Dublin with 7 year old and 6month old

[PopsP]

My partner is working in Dublin for a few days and me and the kids have a chance to go with him. I have never been to Dublin, I only know that its good for pubs. Is there much to do with children, bearing in mind I will be reliant on public transport ? Do you think it's worth going ?

I wnt to Dublin with a 4 and a 6 year old a few years ago while my husband was on a course. St Stephens green is nice if it isnt raining.There was a hands on museum called I think Dublinia. A bus ride away was Dublin zoo. There is a writers museum with a childrens section. Plcaes we ate at included the Bad Ass cafe and LUigi Malones in Temple Bar. Pubs were child friendly at lunch time but quite a few didnt let children in in the evening.helen

i'm from dublin and as a kid i did enjoy feeding the ducks in st. stephen's green. it's a lovely city centre park to have a picnic lunch in if you need a break from shopping...and your children can feed the ducks with their left-overs!
the train system-DART- runs along the coast from one end of dublin to the other. it is a nice train ride for the children to see the sea (from time to time- more costal views on the southside of the trainline).if you want to get off the DART then Howth (the last stop on the northside) is a lovely fishing harbour.
hope this is of some help. have a great time there!

Hi Pops,

I'm from Dublin. It's actually a great place to bring the kids.

If the weather is nice (yeah, right!) you should check out the zoo and the Phoenix park (my boys are in love with the wild deer there). A little further out you can find Newbridge House (pet farm and playground), Fort Lucan (playground for slightly older kids), Malahide Castle (playground and model train). There's an amphibious (sp!) Viking tour of the city which is great fun.

If the weather is being Irish, you should try the National Acquatic Centre, the Giraffe center in Blanchardstown, Kidszone in Swords. The Leisureplexes in Blanchardstown and Coolock have indoor play areas and kids bowling. Dublinia is a good historical interactive viking thing.

Oh and the National Stud and Japanese Gardens in Kildare are lovely but a bit out of town!

Thanks for your replies, it sounds like there is enough to keep us busy.
Maryz - we will not book a hotel until we have decided what I will be doing, that way I can ensure we are near suitable public transport.

We are thinking of going to Cork on holiday, and ferry to Dublin seems much cheaper than flying, or taking ferry to Cork. If we are doing a circle from Dublin to Cork and back again, where do you recommend we stop off? I was thinking of a couple of nights in Dublin and in Galway, but Dublin doesn't sound that interesting now. Will the roads be all clogged up with tourist traffic in August?

hi - the roads won't be any worse than usual really. The worst traffic will be out of dublin on Friday and Sat (1st and 2nd) for the Bank Hol weekend and back to Dublin on Monday the 4th. Generally if you can avoid leaving Dublin on a friday and arriving on Sunday afternoon/evening then you'll be OK !
Galway would be a lovely 3rd place to visit...its a gorgeous spot. It's not really on the way from Cork to Dublin though but well worth seeing. There are some cheap flights these days with Ryanair etc to Cork and Dublin....