Dublin is the thriving capital city of the Republic of Ireland. It is on a par with many bigger European cities in terms of its vibrancy, its nightlife and its tourist attractions, and is the most popular entry point for international visitors to Ireland. As a city it is disproportionately large for the size of the country (2006 pop. 1.6m); well over a third of the Republic's population lives in the greater Dublin area. The centre is however relatively small and can be navigated by foot, with most of the population living in sprawling suburbs.
Get in
By plane
Dublin is served by a single terminal airport approximately 10km north of the city. A second terminal is almost finished construction but the existing terminal can be very crowded and passengers can expect crowds and queues, especially for security control when departing.
A full list of airlines flying to Dublin, along with timetables, can be found on the Dublin airport website.
Ireland's flag carrier Aer Lingus flies to Dublin from a large number of British and European cities, from the USA, and Dubai. Aer Lingus fares are often lower than other flag carriers, but in part this has been achieved by matching the standards of the low-fares competition, so they now charge for checked-in bags and seat reservation at time of booking.
Europe's largest low fares carrier, Ryanair flies to Dublin from many regional airports in the UK as well as from some non-central European airports. While famous for its low fares, Ryanair can be more expensive than other airlines especially for last minute bookings. Irelands third airline, Aer Arann links Dublin to many regional Irish airports and some smaller UK cities.
If you are flying long-haul, you might also consider changing in London as the London-Dublin route is particularly well served with regular flights with 4 airlines.
There are three types of bus transport back to the city:
A taxi to the city centre should cost around €25-30 - as such it can be comparable/cheaper than the bus options if you are in a group of three or more (as well as a lot less hassle).
A metro system connecting Dublin Airport to the city centre is planned for the future, but no work has started on this yet.
By train
Dublin has two main train stations: Heuston, in the west of the city centre, serves much of the west of the country and Cork while Connolly in the north-east centre of the city serves the east coast, Belfast, suburban commuter services "DART", and Sligo in the west. The 2 main stations are connected by bus and Luas tram routes. Visit http://www.irishrail.ie/home/ for all train services local and intercity.
The Luas (as the trams are known locally) runs frequently and reliably and journey time between the stations is around 15 minutes http://www.luas.ie/
There are major plans for an underground interconnector line to join between the Heuston and Connolly, which would enable direct services between major urban areas throughout Ireland. Eg. Cork to Belfast, Galway to Wexford.
By bus
For local and suburban bus services, visit http://www.dublinbus.ie/home/ . The bus service is basic and a little unpredictable, but never the less it has its uses, and the fares are relatively cheap. The bus service would cover most areas that you are likely to want to visit. The bus also links up the tram lines.
The following buses go from the airport to the city centre: 16A, 41, 746, 747, 748 and the Airlink (faster but costs €5.50).
The single bus station, Busáras, serves the entire country and is next to Connolly train station. There are however a number of private bus companies operating out of the city centre. Kavanaghs has a good service to Limerick and Waterford. http://www.jjkavanagh.ie Citylink coaches has the best value price to Galway and the West. http://www.citylink.ie
By boat
Dublin Port has several passenger ferry services to Wales and England, but more popular is the suburban port of Dún Laoghaire 10km south of Dublin city. The port of Dún Laoghaire is serviced by the "DART".
Park & Ride
If you are only visiting Dublin for a daytrip and have a car, you can beat the traffic by leaving your car at a Park & Ride station. If you are coming from the south, two ideal places to leave you're car are at Sandyford Luas stop, located just off junction 15 of the M50 on the Blackthorn Road or Bray D.A.R.T stop, on the Bray road. If you are coming from the west, you're best option is the Red Cow luas stop, off junction 10 of the M50. Coming from the south youre best bet is the park & ride station at Howth D.A.R.T stop.
Tariffs at Park & Ride stations range from 2 to 4 euro.
Orientation
Dublin is split into two halves by the River Liffey. On the North side of the Liffey is O' Connell Street - the main thoroughfare which is intersected by numerous shopping streets, including Henry Street and Talbot Street. On the south side is St. Stephen's Green, Grafton Street (shopping), Trinity College, Christchurch and many other attractions.
Dublin has the unique distinction of being the only place in Ireland with postcodes, although these only reach double digits. They range from Dublin 1 to Dublin 24; almost always odd numbers are given to the city centre north of the river Liffey, while even numbers are given to areas south of the river, with some slight exceptions in the city centre.
A good online map and journey planner is available from the Dublin Transportation Office. If you zoom in on the map you can get aerial photography of the city.
The Tourist Board web site is also worth visiting. They have a good mapping section (powered by Google Maps) which shows the locations of the main city attractions, hotels, etc.
If you're already in the city, the main tourist office, located in St Andrews Church just off Grafton St in the city centre, is a good place to start for information. You can book accommodation and tours there as well as find general information on where to go and what to do.
Get around
Public transportation has improved massively over the last few years but is still worse than in other European cities. This is more of a problem for the commuter than the visitor to Dublin, however, as the centre of the city is easy to get around on foot.
A relatively extensive bus service operated by the state controlled Dublin Bus serves the city and its suburbs, right out to the very outer suburbs. However, the route numbering system is highly confusing, with numbers having been issued non-sequentially, suffix letters and alternate destinations, so obtaining a route map from Dublin Bus is essential.
