Difference between revisions of "Dublin" - New World Encyclopedia

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{{Infobox Irish Place|
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{{Images OK}}{{Submitted}}{{Approved}}{{Copyedited}}
name       = Dublin |
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{{Infobox Settlement
gaeilge    = '''Baile Átha Cliath''' |
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|name                   = Dublin
crest image = Dublin_city_coa.gif |
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|native_name            = ''Baile Átha Cliath''
motto       = {{lang|la|''Obedientia Civium Urbis Felicitas''}} <br/> [[Latin language|Latin]]: literally, "The citizens' obedience is the city's happiness" (rendered more loosely as "Happy the city where citizens obey" by the council itself)<ref>[http://www.dublincity.ie/your_council/history/0030_dublin_city_coat_of_arms.asp Dublin City Council ''Dublin City Coat of Arms'' (retrieved 16 February 2007]</ref>|
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|native_name_lang        = ga
map image  = Ireland map County Dublin City.png |
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|image_flag              = IRL Dublin flag.svg
pin coords  = left: 92px; top: 67px |
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|flag_size              = 125px
north coord = 53.3472 |
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|image_shield            = Dublin_city_coa.gif
west coord  = 6.2592 |
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|shield_size            = 125px
area       = {{convert|114.99|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} |
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|motto                   = {{lang|la|Obedientia Civium Urbis Felicitas}}<br/>"The citizens' obedience is the city's happiness"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dublincity.ie/YourCouncil/LordMayorDublin/Pages/MansionHouse.aspx |title=Dublin City Council ',Dublin City Coat of Arms', |publisher=Dublincity.ie |accessdate=April 16, 2012}}</ref>
county      = [[County Dublin]] |
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|image_skyline          = Samuel Beckett Bridge At Sunset Dublin Ireland (97037639) (cropped).jpeg
dailconstituency = [[Dublin Central (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin Central]], [[Dublin North Central (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin North Central]], [[Dublin North East (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin North East]], [[Dublin North West (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin North West]], [[Dublin South Central (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin South Central]], [[Dublin South East (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin South East]], [[Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown]]|
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|imagesize              = 250px
EU constituency = [[Dublin (European Parliament constituency)|Dublin]] |
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|image_caption          = [[Samuel Beckett Bridge]]
IEpostcode = D1-24, D6W|
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|image_map              = Ireland map County Dublin City.png  
  stdcode    = +353 1 |
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|pushpin_map            =
population = <small>Dublin City:<br />505,739<br />Dublin Urban Area:<br />1,045,769<br />[[County Dublin|Dublin Region]]:<br />1,186,821<br />[[Greater Dublin Area]]:<br />1,661,185</small><ref>[http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/2006_prelim_table01.pdf Central Statistics Office 2006]</ref> |
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|mapsize                =  
census yr = 2006 |
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|pushpin_label          =
province  = [[Leinster]] |
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|map_caption            =  
web      = www.dublincity.ie |
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|coordinates_region      = IE
|}}
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|subdivision_type        = Country
'''Dublin''' ({{pronEng|ˈdʌblɨn/, /ˈdʊblɨn}}, or {{IPA|/ˈdʊbəlɪn/}}, {{lga|Baile Átha Cliath|Town of the Hurdled Ford}},<ref>'{{lang|ga|Baile Átha Cliath}}' (or simply '{{lang|ga|Áth Cliath}}') and '{{lang|ga|Dubh Linn}}' are the two names of the city, the former being the one currently in official and common usage.</ref> {{pronounced|bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh}} or {{IPA|[bˠɫaː cliə(ɸ)]}}) is both the largest city and capital of [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]. It is located 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 [[Viking]] settlement, the city has been Ireland's primary city for most of the island's history since [[Middle Ages|medieval]] times. Today, it is an economic, administrative and cultural centre for the island of Ireland and has one of the fastest growing populations of any European capital city.<ref name = "yjwuoo"> [http://www.talkingcities.co.uk/quick_guides/dublin_guide.htm TalkingCities]</ref><ref name = "axdqer">[http://www.irishexperience.net/ The Irish Experience]</ref>
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|subdivision_name       = [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]
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|subdivision_type1      = Province
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|subdivision_name1      = [[Leinster]]
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|government_type        = [[Dublin City Council|City Council]]
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|leader_title            = Headquarters
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|leader_name            = [[Dublin City Hall]]
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|leader_title1          = [[Lord Mayor of Dublin|Lord Mayor]]
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|leader_name1            = [[Andrew Montague (Irish politician)|Andrew Montague]] [[Labour Party (Ireland)|(Lab)]]
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|leader_title2          = [[Dáil Éireann]]
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|leader_name2            =[[Dublin Central (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin Central]]<br/>[[Dublin North–Central (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin North–Central]]<br/>[[Dublin North–East (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin North–East]]<br/>[[Dublin North–West (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin North–West]]<br/>[[Dublin South–Central (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin South–Central]]<br/>[[Dublin South–East (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin South–East]]
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|leader_title3          =[[European Parliament]]
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|leader_name3            =[[Dublin (European Parliament constituency)|Dublin constituency]]
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|unit_pref              = Metric
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|area_total_km2          = 114.99
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|area_urban_km2          =  
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|population_total        = 527612
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|population_density_km2 = 4588
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|population_urban        = 1,110,627
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|population_metro        = 1,804,156
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|population_blank1_title = [[Demonym]]
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|population_blank1      = Dubliner, Dub
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|population_blank2_title = Ethnicity<br /><small>(2006 Census)</small>
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|     population_blank2 = {{Collapsible list
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|                  title = Ethnic groups
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|            frame_style = border:none; padding: 0; <!--NOTICE: This will hide the borders and make rows closer (padding)—>
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|           title_style =
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|            list_style = text-align:left;display:none;
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|                     1 = '''90.85% White'''
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|                      2 = 81.25% White Irish
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|                      3 = 9.23% White Other
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|                     4 = 0.37% Irish Traveller
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|                     5 = &nbsp;
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|                      6 =  '''3.34% Asian/Asian Irish'''
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|                     7 = &nbsp;
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|                     8 = '''1.12% Black/Black Irish'''
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|                     9 = &nbsp;
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|                     10 = '''1.47% Bi-Racial/Other'''
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|                     11 = &nbsp;
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|                     12 = '''3.22% Not Stated'''}}
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|timezone                = [[Western European Time|WET]]
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|utc_offset              = 0
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|timezone_DST            = [[Irish Standard Time|IST]]
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|utc_offset_DST          = +1
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|latd = 53 |latm = 20 |latNS = N
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|longd = 6 |longm = 15 |longEW = W
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|coordinates_display    = inline,title
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|postal_code_type        = [[List of Dublin postal districts|Postal districts]]
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|postal_code            = D1-18, 20, 22, 24, D6W
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|area_code              = 01
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|website                = [http://www.dublincity.ie www.dublincity.ie]
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}}
  
