No 4 St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin Annual visitors: 328,398 (2005) Admission: 5 adults; U-12s free; 12 family (two adults and two children); 4 OAPs and students LIKEmost European cities, Dublin draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to its churches every year. St Patrick's Cathedral is the most-visited religious site in the country, drawing tourists from North America, the continent and Britain. Once inside the building, just a short stroll from Christ Church, there are free and comprehensive information brochures in an assortment of languages to guide you through the areas of note.

The key attraction is . . . no surprises here . . . the link to St Patrick, who is said to have baptised converts to Christianity in the grounds of the cathedral with water from a local well. Since then (5th century) a church has stood on the grounds. The Normans built one in the 12th century which was rebuilt in the 13th century, and that building is more or less what the cathedral is today.

The area accessible to the public in the cathedral is smaller than one would expect, but still spectacular. Its gothic-style arches and windows house countless artefacts, plaques and memorials. During the summer, the building is teeming with tourists, the hum of piped hymns overshadowed by a din of tourist guides.

Highlights in the cathedral include the epitaph of Jonathan Swift; a wooden door through which the Earl of Ormond and the Earl of Kildare shook hands ending a feud in 1492 (coining the phrase 'chancing your arm'), in the same area where the recent Afghan hunger strike took place; and the choir stalls below the banners of the Knights of St Patrick. (St Patrick's Choir School was founded in 1432, and many of its members took part in the first performance of Handel's Messiah in Dublin in 1742. ) The staff are friendly and patient, although the shop and bathrooms can become quite crowded at peak times. Outside, St Patrick's Park is the perfect venue to relax after a visit inside; unfortunately, it's not uncommon to have to share the space with undesirables drinking during the day and evening.

Price of a coffee: No cafe on site, but there are a few in the area.

Souvenirs: The small open-plan shop has the usual assortment of Oirish trinkets, with additions of bronzish Celtic cross ornaments ( 6.95) along with some religious books and books on Irish writers, such was Jonathan Swift's connection to the cathedral. Not exactly an extensive selection, but adequate.

One to remember: The exterior and surrounding park, which on a sunny day is perhaps the nicest place to lounge in the capital.

One to forget: The entry fee is relatively expensive and the floor is sometimes crowded.

Visitors' impressions: "It's magical, and they even had my favourite verse open in one of the old books."

Worth the trip? Yes, if it's a short one. You could easily take in Christ Church cathedral in the same trip as well, which is just five minutes' walk down Patrick Street.

A bit Darby O'Gill, but folks are happy

No 5 Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Co Clare Annual visitors: 316,813 (2005) Admission: 13 adult; 7.50 OAPs; 30.50 families

BUNRATTY Castle used to call to mind simpering girls with auburn curls playing the harp for plaid-clad Americans. Actually, that still goes on, but something else has happened too. Nowadays, among the ubiquitous foreign throngs, you'll find home-produced pensioners, families and . . . imagine this . . . young people.

Of course, the castle itself is no longer the main attraction, though it's billed as one of our finest stone fortresses. It was built in 1425, and restored after it was acquired in 1956 by Lord Gort, a stern-looking old devil who was good enough to bequeath it to the state. He and his wife stocked it with an eclectic collection of furniture, tapestries and paintings. Without turning the place into a museum, they could do with labelling these items.

While disabled access is generally good in the park, the castle would be impossible for anyone on wheels, or indeed anyone with claustrophobia or vertigo. But in high season it's no great loss: the crowds make the castle uncomfortable as you spend so much time waiting to go up or down the spiral staircases.

Instead you can spend most of a day roaming the folk park, an immense, 26-acre recreation of 19th century life. The setting alone is beautiful, especially in sunshine, with glowing pastures, scented shady walks and itinerant hens. Even children revert to a pre-21st century version of themselves and roll in the grass without any electronic equipment.

Class distinctions are unapologetically preserved here. The lowest dwelling is a labourer's bothan; the highest is the Big House with its beautiful walled garden. In between are various grades of cottage, all with turf fires and dim as a tomb. In nearly every one, an elderly IrishAmerican materialises in the gloom, wondering could they possibly have come from so little. It is a vanished way of life, but by no means forgotten. Many of those you meet are older people who clearly remember living like this.

The Village Street has shops selling things like lavender-stuffed pillows, prints of Yeats poems, and boiled sweets. There are hot meals in the Barn Kitchen, and what one visitor described as the best apple pie she ever tasted in the Tea Room. You might give half of it to the cheeky sparrows in the garden there. Food is also available in Mac's pub, where they serve a decent pint of Guinness for 3.95, which is thought reasonable by some standards, if not by Clare ones.