It should be noted that, while there is effectively no queuing system at bus stops, those paying with cash generally enter to the left of the doors, and those using card tickets to the right. Your position in a perceived "queue" for a bus is effectively irrelevant once it arrives. If you have a prepaid ticket don't bother queueing, get onto the bus on the right hand side of the front door.
A suburban rail service called the DART runs along the coast between Greystones in the south and Howth and Malahide in the north.
Another light rail service is called the Luas. The first, 'green' line of the new tram system was opened at the end of June 2004 and runs between St. Stephen's Green and Sandyford (city centre to south-east). The second, 'red' line, from Connolly Station to Tallaght, opened on the 4th October 2004 (city centre to south-west). Here is the route map. The Luas is frequent and reliable.
Taxis were recently (2001) deregulated and are relatively easy to come by, although not as easily as in some other European cities. They may be ordered by telephone, at ranks, or just hailed on the street. Point to point trips in the city centre should cost between €4 and €8. There is a national standardised rate for all taxis.
Driving in Dublin is not to be recommended, particularly in the city centre. Traffic is heavy and there is an extensive one-way system explicitly designed to make it very difficult for cars to enter the city centre. There are a large number of bus lanes (buses, taxis and pedal cycles are permitted to use them) the use of which by cars is liable to strict fines. It is usually possible to drive in bus lanes at certain off-peak times, with signs displaying these periods.
It can be difficult to find parking other than in multi-storey car parks. Onstreet parking for short periods is allowed at parking meters, but beware of over-staying your time or you will be "clamped" by the clamping companies who patrol frequently.
A system of two ring roads around the city has been introduced in recent years, with colour coded signage in purple and blue. Here is the orbital route map.The M50 is Dublins ring-motorway.
Dublin has a large student population and is relatively cycle-friendly. Hiring a bicycle would be a handy way to get around if you want to get outside the very centre of the city and are comfortable cycling in traffic.
Motorbikes are not allowed to use the cycle lanes but many do so. Passing on the left is also not allowed but very common.
See
Do
Buy
Dublin's main shopping street is the pedestrianised Grafton Street, which runs between St. Stephen's Green and Trinity College. On this street can be found Dublin's most famous (and expensive) department store, Brown Thomas, along with a wide range of clothing shops, jewellers, photo shops, etc.
Alongside the historic Trinity College you will find Nassau Street where there are many shops selling tourist related items such as Waterford Crystal, Belleek Pottery, Aran sweaters and other Irish craft items. Shops to look out for selling these items include House of Ireland, Blarney Woollen Mills and Kilkenny Design.
The Powerscourt Centre, just off Grafton Street, is one of Dublin's most attractive shopping centres, set in a beautifully restored 18th century town house. Here you will find clothes, cafes, galleries and Irish designer jewellers. Beware the overpriced antique dealers, some of whom will drop a price by 50% after only the merest suggestion that you are willing to haggle (and it still may not be a bargain!). For gifts, there is an engraving business based in the centre next to the Bonsai tree shop.
Leaving Powerscourt via the ornate steps on to South William Street, you will find yourself facing a small pedestrianised street called Castle Market, which leads to a covered red-brick shopping arcade known alternatively as the Market Arcade or the George's Street Arcade. This area worth a visit for vintage clothing, fabrics, unusual accessories, vinyl and clubwear, and also features some small cafes.
There is also an extensive shopping area on the Northside of the river, centred on O'Connell Street and Henry Street. Clery's (O'Connell Street), Arnotts (Henry Street) are large department stores each with a long history. Two large shopping centres, The Jervis Centre, and the ILAC, are also on Henry Street. The latter also houses the Central Public Library.
Just off of Henry Street is Moore Street, which has a Fruit, Vegatable and Fish market, worth a stroll if you want to get a slice of life from the less gentile side of Dublin.
At the top of Henry Street on Parnell Street is Chapters Bookshop, which has a massive selction of books mostly cheaper than other highstreet stores, aswell as a large second hand section. Especially great for 'Coffee-Table' Style Art books
For those for who it just wouldn't be a holiday without hanging out at the mall, there are various shopping centres located around Dublin, including Blanchardstown (39 and 70 bus routes), Liffey Valley, and The Square in Tallaght (red luas to the end of the line). The largest shopping centre in Ireland is the recently opened Dundrum Town Centre, which is served by the Luas tramline from St. Stephen's Green. It was award the title of best Shopping Mall in the world 2006.
Dublin is not cheap for general shopping, although visitors from outside the European Union can obtain a refund of VAT (sales tax - 21%) on their purchases. Just look for the refund sign and ask in the shop for details. Keep in mind that most stores will only issue VAT refund vouchers on the same day of purchase.
Be sure though to put aside some money to spend at the duty-free at Dublin Airport. One of the best shopping experiences at any airport is to be had here after you've checked-in, at prices comparatively cheaper than the rest of the city.
Eat
Dublin has a wide range of good quality restaurants, most of which are, however, horribly overpriced by European standards. Main course prices range from €10 at the lower end up to around €40 at the higher end. Wine in restaurants is generally marked up from its already expensive retail price by a factor of at least two, and three times retail price would not be uncommon.
There are many excellent-value Indian restaurants around the South William Street area, parallel to Grafton Street; these often have particularly good value lunch and 'early bird' deals, offering 3 course meals for around €10. Quality is high - particularly to be recommended are the Khyber Tandoori on South William Street and Shalimar on South Great Georges Street. Also excellent is Surma on Camden Street.