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'''Dublin''' is both the largest city and capital of the [[Republic of Ireland]]. Founded as a [[Vikings|Viking]] settlement, Dublin has been Ireland's primary city for most of the island's history since [[Middle Ages|medieval]] times. Located in the province of Leinster in the east-central part of the country at the head of Dublin Bay on the [[Irish Sea]], it is also the nation's chief [[port]] and center of financial, commercial, and  administrative  power. One fourth of the Republic's population resides in the Greater Dublin urban area, and it continues to have one of the fastest growing populations of any [[Europe]]an capital city.
  
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Long the seat of culture within Ireland, it has been at the center of the country's rich Anglo-Irish literary, philosophical, and political history. Literary figures of international significance who hailed from Dublin include three winners of the [[Nobel Prize for Literature]]—[[William Butler Yeats]], [[George Bernard Shaw]] and [[Samuel Beckett]]—as well as [[Oscar Wilde]], [[Jonathan Swift]], [[Brendan Behan]], and [[Dracula]] creator [[Bram Stoker]]. [[James Joyce]] composed some of his greatest works while in the city. Both [[Orson Welles]] and [[James Mason]] began their acting careers there.
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{{toc}}
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While its history has been one of war and conquest, it has re-emerged since the 1990s as an economic miracle. With Ireland, it rates high in political, economic, and [[freedom of the press|press freedoms]], and benefits from its nation's relatively high per capita [[GDP]].
  
