Ercrugby.com's Guide To Dublin

The city is home to 1 million people - a third of Ireland's population - and is the centre of government, commerce and industry.

The original small settlement was named Ath Cliath, which means a 'ford of hurdles' and was located near the mouth of the River Poddle. At the point where the Poddle met the Liffey River, a black pool (or 'dubh-linn') emerged. The Vikings arrived in 841 and Dublin's life as a town began.

Music is never too far away in Dublin. The streets are full of talented buskers and Grafton Street on a Saturday afternoon is virtually impassable for the crowds surrounding the young musicians.

And, of course, there are the drinking establishments.

'A good puzzle would be to cross Dublin without passing a pub' mused Leopold Bloom in James Joyce's famous novel 'Ulysses'.

And not a lot has changed. The 1,000-year-old city has more than 1,000 pubs, so let's have a look at a few:

* Mulligan's, Poolbeg Street: Old and extremely busy. As with the best Dublin pubs, don't expect to eat anything here. Superb Guinness, but what other sort of Guinness is there?

* The Beggar's Bush, Haddington Road: No fancy decor, but they do serve very good pints at some of the lowest prices in the city. And it's just around the corner from Lansdowne Road.

* The Stag's Head, Exchequer Street: A student favourite that serves great pints and huge plates of sausages and chips. Inhabited, perhaps unsurprisingly, by a massive stag's head. Closed on Sundays.

* Toner's, Lower Baggot Street: A small pub with a nice ambience, a few tourists and, needless to say, great beer.

* Keogh's, South Anne Street: Just off the main thoroughfare of Grafton Street, a sanctuary from shopping and an ideal spot for a mid-afternoon pint.

* Fallon's, off Clanbrasil Street: Tiny but very cool. Perfect venue for kicking off the evening.

* Chocolate Bar, Hatch Street Upper: Impossibly trendy pub with the weirdest loos in the city. A high balcony overlooks the main action of the bar, which opens at 5pm (6pm at weekends).

* The Dockers, Sir John Rogerson's Quay: U2 have made this riverside pub famous by hanging out here when they're recording in the nearby Windmill Lane recording studios. Even without them, it's a neat wee pub.

All this talk of pubs can make a rugby fan thirsty, and the ultimate trip for beer-lovers has to be to the Guinness Brewery.

Guinness is one of Ireland's biggest commercial successes. Founded in 1759, the Dublin brewery covers 64 acres and has the distinction of being the world's largest single beer-exporting company, exporting 300 million pints of the famous stout a year; 2.5 million pints are brewed there every day.

The former Guinness Hop Store on Rainsford Street houses an exhibition centre containing a replica brewery, pub, restaurant, gift shop and various exhibition rooms. It's open from 9.30am Monday to Saturday and costs £5.

But there's more to Dublin than rugby and drinking beer... No... there is!

Anyone wanting to walk off a couple of pints has Europe's largest public park on offer.

Phoenix Park extends about 3 miles along the Liffey's north bank, encompassing 1,752 acres of green lawns, woods, lakes and playing fields. Among the park's major monuments are the Phoenix Column, erected in 1747, and the 198-ft obelisk, built in 1817 to commemorate the Duke of Wellington, the Irish general who defeated Napoleon for the British.

Among Dublin's churches and cathedrals is the Christ Church Cathedral in Lord Edward Street. Founded in 1083 by the Danish Kind Sitric and Donatus, Bishop of Dublin, it was demolished by the Normans in 1172 but they rebuilt it in the next 50 years.

One of the main points of interest is the tomb of Strongbow, who conquered Dublin during the reign of Henry II. The monument depicts Strongbow and his son, whom Strongbow is said to have killed for cowardice in battle. As you did back then.

Christ Church is the traditional venue for Dubliners welcoming in the New Year.

Dame Street is where you go to visit Dublin Castle, which dates from King John's first Dublin court of 1207.

After the Act of Union at the beginning of the 19th Century the castle continued as the Viceroy's seat, and as the heart of British rule, the place stands as a symbol of 700 years of British power in Ireland. A popular part of the castle is the figure of Justice at the top of the Bedford Tower, on the northside of the yard. She turns her back to the city, illustrating, it was said, just how much justice Dubliners could expect from the English. Furthermore, the scales she holds used to tilt when it rained. To ensure even justice, the problem was solved by drilling holes in the scale-pans.

As the birthplace of Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett and many other renowned writers, it's no surprise that Dublin has a Writers Museum (Parnell Square).

Featured are exhibits on the lives and works of some of the world's most famous writers. Their books, letters, portraits and some personal items are all presented in a beautifully restored Georgian house.

If you're keen to do a bit of shopping, and the weather's not the best, the centre of Dublin has several covered malls - elegant thoroughfares filled with boutiques and upmarket cafes. Many of them are off Grafton Street, including the Westbury Shopping Mall and the Hibernian Way and Lord Mayors Walk, which has the names of all Dublin's First Citizens embedded in the path beneath your feet.

So whether it's walking, shopping, drinking or just relaxing, Ireland's capital city offers something for everyone. And we haven't even mentioned Lansdowne Road...