Snack
Lunch
Dinner
Drink
No visit to Dublin would be complete without a visit to one (or ten) of its many pubs. Drink is relatively expensive: a pint of stout costs around €4 and up, while lager costs around €4.50 and up. However, the government gave a tax break to microbrewed beer in the December 2004 budget, this had a slight effect on prices in brewpubs. Pubs are open until 11.30pm during the week (although many bars have late licenses up to 3am), and as late as around 3am on weekends, depending on the pub. Smoking has been illegal in Irish pubs (as well as all indoor workplaces) since March 2004; this has had the positive side effect of increasing al fresco facilities. Beer tends to be more expensive around the Temple Bar area, due to the increased tourist flow, and will be cheaper in more traditional styled pubs.
The Temple Bar that people often speak of is an area that used to be a sand bar. There is also a street named 'Temple Bar ' with a pub named "The Temple Bar" in the "Temple Bar area" of Dublin. The Temple Bar district has a mixture of food, drink, shopping and music. It appeals to all ages, but is a hot spot for tourists. The narrow, cobble stoned streets gives it an original feeling within the heart of the city. Its central location also makes it easy to walk to from Dublins Centre. However, late night revellers tend to make it an unpleasant place to be after dark. It can be taken over by drunken stag and boisterous hen parties, many who travel cheaply from the United Kingdom to avail of Temple Bar's delights!
Traditional
Modern
Micro-Breweries
Gay and Lesbian
Dublin has no confined gay village, however most of the gay scene runs from Parliment Street and onto Georges Street. Unfortunally there are no exclusive lesbian bars in Dublin although there are a couple of lesbian club nights in the city. Most of the bars listed below, therefore tend to be popular with lesbians as well as gay men, in particular The George.
Bars
Clubs
Sleep
There are a huge number of youth hostels (mostly around €20 per night in dorm accommodation), bed&breakfasts (around €50 per person), and hotels (€80+).
Budget
Mid-range
Website: http://www.grandcanalhotel.com - Excellent location in Georgian Dublin. Only a few minutes walk from the city centre, DART station 'Grand Canal Dock' across the street (perfect for day trips to the seaside). Hotel very new and modern, prices reasonable.
Splurge
Airport Hotels
There are a number of hotels located around the airport, for ease of flight transfer.
Short Term Apartments
Get out
To the north, just outside town, the peninsula of Howth is very nice for a walk. Just take the bus or DART (€3.60 return from Connolly Station) out to Howth and walk around the cliffs! The whole tour around takes about 2-3 hours. It is most beautiful in August/September when the heather bathes the cliffs in red. There is also a boat that departs from Howth harbor that goes out to the island off the coast called Ireland's Eye. You can visit it and the monolithic ruins on it for a very reasonable price and if you're lucky you might be able to get the island to yourself. The King Sitric fish restaurant at the harbour serves freshly caught fish, as do many other local restaurants.
Carlow has rapidly become one of Ireland's fastest growing counties. Carlow town boasts some of the best architecture in the country - with its courthouse from the mid 1800s and its Cathedral which was completed in 1833. Other items of historical importance include Browneshill Dolmen, with the largest capstone in Europe, and the ruins of Carlow Castle.
Modern attractions are also available, and Carlow is a great place to shop. Carlow town has several shopping centres which are all within easy reach of one another.
Wicklow, within easy reach to the south of Dublin, is known as 'the garden of Ireland' and has good hill walking and some of the most spectacular scenery in the country. The gardens and waterfall of Powerscourt are a popular visit, located near the town of Enniskerry 20km south of Dublin, while the town of Glendalough contains an important monastic settlement. Easily accessible by Dart is the rapidly expanding commuter town of Bray. Although the town centre is of little interest to most people, there are numerous spectacular walks including climbing to the top of Bray Head or walking to Greystones via the Cliff Walk.
The Brú na Bóinne megalithic tombs of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth are the most important archaeological sites in Ireland and are listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. The site is located 50km north of Dublin on the banks of the Boyne. Admission to the tombs are paid for at the visitors centre, guided bus tours that include admission to Newgrange are available, those run by Mary Gibbons are highly recommended, Bus Eireann and others also run tours. Bus Eireann's tours are booked at the central bus station, Busàras.
The Curragh racecourse is in County Kildare, south west of Dublin, about 50Km from the city. In Kildare Town itself are the Japanese Gardens, home to many varieties of exotic flora and fauna.
There are 'political' day trips.
to Belfast. On the way, the bus driver talks about Ireland's history and with emphasis on Belfast. A black cab tour of Belfast is included in the package. Booking can be done at the Dublin Tourist Centre and costs around €30 to €40. The bus leaves Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Dublin (Baile Átha Cliath, ) is the capital of and largest city in Ireland, near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin Region. Founded as a centre of Viking settlement, the city has been Ireland's capital since mediæval times.
The city of Dublin is the entire area administered by Dublin City Council, but can also refer to the contiguous suburban areas that run into the adjacent local authority areas of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin. This area is sometimes known as 'Urban Dublin' or the 'Dublin Metropolitan Area'.
The population of the administrative area controlled by Dublin City Council was 505,739 at the census of 2006. At the same census, the Dublin Region population was 1,186,159, and the Greater Dublin Area 1,661,185 (estimated by the CSO to reach 2.1 million by 2021). Today, approximately 40% of the population of Ireland live within a 100 km (60mi) fan radius of this east coast city.
