Christ Church and medieval Dublin
The Norman cathedral, the Viking ground at Wood Quay, and the oldest streets running down to the Liffey. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Christ Church Cathedral
The oldest building still in use in Dublin, founded by the Vikings around 1030 and rebuilt by the Normans. Go down into the medieval crypt — the largest in Ireland — for the mummified cat and rat known as Tom and Jerry. The covered bridge to the old Synod Hall is the photograph everyone takes.

2. Dublinia
In the Synod Hall across the bridge: a reconstruction of Viking and medieval Dublin, built on the actual excavation findings from Wood Quay. Aimed at families but honest about the archaeology. Skip if you've no time; the building itself is worth a look.

3. Wood Quay
The riverbank where Dublin began — a dense Viking settlement dug up in the 1970s, then largely buried under the Civic Offices despite huge protests. A low memorial wall and plaques mark what was lost. Stand here and you're on the founding ground of the city.

4. Fishamble Street
One of the oldest streets in Dublin, curving down to the river on its medieval line. Handel's Messiah was first performed here in 1742 at the old Music Hall; a plaque and an annual performance mark it. Short, steep, easy to miss — don't.

5. Brazen Head
Up the hill on Bridge Street, the pub that claims a licence back to 1198 — Ireland's oldest, by its own account. You don't have to drink at lunchtime; just step into the cobbled yard and the low dark rooms. The claim is disputed; the atmosphere isn't.

6. Ha'penny Bridge
Walk the boardwalk along the Liffey and finish at the cast-iron Ha'penny, built 1816, named for the toll once charged to cross. Cross it for the north quays and the Luas at Jervis. The best view back at the medieval skyline is from the middle.

Christ Church and medieval Dublin