Royal Hospital Kilmainham

The Royal Hospital Kilmainham in County Dublin is one of the finest seventeenth-century buildings in Ireland, built as a home for retired soldiers and laid out around a great colonnaded courtyard.

Its formal architecture, chapel and grounds repay a slow wander, and the building now serves as a cultural venue, housing the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Between the historic fabric, the gardens and the changing exhibitions, it makes an easy half-day away from the city centre bustle. Check current opening times before you go.