RAINY days during the summer holidays are the ones most parents and childminders dread. Taking young ones to museums can be a risky business but if you choose your venue carefully, know a little bit about what's to be seen and what most interests the children, the visit can be enjoyable for everyone.
The National Aquarium in Bray is one possibility for families who want to take a break from the shoreline. Situated two minutes from Bray DART station, it contains up to 700 kinds of fish including piranhas, Japanese koi and electric catfish. It is open daily, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (last admission at 5 p.m.) and costs £2.50 for adults and £2 for children.
Day trippers, disappointed by the weather at Malahide beach in Co Dublin, can bring their young folk to visit Fry's Model Railway in the grounds of Malahide Castle. Originally built in the 1920s and 1930s by railway engineer Cyril Fry, it includes a working railway covering an area of 2,500 square feet. There are also miniature stations, trams, buses and barges in the display. It is open from Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sundays, 2 p.m.-6 p.m. Admission: adults £2.50, children £1.40.
Children looking for something to do out of the water while in Kerry can explore life beneath the waves at Fenit Seaworld just outside Tralee. Featuring hundreds of different species from tiny crabs to conger eels and sharks, the centre is both educational and entertaining. It is open daily, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. (last admissions 8 p.m.). Admission: adults £4, children £1.50.
Holidaymakers in the Clare/Limerick region with technical minded children can take them to the Foynes Flying Boat Museum. Housed in the old terminal building at Foynes, Co Limerick, it contains oodles of information about the first transatlantic flights as well as original radio transmitters and Morse code equipment. It is open daily throughout the summer, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Admission: adults £3, children £1.50.
Finally, in Dublin, a restored 19th century children's merry go round will be in Meeting House Square. Temple Bar, on Saturday and Sunday. There will be free rides for children, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. on both days.
