Damian Byrne (1973)

Dublin City Gallery the Hugh Lane, to give it its full, cumbersome title, is located in a beautiful old town house worthy of a visit in its own right. This, combined with the quality of the exhibits, make it the one truly must-see public gallery in the city.

The permanent collection includes many of the most prominent Irish artists of the 20th century, such as William Orpen, Roderick O’Connor, Louis Le Brocquy and Jack B Yeats. Also featured are works by the man often cited as Ireland’s greatest living painter, Sean Scully.

The jewel in the crown, though, is a remarkable reconstruction of Francis Bacon‘s studio at 7 Reece Mews, South Kensington, where he lived and worked from 1961 until his death in 1992. It was donated to the Hugh Lane by Bacon’s former partner, John Edwards, in 1998. “I work much better in chaos,” Bacon once said, and this is reflected in the 7,000-plus seperate items recovered from the small studio and transported to Dublin.

Out of the chaos emerged some of the greatest figurative paintings of the 20th century, and this faithful reconstruction offers a fascinating insight into the artist’s mind.

Ask a member of Dublin’s chattering classes to name their favourite “secret spot” in the city, and there’s a fair chance the response will be the Iveagh Gardens. It has become this almost mythical place that nobody is supposed to know about, yet everybody does.

Nevertheless, it remains true that, thanks to its concealed location behind the National Concert Hall, this wonderful park attracts nothing like the crowds of nearby St Stephen’s Green.

The gardens combine traditional English landscaping with formal features like statues, fountains, rockeries and a rose garden. The real beauty of the place, however, is the feeling of quiet seclusion.

If you fancy reading a book, having a nap or just whiling away a few hours on a sunny day in Dublin, this is a much more attractive option than jostling for space in St Stephen’s Green.

Following closure for much of 2011 for renovations, I’m glad to report that one of my favourite old Dublin haunts is back up and running.

For years one of the most defiantly staid and traditional of Dublin watering holes, the place has of late been displaying a Bowie-esque capacity for reinvention.

When I first started coming here in the 1990s, it was a charmingly kitsch, ’70s-style bar that catered to one-old-man-and-his-dog and seemed on the verge of extinction. Then one of the sons took over the running of the place a few years back – out went the battered old carpet and some of the more naff elements of the decor, in came tasteful candlelight and wooden floors.

Now he has gone down the full makeover route. The result is all very tasteful, with its exposed brickwork and dark wooden panelling, if rather unoriginal. Personally I preferred the place the way it used to be, but I don’t have to earn a living out of it. Credit, too, for remaining one of the few Dublin pubs not to install a television.

The real point of Kennedy’s in its present incarnation, however, is the music. The guy has seriously good taste, and plays some wonderfully obscure stuff. Coming here can be a real musical education.

The new look may be more generic, but this place is still unique.

For several years virtually unchallenged as the coolest bar in Dublin, my once-beloved Dice Bar has started to show its age and get a bit stale around the edges, as reflected in the clientele – too many middle-aged blokes in rugby jerseys.

The music has become increasingly mainstream, repetitive and dull, with the same old crowd-pleasing sets week after week. Nevertheless, the Dice Bar is still a million miles better than the average music bar you will find in the city centre.

Furthermore, there are times when some raucous leaping about to rock ‘n roll and indie classics is just what the doctor ordered, and this place can still be great craic on a night out. And there’s still the legendary Tiny James (big bloke with big hair, you can’t miss him). If there’s a cooler doorman/bouncer/whatever in the world, I want to meet him.

One of my favourite spots in Dublin to grab lunch or a quick snack, The Bakery is tucked away in the quieter, more sophisticated corner of Temple Bar, near Christchurch.

It seems to attract large numbers of Spanish, Italian and other visitors at lunch-times as it is a popular stop-off point with the local tour guides.

As you walk in, you can see the ever-friendly and efficient staff in the background baking the fresh loaves of bread and delicious array of cakes, pastries, quiches, vol-a-vents and sausage rolls on offer. Soups and sandwiches are also available.

Seating inside is very limited, but there is a nice seating area on the opposite side of the street if the weather permits.