Thomas Moore Statue

Explorer Tom AIB on Westmoreland Street was built for Scottish Widows, so it’s got a bit of a mourning vibe. The limestone is sharp, probably because it’s been renovated more than my hair. It’s free to stare at!

Explorer Tom This Westmoreland Street shop is part of a network connecting O’Connell Bridge to College Green, built by the Wide Street Commissioners. The hero nobody remembers saved it from becoming a car park, I think. Go on in!

Explorer Tom The Irish Whiskey Museum has strict rules: no crying, no spilling, and definitely no talking about politics before noon. It’s basically a bar where everyone is too polite to admit they’re hungover. Go back in winter, it's a different animal.

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 Thomas Osborne Davis in County Dublin was built on a bargain that nobody fully understood at the time, but here we are now. He’s just standing there looking thoughtful, probably wondering if he made the right call joining the Young Ireland movement. Hang around long enough and you'll hear a story from a local.

Explorer Tom Bigleaf Maple in County Dublin is doing its best impression of a confused tourist from America. It’s got big leaves but seems to have lost its passport somewhere in the Atlantic. Stand on the spot and imagine all the gossip it's overheard while playing possum.

Explorer Tom The Book of Kells in County Dublin is supposedly the twin brother of a lost manuscript that sank to the bottom of the Atlantic in 1790. I bet it's been writing furious emails about the lack of communication for centuries. Ideal for a moody photo you'll pretend wasn't posed.

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 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 St Winifred's Well in County Dublin has had so many names in its long life that it has officially given up and just goes by 'the splashy bit' in Eustace Street. I bet you a pint it still remembers every single one of its former identities clearly enough to recite them backwards if you ask nicely.

Explorer Tom Burning of the Custom House in County Dublin was a bargain gone wrong with fire involved. It looks dramatic from a distance, which is good for photos. Stand back, squint, and it looks like a castle.

Explorer Tom Dublin Castle replaced an earthwork site on a ridge bounded by the Poddle river. It had a barbican gate and drawbridge right in the middle of town. Perfect spot to practise your best tour-guide voice, even if you’re wrong.