`Seven and a half out of 10," pronounced Matthew (11). "Seven out of 10," said Jack, also aged 11. "Yep, liked it," said twins Conor and Clare, aged five, more or less in unison. They were being interviewed following our visit to the Dublin Viking Adventure which, though it has been up and running for over a year now, seems to be one of the city's best-kept secrets. Partly because it's often confused with Dublinia, and partly because, while not exactly difficult to find, it's not the sort of place you'd trip over either. Essentially, it's a son (or daughter) of the Irish Life Adventure, a project originally devised to mark the 1988 Dublin Millennium Celebrations and then located in nearby St Audeon's Church. That project was such a success, a permanent home was sought for it.
That permanent home is now the former St Michael and John's Church near Wood Quay. Before the conversion and construction work it had been a Catholic church for 179 years; before that, it was Smock Alley Theatre, the most famous theatre in 17th and 18th-century Ireland and Britain. Now it's more or less a theatre again, following an EU/Department of the Environment cash injection of £5.5 million. Hefty expenditure, certainly, but it shows in the quality of the workmanship throughout. Quality also permeates other aspects of the enterprise where, about 10 times a day, seven days a week 12 young actors give groups of parents, children and bemused tourists an interactive glimpse of life in the Wood Quay area of a thousand years ago.
The journey begins on a 40-seat trading ship, which moved just far enough and convincingly enough for the five-year-old twins on my tour. That movement, combined with the effects of the accompanying sea journey video, the odd drop of spray flung in our direction and cries of "hang on tight now" from the captain had them gripping me tightly - but more out of wonderment than fear.
Once on the "quayside", their wonderment persisted as the actors pretended to know nothing about the 20th century. They tried to engage in barter, mused as to what kind of animal skins we were wearing, asked bespectacled tourists what those things on their noses were, passed smart comments to anyone clad in shorts about having "lost half their trousers on the journey" - that sort of thing.
Generally, they sent themselves and everyone else up rotten, while all the while leading us through a small, but fairly perfectly formed village giving instruction on mud and wattle house building, jewellery making, cloth weaving and dyeing, marriage and divorce rituals, the introduction of Christianity and other aspects of life in Viking Dublin as they went.
Then it was on to a miniaturised reconstruction of the original Wood Quay dig, complete with soundtrack of the then Senator Mary Robinson addressing a protest rally - a section of the tour which largely passed over the heads of my young "test drivers".
Much more their speed was the 90-ft-long solid oak replica longship housed in the Feast Room. The museum science lab was pronounced "tiny but cool", and they adored the stratograph depicting the detritus of generations of Dubliners complete with Coke cans, plugs, footballs, fish bones and ancient coins.
Steven Spielberg the whole experience is not, but it was well enough done to keep sophisticated 11-year-old Matthew Mulligan entertained throughout. As he got stuck into playing with his two virtual-reality, mini-computer games the minute we were back in daylight, I asked him if he would recommend it to his friends?
"I'd say it's best for anyone aged between seven and 12, or for tourists or parents. The boat journey is well done. The Vikings aren't boring and they make you laugh - but we'd all have liked more time in the village and less time in the 1970s Wood Quay bit."
The tour can be done in 40 minutes at a lick, or two hours if you have plenty of time; £13 will cover the cost of two adults and up to four children.
`Glugg' washes down berry pie
`At £31.50 a head it's astoundingly good value for money," was my two adult guests' pronouncement on the Viking Feast, a five-course banquet interspersed with Riverdance-type entertainment which takes place three nights a week at the Dublin Viking Adventure.
The location is the Feast Room, dominated by a magnificently restored ceiling and giant replica longship complete with stage midships. The actors, who double as waiting staff, so obviously enjoy themselves that their enthusiasm is infectious. Seating is refectory style. Tables are candlelit, tableware and cutlery particularly attractive. The food, ranging from the chicken and duck terrine to the apple and berry pudding is wholesome, very well presented, but perhaps overly plentiful.
Drinks include complimentary "glugg" punch - a sort of mulled wine with a dash of vodka for extra kick - and there's a full bar service for those with more conventional tastes. Put it on the "eating out" list for the next group of foreigners who invade your house.
Dublin's Viking Adventure's opening hours are 10.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and 11.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. on Sundays and bank holidays. Tel: (01) 6796040.