 
==Geography==
 
==Geography==
[[Image:Dublin SPOT 1023.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Dublin seen from [[SPOT (satellites)|Spot satellite]]]]
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[[Image:Dublin riverside composite 01.jpg|thumb|350px|left|The River Liffey divides the city into Northside and Southside.]]
The name Dublin derives from '{{lang|ga|Dubh Linn}}' (Irish, ''dubh'' -> black, and ''linn'' -> pool). The Dubh Linn was a lake used by the Vikings to moor their ships and was connected to the Liffey by the Poddle. The Dubh Linn and Poddle were covered during the early 1800s. The common name for the city in modern Irish is '{{lang|ga|Baile Átha Cliath}}' ('The Settlement of the Ford of the Reed Hurdles'). '{{lang|ga|Áth Cliath}}' is a place-name referring to a fording point of the Liffey in the vicinity of [[Heuston Station]].
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The name Dublin derives from '{{lang|ga|Dubh Linn}}', with ''dubh'' meaning ''black,'' and ''linn'' meaning ''pool.'' The Dubh Linn was a [[lake]] used by the [[Vikings]] to moor their ships and was connected to the Liffey River by the Poddle River. The Dubh Linn and Poddle were covered during the early 1800s. The common name for the city in modern Irish is '{{lang|ga|Baile Átha Cliath}}' ('The Settlement of the Ford of the Reed Hurdles'). '{{lang|ga|Áth Cliath}}' is a place-name referring to a fording point of the Liffey in the vicinity of [[Heuston Station]].  
  
Topography:  Physical qualities of a particular place.  Example:  Mexico City
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Located near the midpoint of [[Ireland]]'s east coast, on a hill-ringed plain on a bay, Dublin straddles the [[River Liffey]], into which dark [[bog]] water drains, creating the “black pool,” which is the city's name.  
a. Mountain flanked basin
 
b.  on dry lake bed
 
c.  vulnerability to earthquakes
 
d.  trapped air pollution (also true in L.A. and Athens)
 
Elevation
 
  
[[Image:ClimateDublinIreland.PNG|left|thumb|250px|Average temperature (red) and precipitations (blue) in Dublin.]]
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Dublin enjoys a maritime temperate [[climate]] characterized by mild [[winter]]s, cool [[summer]]s, and a lack of [[temperature]] extremes. The average maximum January temperature is 46°F (8°C), the average maximum July temperature is 68°F (20°C). The sunniest months are May and June. Severe winds are most likely during mid-winter. The wettest months are December and August, with 2.9 inches (74mm) of [[rain]]. The driest month is April, with 1.77 inches (45mm). The total average annual rainfall is 30 inches (762mm).
Dublin enjoys a maritime temperate climate characterised by mild winters, cool summers, and a lack of temperature extremes. The average maximum January temperature is 46°F (8°C), the average maximum July temperature is 68°F (20°C). The sunniest months are May and June. Severe winds are most likely during mid-winter. The wettest months are December and August, with 2.9 inches (74mm) of rain. The driest month is April, with 1.77 inches (45mm). The total average annual rainfall (and other forms of precipitation) is 30 inches (762mm).
 
