The republic of Ireland is best known for it's beauty and friendly atmosphere. The Pubs are fun and constantly full with locals and tourists alike.

Ballintubber is a neat attractive village situated north of Roscommon Town along the R367, off the N60. The striking feature, and well worth a visit, is Ballintubber Castle, one of Ireland’s greats, which overlooks the town. A nice stop is a visit ‘back to school’ at the Old Schoolhouse where you can see how things were done in the past with the aid of a re-created classroom, photos and memorabilia. There is an adjoining craft shop and tearoom.

The Ark
Located in an award winning building in the heart of Temple Bar, Dublin's cultural quarter, The Ark houses an indoor theatre, an outdoor amphitheatre, gallery spaces and a workshop.

Central to the vision of The Ark is the belief that children, as citizens, have cultural entitlements equal to that of any adult. The Ark manifests this belief by presenting programming across the arts of the highest quality, in association with leading professionals. From classical to popular and traditional to cutting edge, The Ark is both setting standards and exploring new dimensions in children's arts provisioning.

The Ark generates most progamming itself, though sometimes visiting artists and companies are presented. Our mission is to provide children, aged between 4 and 14, with engaging, challenging and entertaining arts experiences.

The Spire
The huge, striking, and innovative monument stands in the middle of O'Connell Street just across from the famous GPO. During daylight, the light of Ireland's sky over Dublin, the streetscape and its people is softly reflected in the stainless steel surface of the Spire. From its base up to about 10m, the stainless steel is partially polished in an abstract design to provide a slightly higher reflective surface than the remainder of the Spire. From dusk, the Spire’s stainless steel surface is softly lit by the ambient lighting of the streetscape. The base is gently lit and the tip illuminated from a light source within to provide a beacon in the night sky over Dublin.

The Spire has its roots in the ground and its light in the sky. 120 metres high and 3 metres in diameter at the base, the Spire rises above O’Connell Street, breaking above the roof line with as slender and elegant a movement as is technically possible. It is approximately 15 centimetres in diameter at its apex. The upper part of the Spire sways gently when the wind blows, reflecting the character of the citys climate. The monument's tip can sway up to a maximum of 1.5m under extreme wind loading - don't be too alarmed if you're nearby when this happens, all tall slender structures move in the wind, even lamp posts!

Contemporary Music Centre
The Contemporary Music Centre is Ireland's national archive and resource centre for new music, supporting the work of composers throughout the Republic and Northern Ireland. We house a large selection of contemporary Irish scores and CDs which may be purchased or researched on site.
The Centre is used, nationally and internationally, by performers, composers, promoters and members of the public interested in finding out more about music in Ireland. Its library and sound archive, open to the public free of charge, contain the only comprehensive collection in existence of music by Irish composers. Extensive reference and advice services are available and the Centre's web site provides access to CMC's resources for those who cannot visit in person.