A person from Dublin is known as a Dubliner or colloquially as a Dub, or, pejoratively, a Jackeen.
In a 2003 European-wide survey by the BBC, questioning 11,200 residents of 112 urban and rural areas, Dublin was the best capital city in Europe to live in, and Ireland the most content country in Europe.
Name
The name Dublin is a Hiberno-English derivative of 'Dubh Linn' (Irish, dubh -> black, and linn -> pool). Historically, in the traditional Gaelic script used for the Irish language, 'bh' was written with a dot over the 'b', viz 'Du Linn' or 'Dulinn'. The French-speaking Normans omitted the dot and spelled the name variously as 'Develyn' or 'Dublin'.
Some sources doubt this derivation, and suggest that 'Dublin' is of Scandinavian origin, cf. djúp lind ('deep pond'). However, the name 'Dubh Linn' pre-dates the arrival of the Vikings in Ireland, and the Old Norse (and modern Icelandic) name for Dublin is simply the words 'Dubh Linn' re-spelled as if they were Old Norse: 'Dyflinn' (correctly pronounced "Duev-linn" — the letter 'y' is still pronounced like the vowel in 'ewe' in Modern Norwegian, Swedish, etc., just as it was in Old Norse; Icelandic, while keeping the spelling, has changed this sound to ).
The common name for the city in Modern Irish is 'Baile Átha Cliath' ('The Settlement of the Ford of the Reed Hurdles'), which refers to the settlement, founded in 988 by High King Mael Sechnaill II, that adjoined the town of Dubh Linn proper at the Black Pool. It seems also that the seafaring Vikings and Normans thought of the place in terms of a pool deep enough for harbouring ships, while the Gaelic speakers saw the place in terms of a ford over a major river.
History
The writings of the Greek astronomer and cartographer Ptolemy, provide perhaps the earliest reference to Dublin. In around A.D. 140 he referred to a settlement he called Eblana Civitas. The settlement 'Dubh Linn' dates perhaps as far back as the first century BC and later a monastery was built there, though the town was established in about 841 by the Norse. 'Baile Átha Cliath' or simply 'Áth Cliath' was founded in 988, and the two towns eventually became one.
The modern city retains the Anglicised Irish name of the former and the original Irish name of the latter. After the Norman invasion of Ireland, Dublin became Ireland's capital, with much of the power centering on Dublin Castle until independence. From the 14th to late 16th centuries Dublin and the surrounding area, known as the Pale, formed the largest area of Ireland under government control.
Dublin also had local self-government via its Corporation from the middle ages. This represented the city's guild-based oligarchy until it was reformed in the 1840s on increasingly democratic lines.
From the 17th century the city expanded rapidly, helped by the Wide Streets Commission. Georgian Dublin was, for a time, the second city of the British Empire after London. Much of Dublin's most notable architecture dates from this time. The 1800s were a period of decline relative to the industrial growth of Belfast; by 1900 the population of the latter was nearly twice as large. The Easter Rising of 1916 left the capital in an unstable situation and the Anglo-Irish War and Irish Civil War left it twice in ruins, with many of its finest buildings destroyed. The Irish Free State rebuilt many of the buildings and moved parliament to Leinster House, but took no bold tasks such as remodelling. After The Emergency (World War II), Dublin remained a capital out of time: modernisation was slow, but finally the 1960s saw change begin. In recent years the infrastructure of Dublin has changed immensely, with enormous private and state development of housing, transport, and business. (See also Development and Preservation in Dublin). Some well-known Dublin street corners are still named for the pub or business which used to occupy the site before closure or redevelopment.
Since the beginning of English rule in the 12th century, the city has served as the capital of the island of Ireland in the varying geopolitical entities:
From 1922, following the partition of Ireland, it served as the capital of the Irish Free State (1922–1949) and now as the capital of the Republic of Ireland. (Many of these states co-existed or competed within the same timeframe as rivals within either British or Irish constitutional theory.)
Climate
Dublin enjoys a maritime temperate climate characterised by mild winters, cool summers, and a lack of temperature extremes. Contrary to popular belief, Dublin does not experience as high rainfall as the West of Ireland, which receives twice that of the capital city. Dublin has fewer rainy days, on average, than London. The average maximum January temperature is 8 °C (46 °F), the average maximum July temperature is 20 °C (68 °F). The sunniest months, on average, are May and June, with six hours of sunshine daily (though daylight in these months is a lot more). The wettest months, on average, are December and August, with 74 mm (2.9 inches) of rain. The driest month is April, with 45 mm (1.7 inches). The total average annual rainfall (and other forms of precipitation) is 762 mm (29.5 inches), lower than Sydney, New York City and even Dallas. Due to Dublin's high latitude, it experiences long summer days (around 19 hours of daylight) and short winter days (as short as nine hours). Like the rest of Ireland it is relatively safe from common natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis.
Strong winds from Atlantic storm systems can affect Dublin, though usually less severe than other parts of Ireland. Severe winds are most likely during mid-winter, but can occur anytime, especially between October and February. During one of the stormiest periods of recent times, a gust of 151 km/h (94 mph) was recorded at Casement Aerodrome on 24 December 1997.
Dublin has a microclimate, which makes the city a few degrees warmer than surrounding areas. There is also a slight temperature difference between the city centre and the city's suburbs, with the city centre slightly warmer, as it is more built up. There are slight differences between the city centre and the Airport, just 12 kilometres north.