  
Rivers and canals
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The city covers a land area of 44 square miles (114.99 square kilometers).
Size – land area, size comparison
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Environmental issues
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A north-south division has existed in Dublin for some time, with the dividing line being the [[River Liffey]]. The [[Northside (Dublin)|''Northside'']] is seen by some as working-class (with the exception of a few suburbs such as Howth, Malahide, Portmarnock, Clontarf and Sutton) while the ''[[Southside (Dublin)|Southside]]'' is seen as middle and upper middle class (with the exception of a few "working-class" suburbs such as Ballinteer, Sallynoggin, Crumlin, Drimnagh, Inchicore, Ballyfermot, Palmerstown, Neilstown and Tallaght).
Districts
 
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
{{main|History of Dublin}}
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[[Image:Ei-map.svg|thumb|225px|Political map of Ireland.]]
[[Image:Dublin Castle Four Court.jpg|thumb|226px|[[Dublin Castle]]<br /><small>Seat of the [[Lord Lieutenant of Ireland|Lord Lieutenant]] and his court until 1922.</small>]]
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[[Image:castletower.jpg|thumb|right|225px|One of the surviving mediæval towers at Dublin Castle. To its left is the Chapel Royal.]]
The writings of the Greek astronomer and cartographer [[Ptolemy]] provide perhaps the earliest reference to human habitat in the area now known as Dublin. In around A.D. 140 he referred to a settlement he called {{lang|la|''[[Eblana|Eblana Civitas]]''}}. The settlement 'Dubh Linn' dates perhaps as far back as the first century B.C.E. and later a monastery was built there, though the town was established in about 841<ref>[http://www.nalanda.nitc.ac.in/resources/english/etext-project/history/ireland/book-2chapter2.html A Popular History of Ireland - Thomas D'Arcy McGee (1825-1868)]</ref> by the [[Norsemen|Norse]].  
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[[Image:Big-Jim-Larkin.jpg|thumb|left|125px|Statue of James Larkin on O'Connell Street (Oisín Kelly 1977)]]
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[[Image:Dublin Castle Four Court.jpg|thumb|right|225px|[[Dublin Castle]], seat of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and his court until 1922.]]
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[[Image:Nelsons Pillar Dublin.jpg|right|thumb|225px|The former [[Nelson's Pillar]] on O'Connell Street which was destroyed by the [[Irish Republican Army (1922–1969)|IRA]].]]
  
The subsequent Viking settlement was on the [[River Poddle]], a tributary of the Liffey, to the East of [[Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin|Christchurch]], in the area known as Wood Quay. , and as the city expanded they were largely forgotten about. The Dubh Linn was situated where the Castle Garden is now located, opposite the [[Chester Beatty Library]] in [[Dublin Castle]].
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Most of [[Ireland]] was covered with [[ice]] until about 9,000 years ago. [[Mesolithic]] [[middle stone age]] inhabitants arrived some time after 8000 B.C.E., and people have dwelt in the area around Dublin Bay since then. The Greek [[astronomy|astronomer]] and [[cartography|cartographer]] [[Ptolemy]], around 140 C.E.., referred to a settlement he called {{lang|la|''[[Eblana|Eblana Civitas]]''}}. The settlement 'Dubh Linn' dates perhaps as far back as the first century B.C.E. and later a [[monastery]] was built there. Around 290 C.E., “the people of Dublin” were recorded as having defeated an army from Leinster, the province surrounding Dublin.
  
The modern city retains the Anglicised Irish name of the former and the original Irish name of the latter. After the [[Norman Ireland|Norman invasion of Ireland]], Dublin became the key centre of military and judicial power, 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. The Parliament was located in Drogheda for several centuries, but was switched permanently to Dublin after [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] conquered the [[Earldom of Kildare|County Kildare]] in 1504.
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The [[Vikings]], who were [[Scandinavia]]n explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates, invaded in the ninth century, and built a settlement on the [[River Poddle]], a tributary of the Liffey, to the East of [[Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin|Christchurch]] in about 841. <ref> Thomas D'Arcy McGee. (1825-1868) [http://www.nalanda.nitc.ac.in/resources/english/etext-project/history/ireland/book-2chapter2.html A Popular History of Ireland] ''Project Gutenberg''. Retrieved September 20, 2008. </ref> The Vikings, or [[Ostmen]] as they called themselves, ruled Dublin for nearly three centuries, established a large [[slave market]], were expelled in 902, and returned in 917, notwithstanding their defeat by the Irish High King [[Brian Boru]] at the [[battle of Clontarf]] in 1014.
  
