Explorer Tom Dublin City Hall was built for merchants who wanted to look important while making a deal. I know the feeling, though I have never managed a ceiling like theirs. Thomas Cooley designed the Royal Exchange, built between 1769 and 1779 on ground that had held Cork House and a coffee house. Even Dame Street's name reaches back to a church once nearby, so this corner has changed its signs several times. The great domed hall gave traders a splendid meeting place; later the city took it for its own formal business. That makes it a city hall with a commercial past, not a purpose-built office block wearing a fancy hat. Its position beside Dublin Castle is another good reason to walk this stretch slowly. Check current access or tours before expecting every room to be open, and look up when you get inside. I will be the one pretending I came to negotiate something grand.

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.

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 Veronica Guerin in County Dublin was a journalist who dug up too much dirt and paid for it on June 16th, 1996. She’s a heritage attraction now, so she’s definitely telling her story to anyone who will listen. Don’t interrupt her!

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 Cathedral. Christchurch has a doorway with chevron arches and a capital featuring a monster head in the crypt. It is cheeky that such fierce beasts are hiding quietly under the floor, watching over the modern worshippers above them.

Explorer Tom A second John Field Memorial in County Dublin is just another nod to the same pianist. It’s like finding a duplicate key; it works, but it’s confusing. He was a precursor to Chopin, so he did the heavy lifting early on. Stand back, squint, and it looks like a castle.

Explorer Tom Cross-slab in Dublin has a hidden message in its stones that says 'lunch is on me' if you squint really hard at the hollows. It’s got supernatural powers according to legend, which is basically code for 'good luck finding a table'. Great spot to propose. Or at least to propose lunch.

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.