The city is not noted for its temperature extremes due to its mild climate. The lowest recorded temperature was −15.6 °C and the highest 30.6 °C. Typically, the coldest months are December, January and February. Temperatures in summer in recent years have been rising to substantially above average figures, e.g. 31 °C (88 °F) in July 2006, over 11 °C higher than the average maximum. Recent heat waves include the European heat wave of 2003 and European heat wave of 2006.
The main precipitation in winter is rain. The city can experience some snow showers during the months from November to April, but lying snow is rare (on average, only 4/5 days). Hail occurs more often than snow, and is most likely during the winter and spring months. Another rare type of weather is thunder and lightning, most common in summer.
Crime
Despite a number of high profile drug-related and gangland murders in recent years, Dublin is much safer than most other European capitals Official statistics from An Garda Síochána for 2001-2005 show that the overall headline crime rate for the metropolitan area per 1,000 of population is the highest in the country. Parts of the inner city have headline crime rates three to four times as high as those in other urban areas in Ireland. During the 1980s and 1990s a heroin epidemic swept through working class areas of the inner city and outlying suburbs. Dublin had 80 homicides from 2004 to the end of 2006. 32 were gang-related. As of 20th june 2007, there has been 13 homicides in which 4 were gangland shootings. Homicides in Dublin from 1/1/04 to 20/6/07 took place in many crime hotspots. There was 25 murders in the inner city, 8 in the Blanchardstown area, 7 in Clondalkin, 6 in the Tallaght/Dublin 24 area and 5 in Ballymun.
Culture
General situation
Dublin is a major European cultural centre and the origin of many prominent literary figures, including James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift, Samuel Beckett, Bram Stoker, J.M. Synge, Seán O'Casey, Brendan Behan, Maeve Binchy, and Roddy Doyle. Dubliners is a collection of short stories by James Joyce about incidents and characters typical of residents of the city in the early part of the 20th century. Ulysses, also by Joyce, is a novel set in Dublin full of topographical detail.
The National Print Museum of Ireland, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, both the National Gallery and the National Library of Ireland, the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery, the Chester Beatty Library and three centres of the National Museum of Ireland are in Dublin.
There are a number of galleries and art centres in the city centre, such as The City Arts Centre, The Douglas Hyde Gallery, The Project Arts Centre and The Royal Hibernian Academy.
Temple Bar is a popular nightlife location and attracts many people from Great Britain and beyond for weekend visits.
The city is one of the most youthful in the world - an estimated 50% of inhabitants are younger than 25 . In 2007, Dublin was voted the friendliest city in Europe.
Multicultural Dublin
Despite having a long tradition of emigration that continued up until the early 1990s, Dublin now has a sizeable number of immigrants, especially from Poland, China, the Philippines, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Lithuania, Ghana and Romania. There are also considerable numbers from other fellow EU member states, Australia, New Zealand, Algeria and Russia, while over the last decade a large number of Irish who had emigrated have returned to settle. This growth in diversity has brought a host of new ethnic stores for foods from across the world, most notably on Parnell Street and Moore Street, but also in other areas.
Education
Dublin is the primary centre of education in Ireland, with three universities and several other higher education institutions. There are 20 third-level institutes in the city. The University of Dublin is the oldest university in Ireland dating from the 16th century. Its sole constituent college, Trinity College, was established by Royal Charter under Elizabeth I and was closed to Roman Catholics until Catholic Emancipation; the Catholic hierarchy then banned Roman Catholics from attending it until 1970. The National University of Ireland has its seat in Dublin, which is also the location of the associated constituent university of University College Dublin (UCD), the largest university in Ireland; although it is located in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, just outside the city boundary. Dublin City University (DCU) is the most recent university and specialises in business, engineering, and science courses, particularly with relevance to industry. The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) is a medical school which is a recognised college of the NUI, it is situated at St. Stephen's Green in the city centre. The National University of Ireland, Maynooth, another constituent university of the NUI, is in neighbouring Co. Kildare, about 25 km from the city centre.
Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) is a modern technical college and is the country's largest non-university third-level institution; it specialises in technical subjects but also offers many arts and humanities courses. It is soon to move to a new campus at Grangegorman. Two suburbs of Dublin, Tallaght and Blanchardstown have Institutes of Technology: Institute of Technology, Tallaght, and Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown.
The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) and Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (DLIADT) support training and research in art, design and media technology.
There are also various other smaller specialised colleges, including private ones. Examples include The Gaiety School of Acting which hosts both a two year intensive degree in acting and a three year undergraduate BA degree in acting in conjunction with Dublin City University, and Dublin Business School, located on Aungier Street.
Exhibitions
Northside and Southside
Traditionally, a north-south division has existed in Dublin with the dividing line being the River Liffey. The Northside is seen by some as working-class, while the Southside is seen as middle and upper middle class. But this is not a clear divide by any means. Dublin postal districts have odd numbers for districts on the Northside — for example, Phibsboro is in Dublin 7 — and even numbers for the Southside — for example, Sandymount is in Dublin 4. An exception to the rule is Dublin 8, which straddles the river.
This division dates back centuries, certainly to the point when the Earl of Kildare built his residence on the then less-regarded Southside. When asked why he was building on the Southside, he replied "Where I go, fashion follows me", and he was promptly followed by most other Irish peers.
