Dublin
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Dublin (Irish: Baile Átha Cliath) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of 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.
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Name
The name Dublin is an Anglicisation of 'Dubh Linn' (Irish, meaning 'black pool'). Historically, in the traditional Gaelic script used for the Irish language, 'bh' was written with a dot (buailte in Irish) over the 'b', viz 'Duḃ Linn' or 'Duḃlinn'. The Norman-speaking English 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. Icelandic: '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 /i/).
By far the more common name for the city in modern Irish is 'Baile Átha Cliath' ('The Town 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
History
More detailed information: History of Dublin
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 of 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 centring 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.
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 Easter Rising of 1916 left the capital in an unstable situation and the Anglo-Irish War and Irish Civil War left it 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:
* the Lordship of Ireland (1171–1541) * the Kingdom of Ireland (1541–1800) * the island as part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1922) * the Irish Republic (1919–1922),[3]
From 1922, following the partition of Ireland, it served as the capital of the Irish Free State (1922–1937) 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.)
Local Myths
There are too many to start...
Firstly the beer is not green on St Patricks Day...
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Getting around
Transport around the greater dublin area is best achieved either by bus or on Dublins city rail network the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit). Information on the DART can be found at DART.ie. Information on the Dublin Bus service can be found at dublinbus.ie .
For travelling outside of Dublin you can fly to Cork with Ryanair or get the train from Connolly Station to most of the rest of the country with Iarnrod Eireann. Bus services are available from Store Street bus terminus. Information on this can be found at buseireann.ie .
Hitchhiking out of Dublin is pretty difficult. The best idea is to get yourself out of the city somewhat before you even attempt. Having tried hitchhiking in Ireland I can tell you that the success rate for catching a lift is sketchy to say the least.
Start to live in Dublin
Find more information on page about Ireland