Admission buys you a map, which is easy to follow if not very instructive; a guidebook costs 5. Toilets are plentiful and clean and parking is free and close by. Getting there is straightforward by car: it's just off the N18 near Shannon airport.

Price of a coffee: 1.60 Souvenirs: A vast assortment of postcards, teeshirts, calendars, books etc, aimed mainly at foreigners.

One to remember: The Village Street (a bit 'Darby O'Gill' but still charming) and the doctor's rose-fronted house, for its glimpse of a tranquil middle-class life.

One to forget: The crowds. Go in spring or autumn for more space.

Visitors' impressions: "Worth every penny";

"great for kids"; "a good insight into how tuppence-hapenny looked down on tuppence."

Worth the trip? Very much so, though some suspension of disbelief may be called for.

A pint of plain eight floors up is your only man

No 1 Guinness Storehouse Annual visitors: 780,851(2005) Admission: 14, or 12.60 if you book on-line; 30 families (two adults, two children); 9.50 over-18 students; 7.50 U-18 students; 9.59 senior citizens;

5 children 6-12; free for U-6s; 11.70 a head for groups 15 or more AS YOU enter, an escalator brings you straight into the huge merchandise shop, the only part of the complex which you can enter without paying, unless you are under six.

At 11.30 in the morning, no-one had to stand in line for long to get a ticket but by 1pm, the queue was off-putting. A nice young man named Brendan explained that Irish visitors are comparatively rare . . . just 4% of the total.

You have to go to the cafe on the first floor to hear a Dublin accent, right here in Dublin 8. Stacey and Maria run a tight ship in the cafe. Otherwise it is a fur-coat-andno-knickers kind of place. Chocolate croissants but no chocolate biscuits, plastic plates unless you request otherwise, and your tea served with the tea-bag bobbing in it like a corpse. No amount of digital technology can make up for this sort of savagery.

Getting to the first floor had been tricky.

I had waited for a lift with a couple who said they'd been waiting for ages and when one finally arrived, the male half of the couple said it was too full for us to get into.

Inside you are shown a huge area of grain and told that Guinness uses 100,000 tonnes of Irish barley a year. Hop plants grow the height of two storeys. A sign says "yeast is an alchemist", which kind of shakes your faith just a tad. A catalyst, perhaps. There is a wonderful torrent of water, which was much photographed.

On the next floor the heat was oppressive (the Guinness Storehouse is not for the claustrophobic) and a video of the Master Brewer taking you through the brewing process was inaudible. A nice American girl, Valerie, was chosen from her group to talk to a recorded brewery worker and push a button to start the brewing process.

"Let's give Valerie a round of applause, " said the tour guide in her foreign accent.

Up then to the bar where you get a free pint of Guinness if you can face one. I was so hot at this point I forgot to look out the window, which provides one of the finest views of Dublin. Apparently.

Business was brisk downstairs in the merchandise shop, while queues were forming outside for the tourist buses. You can get to the Storehouse on the 123 bus from Dame Street, or on the Luas, alighting at St James's Street. There is free parking for visitors' cars.

Price of a cup of tea: 1.80. (Also . . . Ham Salad Sandwich 3.95; Date & Ginger Cookie 2.40; Would it kill them to stock Club Milks? ) Souvenirs: Brisk business for tee-shirts for 8-10 year olds at 20, and Guinness leprechaun hats for 10.

One to remember: Nice staff when you get to talk to them, the interior waterfall and, I'm sure, the view.

One To Forget: The tea bag, the lack of natural light, the telephone answering machine playing a Guinness ad, the prices, the fact that it's one long advertisement.

Visitors' impressions: The fact that there's a 'Visitor Experience Team' speaks for itself.

Worth the trip? 780,000 visitors a year can't be wrong. Can they?

Sea lions look lost, kids are in their element

No 2 Dublin Zoo Number of visitors: 746,291 (2005) Admission: 13.50 adults (waged);

11 (unwaged); 11 students/OAPs; free for children U-3; 9 U-16; 38+ for families DISREGARDING any ethical stance one might have on zoos, they are wonderful visits for children. Dublin Zoo places a strong emphasis on conservation, and the African Plains expansion of the grounds is a massive improvement.

