Dublin Overview

Written By: Gail Clifford | Published By: Play Stay Eat | November 27, 2020

https://playstayeat.com/dublin-overview/

Dublin’s History

“Irish history is an argument without end”     

– Tommy Graham

Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland, established on the banks of the River Liffey and the lesser known River Puddle, more than 1000 years ago, spans both centuries and miles of history. It’s bordered by the Irish Sea and the Wicklow Mountains range.

The name, itself, derives from the Irish words Dubh and linn, meaning “black pool,” referring to the dark tidal pool that was the River Puddle.

The Celts and St. Patrick

More than 10% of the total U.S. population self-identifies as having Irish ancestry. So, the American fascination with the Emerald Isle comes as no surprise. 

The Celts were not the original inhabitants of Ireland. Human occupation of this area has been traced back nearly 12,000 years to the Mesolithic period era, the small band of the stone age that included the hunter-gatherers. The Celts didn’t arrive until the Iron Age, about 500B.C. Tommy Graham, Editor of Ireland’s HISTORY magazine and the fastest walking and fastest talking guide you’ll find explains, “At that stage, the whole of western Europe was Celtic.”

Christianity came to Ireland in the middle of the 5^th century by St. Patrick, a Romanized Celtic Briton kidnapped twice from his home in England prior to returning voluntarily to convert the masses. Despite legend, there’s no evidence that there were ever snakes in Ireland. But he is given credit for having “driven them out.” The three most famous symbols of Ireland, the green Shamrock, the harp, and the Celtic cross all have a St. Patrick affiliation.

Ireland and Great Britain

According to Tommy, Dublin was labeled “Hibernia” by the Romans, meaning “land of winter.” Ireland was never conquered by the Romans, who, “having visited once, took one look at the weather, and assuming it was always this bad, left forever.”

For the past 800 years, Ireland had been under conquest from Great Britain. Begun under King Henry II in the 1170s, the British soldiers became native, inter-marrying and learning the local language. “We’ve always had this tendency to absorb or subvert outsiders,” Tommy explains.

King Henry VIII began the second conquest of Ireland with colonization that ultimately allowed Oliver Cromwell to pay off his army. When Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church, the two Cathedrals in Dublin, Christ Church and St. Patrick’s, became Church of England. Thus began 500 years of Catholic oppression. No Catholic churches in Ireland are more than 250 years old, because of penal laws, anti-Catholic laws enacted from this time, the last of these penal, anti-Catholic laws were abolished in 1829. The Catholic Emancipation resulted from the agitation of Daniel O’Connell, referred to as “the Great Liberator,” and namesake of the wide thoroughfare in Dublin 1.

After several failed rebellions, Ireland finally became independent with the Revolution of 1922. In the south, 26 counties formed the Republic of Ireland whilst the six northeast counties remain under U.K. jurisdiction (more to come with Brexit).

Dublin Today

Dublin is a vibrant, active, growing city under constant construction, six days a week.

Ireland’s economy remains strong, with a 5.8% GDP increase from 2018, making us the fastest growing economy in the EU. Agriculture, pharmaceuticals (Viagra is 3% GDP), Dublin ports, Ireland’s public companies, educational institutions and hospitals contribute to this. This combination has led the push towards Dublin as a “smart city.”

Dublin has become home to several multi-national corporations, including high-tech sectors, Facebook, Google and financial services. And tourism remains a big draw. This past year, rents in Dublin exceeded those for similar properties in Paris for the first time in history.

Getting Around

Dublin is separated into 24 “postal codes.” Odd numbers are to the north of the River Liffey. Even numbers are to the south. Dublin 1 and Dublin 2, the two “downtown” districts have a long-standing competitive spirit. Dublin 2 is considered “posh.” The real estate is certainly the most expensive in the city.

The simplest way to get around Dublin traffic is public transit. Lyft and Uber aren’t available here. Private taxis are (download My Taxi’s new app FREE NOW before you go).

From the airport, if you’re traveling with just a carry on, take the AirLink (under €15 round trip) to your accommodations. If you travel with your family or a lot of luggage, it will cost you about €40 to take a taxi one way to center city. Once in town, take the bus, the Luas (tram), or DART (train). The Dublin GO card, available from train and bus offices, is valid for 1-day, 3-day and 7-day visits. The Luas requires a separate green card for tap on tap off ease of use and discount for the tram. It’s a very walk-able city as well.

Weather in Dublin

Dublin’s climate is mild and changeable with abundant rainfall. January and February are the coldest months of the year, average 40F, and July and August are the warmest months of the year, average 60sF.