Dublin also had local city administration via its [[Dublin Corporation|Corporation]] from the Middle Ages. This represented the city's guild-based [[oligarchy]] until it was reformed in the 1840s on increasingly democratic lines.  
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In 1167, the Norse inhabitants of Dublin supported [[Roderic O’Connor]] of Connaught, for the high kingship of [[Ireland]], against their overlord, Leinster king [[Dermot MacMurrough]]. Dermot retook Dublin in 1170, helped by an army of Anglo-Normans from [[Wales]]. This prompted English king [[Henry II]] (1133-1189) to bring an army to affirm his sovereignty, in the Norman conquest of the southern half of Ireland in 1169-1171.
  
From the 17th century the city expanded rapidly, helped by the [[Wide Streets Commission]]. [[Georgian Dublin]] was, for a short time, the second city of the British Empire after London and the fifth largest European city. Much of Dublin's most notable architecture dates from this time and is considered a golden era for the city. The famous [[Guinness]] brewery was also established at this time too. In 1742 [[Handel]]'s "Messiah" was performed for the first time in New Musick Hall in Fishamble Street with 26 boys and five men from the combined choirs of [[St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin|St.Patrick's]] and [[Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin|Christ Church]] cathedrals participating.
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After 1171, many [[Norsemen|Norse]] inhabitants left the old city, on the south side of the river Liffey, and built their own settlement on the north side, known as Ostmantown or "Oxmantown." Dublin became the capital of the English [[Lordship of Ireland]] from 1171, and was peopled with settlers from [[England]] and [[Wales]], as was the rural area around the city. In the fourteenth century, this area was fortified against the increasingly assertive Native Irish – becoming known as the Pale. English rule centered on [[Dublin Castle]]. The city was also the seat of the [[Parliament of Ireland]], which was composed of representatives of the English community in Ireland.
  
The 1800s, with the seat of government moving to [[Westminster]], were a period of decline relative to the industrial growth of [[Belfast]]; by 1900 the population of Belfast was nearly twice as large. Whereas Belfast was prosperous and industrial, Dublin had become a city of squalor and class division, built on the remains of lost grandeur, as best described in the novel ''[[Strumpet City]]'', by [[James Plunkett]], and in the works of [[Sean O'Casey]]. Dublin was still the primary centre of administration and transport for much of Ireland, though completely bypassed by the [[Industrial revolution]]. The [[Easter Rising]] of 1916 occurred in the city centre, bringing much physical destruction. The [[Anglo-Irish War]] and [[Irish Civil War]] contributed even more destruction, leaving many of its finest buildings in ruins. The [[Irish Free State]] rebuilt many of the buildings and moved parliament to [[Leinster House]]. Through [[The Emergency (Ireland)|The Emergency]] (World War II), until the 1960s, Dublin remained a capital out of time: the city centre in particular remained at an architectural standstill. This made the city ideal for historical film production, with many productions including ''[[The Blue Max]]'', and ''[[My Left Foot (film)|My Left Foot]]'' capturing the cityscape in this period. This became the foundation of later successes in cinematography and film-making. With increasing prosperity, modern architecture was introduced to the city, though a vigorous campaign started in parallel to restore the [[Georgian Dublin|Georgian]] greatness of Dublin's streets, rather than lose the grandeur forever. Since 1997, the landscape 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.
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Throughout the [[Middle Ages]], Dublin paid protection money or "black rent" to the neighboring Irish clans to avoid their predatory raids. In 1314, an invading Scottish army burned the city’s suburbs. In 1348, the city was hit by the [[Black Death]] – a lethal [[bubonic plague]] that ravaged [[Europe]] in the mid-14th century. The plague recurred regularly until its last  outbreak in 1649.
  
