The Dublin Pass Adds Value With New Attractions as City Marks Easter Rising 100th Anniversary

LONDON, March 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

This Easter sees Dublin marking the 100^th anniversary of one of the most important events in Irish history - and visitors can explore the whole story with The Dublin Pass (http://www.dublinpass.com).

The pass provides entry to more than 25 of Dublin's most popular attractions, sights and landmarks, allowing visitors to save money and time on their sightseeing in the city.  Several help tell the story of the 1916 Easter Rising, which played a hugely important role in the eventual creation of the Irish Republic.

Newly-introduced to the pass for spring 2016 is entry to Dublin's newest attraction, the GPO Witness History exhibition.  Set to open on 29 March and based at the GPO ('General Post Office'), which was the headquarters of the Irish Nationalist rebels during the Easter Rising, the exhibition blends special effects, soundscapes and heartfelt stories of real people in extraordinary circumstances to bring the rebellion to life.  Normally priced at €10, entry is free with the Dublin Pass.

A second new addition to the Dublin Pass is a 24-hour ticket for the City Sightseeing 'hop-on, hop-off' bus tour, normally priced at €19.  One of the most iconic ways to experience Dublin, the tour offers two routes and 28 different stops in the city, allowing visitors to create their own sightseeing itinerary.  Among the many different attractions easily accessed via the tour are several with significant appeal for those interested in the Easter Rising anniversary, including:

• The National Gallery of Ireland -  running until 24 April is 'James Stephens, the 1916 Rising, and the National Gallery of Ireland'.  Renowned writer Stephens was the Registrar at the National Gallery during the rising, and the exhibition is based around his seminal chronicle  of the events, The Insurrection in Dublin.

• National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History -  from 3 March the museum will put on show one of the largest displays of materials from the period in a new exhibition entitled 'Proclaiming a Republic: The 1916 Rising'.  Many of the objects have never been on public display before while others, such as the Irish Republic flag which flew over the GPO, have been specially conserved.

• Dublin City Hall -  a monument to Dublin's rich history, City Hall was itself a battleground during the Easter Rising.  Its upgraded exhibitions include 'Dublin Fire Brigade & the 1916 Rising', telling the story of the city's firefighters at a time when the city centre burned in the conflict; and 'The Story of the Capital Exhibition: The 1916 Room', which now features a recently conserved, original copy of the Proclamation asserting Ireland's independence.

Dublin City Hall will focus strongly on the Easter Rising in its popular series of lectures running throughout April, while another Dublin Pass attraction, St Patrick's Cathedral, will hold a special Service of Commemoration on 24 April.

Other new Dublin Pass developments introduced for spring 2016 include a free guidebook for pass holders at the National Museum of Ireland for Archaeology and the National Museum of Ireland for Decorative Arts & History.  

On a one-day Dublin Pass (€49) visitors can save money after using their pass just three times  -  head to the Guinness Storehouse (normally €20), Dublin Zoo (€17) and take the hop-on, hop-off bus tour (€19) and save €7.  Visitors on the two-day pass (€69) can save money after visiting just five attractions.  Three- and five-day passes are also available.

The Dublin Pass is run by The Leisure Pass Group, the world's most successful city pass operator, on behalf of Fáilte Ireland, the country's National Tourism Development Authority.

SOURCE Dublin Pass