Dublin

Dublin is the biggest city in Ireland with 1 273 069 inhabitants and the surface area is about 115 km2.

It’s also the political capital of the State and a huge historic, artistic, economic and industrial center.

All about the history of the city : 

The city of Dublin already existed in the 2^nd century and was at that time called Elbana, but the official date of Dublin’s creation is 988, when the Vikings settled there. The name Dublin comes from the Gaelic words “dubh linn”, which means “black pool”. It was named like this because Dublin is situated near the river Liffey, at a point where it meets the river Poddle and form a “black pool”.

After the Norman Invasion, King Henry III conquered Ireland and pronounced himself King of Ireland.

After that, the English Sovereigns wanted to convert to Protestantism the Irish like Queen Elisabeth I who established Trinity College.

1 The Four Court and the Custom House

As the city continued to prosper during the 18th century, Dublin became, for a short period, the second largest city of the British Empire and the fifth largest city in Europe, with the population exceeding 130,000. The vast majority of Dublin's most notable architecture dates from this period, such as the Four Courts and Custom House.

Temple Bar and Grafton Street are two of the few remaining areas that were not affected by the wave of Georgian reconstruction and maintained their medieval character.

Irish parliament 

In 1759, the founding of the Guinness brewery resulted in a considerable economic gain for the city. For much of the time since its foundation, the brewery was Dublin's largest employer.

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The Easter Rising of 1916, the Irish War of Independence, and the subsequent Irish Civil War resulted in a significant amount of destruction in central Dublin. The Government of the Irish Free State rebuilt the city centre and located the new parliament, the Oireachtas, in Leinster House. Since the beginning of Norman rules in the 12th century, the city has functioned as the capital in varying geopolitical entities: Lordship of Ireland (1171–1541), Kingdom of Ireland (1541–1800), island as part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1922), and the Irish Republic (1919–1922).

Following the partition of Ireland in 1922, it became the capital of the Irish Free State (1922–1949) and now is the capital of the Republic of Ireland. One of the memorials to commemorate that time is the Garden of Remembrance.

2 Irish Parliament

Since 1997, the landscape of Dublin has changed immensely. The city was at the forefront of Ireland's rapid economic expansion during the Celtic Tiger period, with an enormous private sector and state development of housing, transport and business.

What are the different Neighborhoods ? 

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Temple Bar is a neighborhood in the historic center of Dublin.

It is a tourist area, especially known for its nightlife.

It consists of narrow streets, often pedestrian, with many restaurants, bars and small shops. There are particular artists or musicians in the streets or in bars.

The Georgian quarter is one of the most beautiful of Dublin. There you can walk in parks or enjoy a ride in a horse-drawn carriage. There are also many smart restaurants and pubs where you can spend a wonderful evening.

Smithfield Village is like temple bar, in North of the Liffey : we find cultural places, restaurants, bars, hotels, and the old distillatory of Jameson Distillery (1780)

What can you see in Dublin? 

Book of Kells

Dublin is the center of Irish art. There are a lot of the most important museums of the country. For example, The Book of Kells is in the library of Trinity College. The Chester Beatty Library has got many manuscripts, drawings and rare books, the oldest documents are from 2700 BC.

We can also admire works from many Irish artists in the museums and in the art gallery all around the city center.

Trinity College 

The main museums are the National Gallery of Ireland, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery and the National Museum of Ireland.

POPULAR PLACES

Guinness Storehouse

One of the most popular places to go in Dublin is Trinity College. Lots of the greatest Irish writers studied there like Samuel Beckett and Oscar Wilde.

After that you can go to the Guinness Storehouse.

Guiness is really famous in Ireland and so is the museum. In there, you discover how it is made before having a fresh sampling with a good view over Dublin.  Then, everyone has to see the National Gallery because of the architecture and the National Museum with lots of jewels from prehistory and the Middle Ages.




Questions? 

Where does the name "Dublin" come from ?
What was the name of Dublin during the 2nd century?
What is the most popular place in Dublin?


Laure Crispi, Laure Desjuzer, Julie Mourier et Natacha Deceneux