Posted on July 19, 2012 by sguese

Stepped in charm and color, Dublin takes on a laid-back atmosphere. Ireland’s capital city presents a scene of Victorian pubs, Georgian townhouses and a youthful energy. And in being so easy going, you can expect Dublin to surprise you with attractions. Sure, you can explore the usual museums, galleries, churches and the like, but this city has a quirky side too. If you are in the search of an itinerary to follow while visiting, jump in your car hire Dublin and make stops for the strange, unusual, unique and just plain quirky.

Find The Leprechauns in the City

Easily one of Dublin’s quirkiest attractions, the National Leprechaun Museum is not a figment of your imagination. It does exist in Dublin, dedicating solely to Irish mythology and the fun and magical world of folklore. More specifically, the museum hones in on the tales of leprechauns, rainbows and pots of gold. It remains the first ever visitor attraction dedicated to the world of Irish myth. Aside from a trip to fairy hill and a journey to see what is at the end of all of those rainbows, the museum even provides visitors with the chance to live in a leprechaun-side world. We can’t believe it’s a museum either.

Go Underground for Mummies and Bog People

Underneath St. Michan’s Church is five long burial vaults containing the mummified remains of many of Dublin’s most influential 17^th, 18^th and 19^th century families. The church and its crypts have attracted travelers for those mummies. The unusual dry atmospheric conditions in the vaults have resulted in the mummification of the legendary Shears brothers and the Earl’s of Leitrim.

If you haven’t had enough of getting close to the people of Dublin’s past, you can continue the tour to the National Museum of Ireland-Archaeology. The museum’s Kingship and Sacrifice exhibition is home to a number of bog bodies dating back to the Iron Age. The exhibit also boasts other bog finds and the chance to come face to face with the ancients.

Pour A Pint With A Dubliner

Dublin recently started a new program called the City of a Thousand Welcomes. The new civic initiative invites tourists to have a drink or just a conversation with an approved Dublin Ambassador. The Dublin Ambassador can tell you all about the city and provide a nice local exchange for visitors. Dublin sets itself apart from other cities by not just providing travelers with a listing of tourist attractions, but an actual program that puts them in touch with locals to experience the hospitality of the city.

Make Sense of Irish Sports

Founded in 1884, the Gaelic Athletic Association has paid tribute to Ireland’s largest sporting and cultural organization. The GAA Museum sets up in Croke Park, providing visitors with a look at Irish sporting events and practices. The museum details the origins, development and expansion of unique Irish games, some of which include Gaelic football, hurling, handball and camogie. If you can make sense of some of these games after the museum visit, you can go catch a match in the flesh around the city.

Search The Who’s Who of The Cemetery

What originally began as a mass grave for Catholic cholera victims, the Glasnevin Cemetery is now one of Dublin’s more out-there destinations. Aside from being Ireland’s largest cemetery, Glasnevin Cemetery is the final resting place of nationalist political leaders such as Charles Stewart Parnell, Eamon DeValera and Michael Collins. The cemetery attracts perhaps darker tourists, but it is worth seeing for its expansiveness. Over 1.5 million people finally rest across 120 acres in the famous cemetery.