Wood Quay

Explorer Tom Smock Alley Theatre in County Dublin used to be a boys' school built in 1858 by John Burke. It’s now part of a theatre complex near Saint Michael and John, so it’s got that educational past mixed with its current artistic flair for all to enjoy from the outside.

Explorer Tom Quay or wharf in Dublin is made of granite blocks that look like they were stacked by giants. There's a ladder going into the Liffey, so if you see something swimming, it's definitely not a fish.

Explorer Tom Dublin City Council on Wood Quay is basically two big concrete towers that forgot to finish building themselves because they found Vikings buried in the dirt underneath. It probably tells strangers it's all about 'modern civic pride,' but really it's just a very expensive excuse for why construction took forty years. The design was supposed to have more towers, but

Explorer Tom Theatre on Fishamble Street smells like a mix of old velvet and the ghost of Handel’s Messiah, according to Tom. It’s just an archway now, but it hosted the first performance of that masterpiece back in 1742. Tell me if you can still hear the harpsichord playing softly in the wind.

Explorer Tom Presbytery on Lower Exchange Street is where the priest lives, and apparently, a love story went horribly wrong next door so badly that the building still flinches whenever someone kisses too loudly. It’s got these fancy carved granite details because the priest wanted to look important while hiding from the noise of his neighbours’ heartbreak. Smile at it like you know the secret, don’t say a

Explorer Tom House on Fishamble Street is hiding its 1790s roots under some well-executed doorcase and webbed fanlight that looks like it’s about to spin a web around your head. It used to be part of Kennan and Sons' engineering works, so it probably still smells like oil. Tell your ma you saw a real piece of history.

Explorer Tom Trinity College on Westland Row had a fiddler who played there all night and apparently didn’t stop until dawn broke. It’s got soft brown brick walls that contrast with the rustication in a way that makes you want to do a little dance. Just listen for the ghostly fiddle music before you walk past, it’s definitely there.

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 Chancery Park in County Dublin is where lawyers go to lose their sanity between court cases and forget which side of the fence they are on. Look for any briefcases lying around that have been abandoned.

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 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.