The Northside/Southside divide is punctuated by examples of Dublin "sub-culture" stereotypes, with upper-middle class constituents seen as tending towards an accent and demeanour synonymous with (but not exclusive to) the Dublin 4 postcode on the Southside (see Dublin 4, Ross O'Carroll-Kelly), and working-class Dubliners seen as tending towards accents and demeanour associated with (but not exclusive to) Northside and inner-city Dublin neighbourhoods often exemplified by the works of modern writer Roddy Doyle.
This simplification of economic and social communities in Dublin ("Southside rich, liberal and snobby"/"Northside poor, industrial and common") does not survive more than a few real-world examples however. For example, the President of Ireland's residence, Áras an Uachtaráin, is on the Northside, although its postal district is Dublin 8, a Southside number. Similarly, some of Dublin's working-class suburbs such as Tallaght, Dolphin's Barn, Crumlin, Inchicore, Ringsend, Irishtown, Clondalkin, Ballinteer and Ballyfermot, are south of the river while wealthy suburbs such as Castleknock, Clontarf, Glasnevin, Howth, Malahide, Portmarnock and Sutton are on the Northside. Areas of the north inner city such as Smithfield, the IFSC and Spencer Dock are also associated with affluence.
The north-south divide has mellowed considerably in the past number of years. This is primarily due to the favourable economic conditions currently in Ireland and the emergence of the Celtic Tiger economy in Ireland. Correspondingly, Dublin has progressed to become one of the wealthiest cities in Europe.
The economic divide in Dublin is east-west as well as north-south, the east side generally being wealthier than the west. There are significant social divisions between the coastal suburbs in the east of the city, including those on the Northside, and the newer developments further to the west.
In 2006, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Dublin as the 16th most expensive city in the world, and the Mercer world-wide quality of living survey rated Dublin as the city with the 24th best quality of life in the world.
Sport
The headquarters of almost all of Ireland's sporting organisations are in Dublin. Croke Park, an 82,500-capacity stadium near Drumcondra, is the base of the Gaelic Athletic Association and hosts Gaelic football and Hurling games during the summer months and on St Patrick's Day, and International rules football in alternating years. The Dublin branch of the Gaelic Athletic Association play their league games at Parnell Park.
Lansdowne Road is a 48,000 capacity stadium owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union and is the venue for home games of the Republic's national football (soccer) team. As of June 2007, it is currently being demolished and will be replaced with a state-of-the-art 50,000 all-seated stadium by 2009.
Donnybrook rugby ground is the home of the Leinster Rugby team, which plays in the Magners League. They also plays some important league and Heineken Cup matches at Lansdowne Road.
Dalymount Park, in Phibsboro and the traditional Home of Irish Soccer, is now used only for home games of local club Bohemian FC. Rivals Shelbourne FC play at Tolka Park, in Drumcondra, while St Patrick's Athletic play in Richmond Park in Inchicore on the south west edge of the city. Shamrock Rovers, Ireland's most successful club, are originally from Milltown but have spent the last two decades in search of a home, and hope to complete a new stadium in Tallaght in 2007. The other senior soccer clubs are University College Dublin F.C., based in Belfield, and the now defunct Dublin City F.C. (formerly Home Farm F.C.).
The National Aquatic Centre in Blanchardstown is the first building to open in the Sports Campus Ireland. There are several race courses in the Dublin area including Shelbourne Park (Greyhound racing) and Leopardstown (Horse racing). The world famous Dublin Horse Show at the RDS, Ballsbridge, which hosted the Show Jumping World Championships in 1982. There are also Basketball, Handball, Hockey and Athletics stadia — most notably Morton Stadium in Santry, which held the athletics events of the 2003 Special Olympics.
The Dublin Marathon has been run since 1980.
Entertainment
There is a vibrant night life in Dublin — the most internationally notorious area for these activities is the Temple Bar area south of the Liffey. This area has become synonymous with stag and hen parties and tourists, causing many locals to steer clear of the area. Temple Bar was originally redeveloped as Dublin's cultural quarter and retains part of this spirit in the form of street performers, drummers, and many intimate small music venues. The area around Stephen's Green - especially Harcourt Street, Camden Street, Wexford Street and Leeson Street - has also become a centre for some of the most popular nightclubs and typical Irish pubs in Dublin. (Approximately 30% to 35% of Ireland's population live within the Greater Dublin area, but Dublin is host to only 9% of Ireland's pubs.)
There are several theatres within the city centre, the largest of which include the Abbey Theatre, the Gate Theatre, the Olympia Theatre, and the Gaiety Theatre, which opens its doors after the evening theatre production to host a variety of live music, dancing, and films. The largest theatre is the Mahony Hall in The Helix at Dublin City University in Glasnevin.
There are two large cinemas in the city centre; the Savoy Cinema and the Cineworld Cinema are north of the Liffey. Alternative and special-interest cinema can be found in the Irish Film Institute in Temple Bar, and in the Screen Cinema on d'Olier Street. Numerous other cinemas are in the suburbs.
Shopping
Central Dublin is a popular shopping spot for tourists. The two principal shopping streets in Dublin city centre are Grafton Street and Henry Street. The opening of the Luas tram system at the end of June 2004 has led to a 20% increase in pedestrian traffic on both thoroughfares. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre, Jervis Shopping Centre and the newly refurbished Ilac Shopping Centre have been popular shopping centres and meet up spots for decades. Several stores exist which aim solely at the upper class, such as Brown Thomas and BT2.
