School Tours

  A tour for all ages - Despite living in Dalkey most of my life I'd never been on the living history tours - except to meet Santa or the witches.

I brought three of my... read more children (11, 6 and 4) on a chilly saturday morning. The tour starts gently enough with a video intro and a little q&a session and then it all goes mad. You start to meet the historic figures. They're all busy at their trade with an excellent mix of educational content and just enough gore and grossness to really hook the kids.

A highlight of course was getting on to the battlements and seeing Dalkey in all its glory, not to mention minting your own coin at the end.

Last thing - the gift shop is wonderful. Something for everyone and a few very well priced pieces so you dont feel to indulgent treating the kids.

  A brilliant, enjoyable and educational experience!!  - We were greeted by very our friendly and affable host who outlined the experience and introduced us to our first guide for the tour which was a video presentation of... read more the structure and function of the castle. My wife and I were the only two people on the tour at that time (a group of schoolchildren had just left) but all of the staff and actors treated the experience as if the tour was full. We were regaled by three different actors who took us through their roles in the castle and local area who outlined some of the local history and answered our questions knowledgeably during the tour. We were then taken through a timeline of events in the area using scale models as an illustration. All done in an engaging and interesting manner.
We will probably do the tour again on our next trip to Dublin.

  Best Tour Ever! - We had such a great time at the Interactive Living History tour at Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre—it ended up being one of the most unexpectedly fun parts of our... read more trip. Instead of the usual slow walk through a historic building, the entire place felt alive with characters popping in and out, telling stories, cracking jokes, and pulling us right into medieval life. The cast was incredible—Sivhe, Rupert, Magnus, Rob, Eoin, and Lorana all brought so much personality and humor that it honestly felt more like a really good improv show inside a castle than a typical tour. There were so many little moments where we found ourselves laughing and looking at each other like “this is awesome.” You can tell the team genuinely loves what they do, and that energy makes the whole experience feel personal and memorable. If you’re anywhere near Dublin and want history that doesn’t feel like homework, this is 100% worth doing.

  Dalkey Castle - one of the highlights of our time in Ireland - We were a group of students and teachers who visited Dalkey Castle. The living history experience was great fun. It is an absolute gem and a must-visit.

  Great Interactive Experience - I came with a group of kids and I can tell that it was a great experience for the kids. I never saw them so excited and engaging so much... read more with the staff (characters).

Thank you do much!

  Lovely experience!  - It was so much fun and so informative! The actors were soo good ! And they really got into character (like the archer had a real bow saying that because... read more he could have just carried a fake one lol) ! It was on my list to do for my birthday and it completely exceeded my expectations! Lovely tour and lovely tour guides/actors !! If you like hearing about the past and getting some laughs as well! It’s a must do plus Dalkey is such a pretty area !!

  The Best Irish Castle Tour ever!!!! - We had the very best time on this tour, it was informative, exciting and so much fun. The actors were so convincing thanks Angela and Sharon

  One of the best guided tours around! - Fabulous, fun morning at Dalkey Castle! The Living History tour is a must for Horrible Histories fans, both young and old! The tour is bursting with gory details, quirky... read more facts and interesting information about life in medieval Dalkey. The actors were superb!

  A magical castle Santa visit  - A brilliant experience in an enchanted castle setting. I took my two kids 8 and 5 year old and they had a great time. Santa was full of energy with... read more songs, quizzes and a lovely present. Highly recommend it.