Ireland holidays: Delights of Dublin - 17 things you might not know...

St Patricks Day Parade, Dublin. Tourism Ireland

1. Dublin was home to three Nobel Prize winners; Samuel Beckett, George Bernard Shaw and W B Yeats. Locals will argue passionately they could have had five laureates, as James Joyce was bizarrely ignored by the Nobel committee and Oscar Wilde died a year too soon (the first honour was bestowed by the Swedish-based organisation in 1901, a year after Wilde passed away in Paris). You can learn about them all at the Dublin Writers Museum.

2. Big time buskers. Every Christmas Eve Bono and the Edge play a few tunes on Grafton St, a popular shopping thoroughfare. The spectacle attracts a large crowd, though not pandemonium, and buckets are passed around for charity.

3. The Guiness Storehouse ploughs through around 100,000 tonnes of malted barley annually, more than two thirds of Ireland's total output.

NZ Herald writer Michael Burgess in the Gravity Bar at the Guiness Storehouse, Dublin

4. The stunning Ha'penny Bridge, which looks particularly spectacular at night, is one of 24 bridges that cross the River Liffey, as it winds through the centre of the capital.

5. The Virgin Mary is Ireland's first non-alcohol bar. As surprising as it sounds, the establishment on Capel St has proven popular, and offers wine, beer, cocktails and champagne, all sans alcohol.

6. The Little Museum of Dublin has a copy of the 1987 Time cover that featured U2, who at the time, were just the fifth rock group to grace the front of the American magazine, after the Beatles, The Who, The Band and the Rolling Stones

7. Twelve of the city's most famous statues can tell stories, recited by Irish actors and authors, via a QR code downloaded to your phone.

8. The National Gallery has been completely refurbished and features artwork from Caravaggio, Monet, Picasso and Rembrandt, as well as the great Irish painters. Admission is free.

The Little Museum of Dublin. Tourism Ireland

9. Trinity College, which was opened by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592, features the beautiful Long Hall library, which houses the 9th century manuscript the Book of Kells

10. Thirsty? There are around 750 pubs in Dublin, along with nearly 1000 restaurants.

11. "Sinead you were right all along, we were wrong. So Sorry". This mural, dedicated to Sinead O'Connor, relating to her infamous protest against the Catholic Church in 1992, is one of many on the Icons Walks in the Temple Bar area.

12. Crowded House, Enya, Ray Charles, Serena Williams and Jackie Chan are among the numerous celebrity customers listed on the wall of Leo Burdock Fish and Chips, which dates back to 1913.

Oscar Wilde memorial sculpture, Merrion Square, Dublin. Michael Burgess

13. Dating back to 1796, Kilmainham Gaol has held some of Ireland's most influential leaders, including Charles Stewart Parnell and Eamon de Valera. It's one of the largest unoccupied jails in Europe and tours are popular, so book ahead.

14. Whiskey connoisseurs are spoiled for choice in the Irish capital. Jameson's Bow Street Distillery is probably the most famous, but there is also Pearse Lyons, Dublin Liberties, Roe & Co and Teeling.

15. Ireland has won the Eurovision song contest seven times, more than any other country, though locals seem to have mixed feelings about the achievement.

16. The Brazen Head in Dublin is on the site of Ireland's oldest pub, reputedly dating back to 1198.

17. Around 750,000 people attend the St Patrick's Day parade in Dublin, which snakes through 2.5 kilometres of the downtown area. It's the highlight of a festival that stretches across four or five days to honour Ireland's patron saint.