Things to see & do in the South?

Atomic Pineapple

With the daytime light starting to stretch a bit now in the evenings I am beginning to wonder what sort of sights there are to see and things to do in the evenings in my new area?

I have a car so can travel a good bit.

So I'm wondering what the area has to see? Like if a tourist came here what would they be going to look at?

I enjoy traveling Ireland and exploring what it has to offer, and I am a hobby photographer so would like to see whats in and around Dun Loaghaire?

Generally when I travel Ireland the things I like to go see are:

Waterfalls,
Forests,
Wildlife,
Scenery,
Rivers,
Mountains,
Historic Irish sites,
Castles,
Megalithic tombs,
Ogham stones

So I just wondering whats worth seeing in the area in the evenings?

enda1

You looking for South Dublin or south Ireland?

If Dublin, you can scratch the Waterfalls, megalithic tombs and ogham stones off the list I think.

Nearest things to waterfalls would be weirs on the Liffey (at Leixlip, Lucan, Strawberry Beds) and the Dodder.

I can't think of any prehistoric habitations in South Dublin though...

For mountains there are obviously the Dublin mountains which stretch into the Wicklow mountains which contain many walks, trails, hikes, lakes, forests etc.

For wildlife try Bull Island for migrating bird-life, the mountains for deer, forests for badgers, springs for frog-spawn and then frogs.

Fish can be caught off Killiney, Dalkey, etc. on the coast.

The grand canal is nice for more leisurely walking with much bird-life (swans ducks, other birds) as well as reed beds which provide great habitats.

Cookie_Monster

Walk on piers and seafront offer good view etc.

Killiney hill
Killiney Beach
Dublin / Wicklow mountain are pretty close.
DL to Glendalough should only take about 35-40 mins in light traffic

Dalkey for historic castle, has a visitor "experience" also. Historical dressup, how life was, that sort of thing. Bulloch harbour & Dalkey island, during summer can get boat out to it

Lead mines
Powerscourt
Sandymount strand
Bray seafront and headland and walk down into Greystones and back on DART
Marley park & House

all spring immediatly to mind

Atomic Pineapple

Yeh, sorry South Dublin, within say a 20 - 30 mile radius of Dun Laoghaire.

Thanks for the suggestions so far

Tabnabs

For the seriously old stuff check out the Dublin page on www.megalithicireland.com/

Some more stuff of historical interest here: http://www.southdublinhistory.ie/

But loike, didn't anyone tell you we have the Dundrum shopping centre experience?

Fratton Fred

take a stroll one evening up Killiney hill, I've been doing it at least once a week for over three years and i still haven't got bored of the view.

powerscourt and the waterfall are goodies as is a stroll up around the smelting tower (Just don't ask me for directions, I kind of manage to stumble my way there)

Oh yeah, put Bloom's day in your diary as well, that is a must see for the area.

Atomic Pineapple

some interesting stuff to see there.

@Cookie_Monster, whats the lead mines, I googled but all I got was Tara mines

Cookie_Monster

draffodx wrote: »

some interesting stuff to see there.

@Cookie_Monster, whats the lead mines, I googled but all I got was Tara mines

As Fratton Fred mentioned, it is also know as the smelting tower. You can see it up on the hills behind Cherrywood. It was an old lead min which the chimney was part of. Now a forest with walking paths and such.

Tis here

There are a couple of carparks around the area but haven't been up there in quite a while so not sure about exactly where

SerialComplaint

'tis Ballycorus Leadmines you are looking for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballycorus_Leadmines

enda1

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

As Fratton Fred mentioned, it is also know as the smelting tower. You can see it up on the hills behind Cherrywood. It was an old lead min which the chimney was part of. Now a forest with walking paths and such.

Tis here

There are a couple of carparks around the area but haven't been up there in quite a while so not sure about exactly where

If you walk up to it by the path, you start at the smelting works where the furnaces were and all and walk by a one metre wall to your left.

This wall is hollow and was the flu to the chimney.

All the gas travelled through this to the chimney. The walls would collect lead too and be cleaned by sending in children who'd scrape the inside to remove the precious metal.

Its an interesting chimney as chimneys go

Cookie_Monster

enda1 wrote: »

. The walls would collect lead too and be cleaned by sending in children who'd scrape the inside to remove the precious metal.

jaysus!

I imagine that was not very good for their health

1nk3d4L1f3

A few Dolmens Southside. Here's one i visited with my school years back. The house owners let any1 go look at it back then. I dont know about the owners now as its in their back garden. I wont mention the house name. But if you look carefully at the house name's its an easy find. Coming from C'teely Village on Brennanstown Rd. its on left side around the bad bend. Happy hunting... http://www.fotosearch.com/DSN024/1812425/

Cookie_Monster

there's also one just off the ballybrack roundabout. usually covered in graffiti though

whitesands

When I'm bored I usually get away from dun laoghaire & head up to the dublin mountains & over into wicklow off the beaten path, great scenery, walks, forests rivers etc
Your literally only a 10-15 minute drive from three rock mountain if you know the way, be careful though this time of the year, still plenty of snow up there...

Try find johnnie foxs pub & enniskerry to get a feel for the place & you'll get an idea of how to find glendalough, powerscourt waterfall etc

P.S. It's just started snowing lightly here, means the places I recommended will be probably unpassable in a few hours if you don't know where your going. Stick to killiney hill till the weather picks up

uch

Have a look at this map, it has plenty of local historical sites listed.http://www.dlrtourism.ie/maps/dlrtourism.pdf

RosieJoe

You should check out http://www.megalithomania.com/ as well for Megalithic Tombs.

You can also buy Monu-Mental About Prehistoric Dublin from the shop for further information.

Luckycharm

A walk up to the Hell Fire club where you get one of the best views of Dublin!!

Plus it also has a few stories surrounding it

http://blather.net/blather/1998/10/the_irish_hellfire_club_no_smo.html