An eye-catching 2m marble bust of folk singer Luke Kelly by award-winning German artist Vera Klute stands on the street where Kelly was born in 1940. Three thousand individual strands of patinated copper wire make up Kelly's famous head of curly hair and wiry beard, but it's the pose that has generated most of the commentary: Klute captured Kelly with eyes firmly closed and mouth open in song – which some point out looks like he's in the throes of orgasm.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
25.7 MILES
Newgrange is one of the most remarkable prehistoric sites in Europe, famous for the illumination of its passage and tomb during the winter solstice sun…
0.81 MILES
Trinity's greatest treasures are found within the Old Library and the incredible Long Room is one of the most photographed rooms in Dublin, for good…
2.92 MILES
If you have any desire to understand Irish history – especially the long-running resistance to British colonial rule – then a visit to this former prison…
0.79 MILES
Trinity College Dublin is Ireland's most prestigious university, a collection of elegant Georgian and Victorian buildings, cobbled squares and nature…
0.8 MILES
A magnificent Caravaggio and a breathtaking collection of works by Jack B Yeats – William Butler Yeats' younger brother – are the main reasons to visit…
28.13 MILES
Slane Castle is a 300-year-old sprawling estate on the banks of the River Boyne in County Meath. The neo-gothic castle and grounds are open to visitors…
2.01 MILES
The most popular attraction in Dublin is this multimedia homage to Guinness. An old fermentation plant in the St James's Gate Brewery has been converted…
1.24 MILES
Explore behind the facade of one of Dublin's famous Georgian townhouses, carefully restored to gently peel back layers of complex social history over 250…
Nearby Dublin attractions
0.17 MILES
The angled, tube-like Convention Centre was designed by Kevin Roche in 2011. It looks its best at night, when it is lit up.
0.24 MILES
Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava's second Dublin bridge (his first is the James Joyce Bridge; 2003) is this wishbone-design structure (2007) in the…
0.29 MILES
One of the city's most original tourist attractions is an exact working replica of a 19th-century 'coffin ship', as the sailing boats that transported…
4. EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
0.31 MILES
This is a high-tech, interactive exploration of emigration and its effect on Ireland and the 70 million or so people spread throughout the world who claim…
5. Irish Family History Centre
0.34 MILES
Discover your family history with interactive screens where you can track your surname and centuries of Irish emigration. The ticket price includes a 15…
0.42 MILES
Just east of the Custom House is one of Dublin's most thought-provoking (and photographed) examples of public art: the set of life-size bronze figures …
0.46 MILES
This modern square was designed by American landscape artist Martha Schwartz and opened in 2008. Its most distinctive feature is the red 'carpet' made of…
0.53 MILES
Georgian genius James Gandon (1743–1823) announced his arrival on the Dublin scene with this magnificent building constructed over 10 years between 1781…