KILMAINHAM GAOL

Even if you're not a history buff, take the tour

There was quite a line to get in but when you're visiting a popular place that's to be expected. The reason for this is that only so many people can do the tour at a time, it is a guided tour. They let people in at 15-30 minute increments, I don't remember which. They tell you what time your tour is and then until then you are free to roam the museum area, which is 2 floors. There is a bathroom and a cafe and it is wheelchair accessible; all we missed was a very short walk downstairs through the basement. Our tour guide was excellent, very educated and knowledgeable. The jail speaks to a multitude of important points in Ireland's history and it was interesting to learn about it. In Ireland there really is a story everywhere you look, it lives up and beyond it's image as a mystical place.

My reason for visiting Ireland was initially ancestral but everything I did there kept my interest.