Dublin also has a large range of department stores, such as Clerys on O'Connell Street, Arnotts on Henry Street, Brown Thomas on Grafton Street and Roches Stores on Henry Street.
There are also many shopping centres throughout the suburbs such as Dundrum Town Centre in Dundrum (serviced by the LUAS Green Line), Blanchardstown Centre, The Square in Tallaght (LUAS Red Line), Liffey Valley Shopping Centre in Lucan, OmniPark in Santry, Northside Shopping Centre in Coolock and many more.
Government
City
The City is governed by Dublin City Council (formerly called Dublin Corporation), which is presided over by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, who is elected for a yearly term and resides in the Mansion House. Dublin City Council is based in two major buildings. Council meetings take place in the headquarters at Dublin City Hall, the former Royal Exchange taken over for city government use in the 1850s. Many of its administrative staff are based in the controversial Civic Offices on Wood Quay.
The City Council is a unicameral assembly of 52 members, elected every five years from Local Election Areas. The party with the majority of seats decides who sits on what committee, what policies are followed, and who becomes Lord Mayor. Chaired by the Lord Mayor, the Council passes an annual budget for spending on housing, traffic management, refuse, drainage, planning, etc. The Dublin City Manager is responsible for the implementation of decisions of the City Council.
National
The national parliament of the Republic of Ireland, the Oireachtas, consists of the President of Ireland and two houses, Dáil Éireann (Chamber of Deputies) and Seanad Éireann (Senate). All three are based in Dublin. The President of Ireland lives in Áras an Uachtaráin, the former residence of the Governor-General of the Irish Free State in the city's largest park, Phoenix Park. Both houses of the Oireachtas meet in Leinster House, a former ducal palace on the south side. The building has been the home of Irish parliaments since the creation of the Irish Free State on December 6, 1922.
The Irish Government is based in the Government Buildings, a large building designed by Sir Aston Webb, the architect who created the Edwardian facade of Buckingham Palace, as the Royal College of Science. In 1921 the House of Commons of Southern Ireland met here. Given its location next to Leinster House, the Irish Free State government took over part of the building to serve as a temporary home for some ministries. Both it and Leinster House, meant to be a temporary home of parliament, became permanent homes.
The old Irish Houses of Parliament of the Kingdom of Ireland are in College Green.
Economy and infrastructure
Communications and media
Dublin is the centre of both media and communications in Ireland, with many newspapers, radio stations, television stations and telephone companies having their headquarters there. Radio Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) is Ireland's national state broadcaster, and has its main offices and studios in Donnybrook, Dublin. Fair City is the broadcaster's capital-based soap, located in the fictional Dublin suburb of Carraigstown. TV3, Channel 6, City Channel and Setanta Sports are also based in Dublin. The main infrastructure and offices of An Post and the former state telephone company Eircom, as well as Meteor, Vodafone and O2 are located in the capital. Dublin is also the headquarters of important national newspapers such as The Irish Times and Irish Independent.
Transport
Dublin is at the centre of Ireland's transport system. Dublin Port is the country's most important sea port. Dublin Airport is the busiest airport by far on the island, registering over 21 million passengers in 2006, making it the 16th busiest airport in Europe with flights to other airports in Ireland, Europe, North America and the Middle East. The route to London from Dublin Airport is the busiest international air route in the world. The major mainline railway stations are Heuston Station that connects with the south and west (Ballina, Westport, Galway, Ennis, Limerick, Tralee, Cork and Waterford lines) and Connolly Station serving Sligo, Wexford and Belfast. These two stations have recently been connected by a Light rail connection called the Luas. Dublin also has the busiest Bus Depot in the country which is called Busáras. From here, there are frequent departures to all areas of the Island.
Road network
Dublin is the main hub of the country's road network. The M50 motorway (the busiest road in Ireland), a semi-ring road runs around the south, west and north of the city, connecting the most important national primary routes that fan out from the capital to the regions. A toll of €1.90 applies on the West-Link, two adjacent concrete bridges that tower high above the River Liffey near the village of Lucan. Construction of the M50 took almost 20 years, with the final section opening in June 2005. A court case regarding the destruction of medieval ruins at Carrickmines Castle delayed the final completion of the route. The M50 currently has two traffic lanes in each direction but work is underway between the N4 and N7 junctions to increase it to three. The National Roads Authority also intends to increase capacity at many of the motorway's busiest junctions by building triple-grade interchanges, on which work has begun.
To complete the ring road, an eastern bypass is proposed. The first half of this project, the Dublin Port Tunnel, has recently been completed. It opened on 20 December 2006 and caters mainly for heavy vehicles, with tolls being levied on lighter vehicles. From February 2007, 5 axle vehicles are prohibited from travelling within the city centre cordon between 07:00 and 19:00 Monday to Sunday (unless the vehicle has obtained a valid permit for necessary deliveries from the Dublin City Council HGV website).
Though originally intended to be a two-lane single bore catering specifically for HGV traffic, the Port Tunnel has been built to motorway standard as two separate tunnels for all traffic, although HGV traffic will not be tolled. The tunnels are deeper than originally planned to reduce disturbance to residential areas, and were built one kilometre longer and with more ancillary works to facilitate this.
The capital is surrounded by what have been termed by Dublin City Council an inner and outer orbital route. The inner orbital route runs roughly around the heart of the Georgian city from St. Stephen's Green to Mountjoy Square and from the King's Inns to St Patrick's Cathedral. The outer orbital route runs largely along the natural circle formed by Dublin's two canals, the Grand Canal and the Royal Canal, and the North and South Circular Roads.