In fact, compared to the African Plains area . . . where a guided 'safari' train transports visitors around, and large enclosures, especially mixed enclosures, provide a free-ish atmosphere for the animals . . . the rest of the zoo appears slightly dour.

The 'fringes of the Arctic' exhibit is run down and the display glass is dirty and scratched. Many of the enclosures still appear too small;

the penguins, gorillas and sea lions notably. The chimpanzee outdoor area backed on to an ill-kept building and remnants of what appeared to be a small building site. But there are many highlights . . . the large lake in African Plains is beautiful, the paths are surrounded by greenery, and there are plenty of different routes to wander around.

The education value is relatively poor and needs to be improved. Many of the signs accompanying enclosures were faded or non-existent, and the commentary on the 'safari' veered between poor and inaccessible.

Staff policing the zoo were approachable and polite, but unfortunately, workers in the shops were relatively unfriendly. The food available needs to be improved. There were practically no healthy options for children . . . the main fare being burgers, chips, pizzas, potato wedges and fizzy drinks.

Nevertheless, the overall feeling is that although certain aspects may grate with adults, the children didn't seem to mind at all and everywhere you looked they were having a ball. This, along with the surrounding area of the Phoenix Park makes the zoo a fun (if tiring) day out for all the family.

Price of a coffee: 1.60 Souvenirs: There are two large souvenir shops, and a few more spots around the grounds to pick up some gifts.

In the main shop by the entrance, there is a great selection of soft toys ranging in size and price.

In the African Plains, 'rain sticks' and other Africanthemed ornaments and trinkets are for sale . . . a nice touch.

One to remember: The fact that the zoo has improved greatly, especially regarding the size of enclosures. In other words, it doesn't look as grim any more.

One to forget: The food available seems to be exclusively greasy.

Visitors' impressions: The best compliment to be paid is the constant laughter and yelps of excitement from pointing children.

Worth the trip? Most visitors seemed to be Irish and with young children. It's a local attraction rather than an international one, and certainly not of an international standard. That is not to say it is without charm.

Visitors gripped by holiday blockbuster

No 3 Trinity College/ Book of Kells Number of visitors: 529,898 (2005) Admission: 8 adults; U-12s free; 16 families (two adults and four children); 7 OAPs and students HOUSED opposite the arts block at TCD, the Book Of Kells and Trinity College's Long Library are must-sees for any tourist visiting Dublin. The exhibition featuring the book itself, along with other manuscripts, is appropriately titled 'Turning Darkness into Light' . . .

as the exhibition area is a tactful and atmospheric display of dark and light, giving an air of ancient mystery to the whole experience.

The walk-through exhibition is comprehensive, featuring detailed explanations and information along with displays of other manuscripts, artefacts and multimedia features. Beyond that, in a darkened room, is the Book of Kells, stored in a temperature-controlled case. Otherwise known as the Book of Columba, the manuscript was produced by monks around 800AD and contains the four gospels of the bible in Latin. Internationally renowned, the book is generally referred to as the pinnacle of religious calligraphy and the best preserved example of illustration and illumination of its period. Two of its four volumes are always on display along with two other texts.

The atmosphere is perfect and visitors look astounded by the book's beauty as they gather around and peer into the glass case.

Above that room is the Long Library, a stunningly preserved corridor of less-ancient books.

The architecture is unique, and the silent musty atmosphere immediately transports you to a more studious time. The corridor is lined with busts of philosophers and scientists and the countless volumes of texts are rotated in special collections and displays. The library really is something else and time is lost wandering around the shelves, trying to make out the old print on the spines of leather-bound works. The queues outside are controlled by numerous staff and the exhibition area never becomes too crowded.

The gift shop is eclectic in its content, and reasonably priced. And the surrounding area of Trinity College provides the perfect setting for a pre- or post-visit stroll. All in all, a very pleasant experience.

Price of a coffee? While there is no cafe on site, the Trinity arts block cafe and the Buttery dining area, along with cafes in the surrounding area of Grafton, Nassau and Dame Streets, are all nearby.

Souvenirs: The gift shop is excellent, with plenty of variety. Along with Trinity College merchandise (hoodies etc), there is a large selection of books, and pretty and well-produced prints of pages from the Book of Kells that start at 6.95 One to remember: The atmosphere in the Long Library One to forget: The queues.

Arrive early, or prepare to stand in line for a while.

Visitors' impressions: "It's [the book] so beautiful, I almost think it's fake" - Terri, Boston, in the visitors' book Worth the trip? Definitely.