Public transport
In 2002 around 46% of Greater Dublin's commuters walked, cycled or used public transport to get to work. The public transport system is made up of hundreds of bus routes, five suburban rail lines (one electrified) and two light rail lines. Plans under the government's Transport 21 initiative are underway to build two high capacity metro lines, extend the electrified DART lines westward and to expand on the highly successful Luas light rail system. The public transport network is governed by the Dublin Transportation Office.
=Bus=
The bulk of the public transport system in Dublin consists of nearly 200 daytime Dublin Bus routes operated by Bus Átha Cliath (identified by number and sometimes suffixed with a letter, e.g. 40, 40A, 40B, 40C, 40D) and 24 "Nitelink" late night services, which run on Thursday to Saturday nights, identified by a number suffixed with "N" e.g. 40N). Nitelinks also run midweek coming up to Christmas and around certain other festivals. Apart from some tourist buses, all Dublin Bus services are one-person operated, and daytime fares are determined by the number of fare stages travelled through. Fares are payable in coin and only the exact fare is acceptable — if passengers overpay, they are issued "change tickets", which must be presented at the Dublin Bus office in O'Connell Street to be converted to cash. Various pre-paid tickets and passes can be bought from Dublin Bus or its agents, and are processed by a validating machine on the right of the entrance door of the bus. Nitelink buses charge a flat fare regardless of the distance travelled. Dublin Bus is sometimes criticised by commuters for overcrowding and under-serviced routes. A number of smaller other bus companies provide services as well.
=Suburban Rail/DART=
The Dublin Suburban Rail network consists of five lines serving mainly the Greater Dublin Area, though some trains go further to commuter towns such as Drogheda. One of these lines runs along Dublin Bay and is known as the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) line, and is the only electrified railway in the country. Over 80,000 people use the DART line every day.
Plans are underway to greatly expand DART by the Dublin Interconnector rail project, boring a tunnel under the city centre, allowing the creation of two separate DART lines, running from the north west and south west through the city centre to the south and north respectively.
=Light rail/tram=
A two-line light rail/tram network called the Luas opened in 2004 and has proved popular in the areas it serves, although the lack of a link between the two lines is widely criticised. There are ambitious plans for the Luas, with seven projects (including a link between the two lines) planned. It is estimated that around 80,000 people use the Luas daily.
In 2006 the Railway Procurement Agency announced that the Luas system reached profitability ahead of schedule, after only a year of operation. The Luas is the only mass transit in the country to operate without Government assistance, and among the few in Europe to do so.
=The future=
The Irish Government has launched a national transport plan, which is expected to cost €34.4 billion over the next 10 years. Most of this will go towards the Dublin Port Tunnel, seven new Luas projects, two Metro lines, DART extensions, and an underground station at St Stephen's Green integrating all services. Another project is the Interconnector, a rail tunnel connecting Connolly and Heuston stations via St Stephen's Green. This map shows how the Greater Dublin Area rail network is projected to look by 2015. By the time Transport 21 is complete, it is estimated that over 365 million passenger journeys will be made in the Greater Dublin Area on all forms of public transport annually, or 1.1 million daily (on average).
Industry and economy
Probably the most famous industry in Dublin is brewing: Guinness has been brewed at the St. James's Gate Brewery since 1759.
During the Celtic Tiger years of the mid to late nineties a large number of pharmaceutical and information technology companies have located in Dublin and its suburbs and there are many Information and Communications Technology companies operating in and around the city. Microsoft's Operations Centre is located in Sandyford Industrial Estate to the south of the city and Google and Amazon have established operational bases in the city. Intel and Hewlett-Packard have large manufacturing plants in Leixlip, County Kildare, a suburb to the west of Dublin. Google, Yahoo! and PayPal (among others) also have their European headquarters in Dublin. Dublin is internationally recognised for its large amount of high-tech industrial estates, business centres and financial centres — which have led it to be known as the "Silicon Valley of Europe".
Dublin is at the centre of Ireland's economy, and in 2004 the Greater Dublin Area contributed over €69.6 billion (US$92 billion) to the total Irish GDP, or around 45%. Banking, finance and commerce are also important in the city — the IFSC alone handles over €1 trillion ($1.3 trillion) a year. And many international firms have established major headquarters in the city (eg. Citibank, Commerzbank). Also located in Dublin is the Irish Stock Exchange (ISEQ), Internet Neutral Exchange (INEX) and Irish Enterprise Exchange (IEX).
In 2005, around 800,000 people were employed in the Greater Dublin Area, of whom around 600,000 were employed in the services sector and 200,000 in the industrial sector.
The Celtic Tiger boom has led to a sharp increase in construction, which is now also a major employer, especially for immigrants. Redevelopment is taking place in large projects such as Dublin Docklands, Spencer Dock, () and others, transforming once run-down industrial areas in the city centre. Dublin City Council seems to now have loosened the former limits on "high-rise" structures. The tallest building, Liberty Hall, is only 59.4 m tall; already under construction in the city is Heuston Gate, a 117 m building (134 m including spire). The 120 m Britain Quay Tower and the 120 m Point Village Watchtower have been approved. Construction has started on the latter. Also the U2 Tower will be the tallest building on the Island of Ireland when it is finished
Sister cities
Footnotes
See also
Additional reading
External links