Since the beginning of [[Anglo-Norman]] rule in the 12th century, the city has served as the capital of the island of Ireland in the varying [[geopolitics|geopolitical]] entities:
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In 1487, during the English [[Wars of the Roses]], the Fitzgeralds occupied the city with the aid of troops from [[Burgundy]] and proclaimed the [[Yorkist]] [[Lambert Simnel]] to be [[King of England]]. In 1536, the same dynasty, led by [[Silken Thomas]], who was angry at the imprisonment of Garret Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare, besieged [[Dublin Castle]]. [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] sent a large army to destroy the Fitzgeralds and replace them with English administrators.
  
* the [[Lordship of Ireland]] (1171–1541)
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[[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]], in 1532, broke English Catholicism from [[Rome]]. The Irish remained [[Catholic]], and were excluded from political power. From 1536, Henry VIII re-conquered Ireland, and in 1541, was himself proclaimed King of Ireland. Opposition by Dubliners to extra taxes to support an English garrison resulted in the [[Plantations of Ireland|settlement]] there of [[Protestant]]s from England. These "New English" became the basis of the English administration in Ireland until the 19th century.  
* 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),<ref>It should be noted that this state was unilaterally declared and was not recognised by any other country apart from [[Russia]]. The control did not extend to all of the island, particularly Unionist areas in the north east.</ref>
 
  
From 1922, following the partition of Ireland, 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 (Dublin)|Garden of Remembrance]].
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Thousands of Protestants fled to Dublin to escape the [[Irish Rebellion of 1641]]. When Irish Catholic forces threatened the city, the English garrison expelled Catholic Dubliners. The city was besieged twice during the [[Irish Confederate Wars]], in 1646 and in 1649. In 1649, a mixed force of Irish Confederates and English Royalists were routed by Dublin's English Parliamentarian garrison in the [[battle of Rathmines]], and fought on the city's southern outskirts.  
  
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.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/3156680.stm BBC record of Survey]</ref>
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After the [[Cromwellian conquest of Ireland]] (1649-1653), Catholics were banned from dwelling within the city limits under the [[Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652|Cromwellian settlement]] but this law was not strictly enforced.
  
A person from either the city or county of Dublin is often referred to as a "[[List of regional nicknames|Dub]]".
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By 1700, the English imposed the harsh [[Penal Laws]] on the Catholic majority of Ireland's population. In Dublin however the [[Protestant Ascendancy]] was thriving, and the city expanded rapidly. Under the [[English Restoration|Restoration]], [[James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde|Ormonde]], the then [[Lord Deputy of Ireland]], ordered that the houses along the [[river Liffey]] had to face the river and have high quality frontages—in contrast to earlier, when Dublin faced away from the river, often using it as a rubbish dump. The population had surpassed 60,000, making it the second largest city after [[London]], in the [[British Empire]], and the fifth largest [[Europe]]an city.
  
==Government==
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The city expanded rapidly. Helped by the [[Wide Streets Commission]], much of Dublin's most notable [[architecture]] dates from this time and is considered a golden era for the city. The famous [[Guinness]] [[brewery]] was established then. In 1742, [[Handel's Messiah]] was performed for the first time in New Musick Hall in Fishamble Street.
[[Image:Leinsterhouseirl.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Leinster House, the 18th century ducal palace now the seat of parliament that houses both the [[Dáil Éireann|Dáil]] & [[Seanad Éireann|Seanad]].]]
 
[[Image:gbuildings.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Government Buildings, formerly the [[Royal College of Science for Ireland|Royal College of Science]].]]
 
Ireland is a republic, and a parliamentary democracy, which is based in Dublin. The president, who is chief of state, is elected by popular vote for a seven-year term, and is eligible for a second term. The prime minister, (''taoiseach'') who is head of government, is nominated by the House of Representatives and appointed by the president.
 
  
The bicameral parliament, or ''Oireachtas'', consists of the senate or ''Seanad Eireann'' of 60 seats, with 49 members elected by the universities and from candidates put forward by five vocational panels, and 11 nominated by the prime minister, to serve five-year terms. The House of Representatives, or ''Dail Eireann'', has 166 seats, the members of which are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve five-year terms.
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The 1800s, with the seat of government moving to [[Westminster]], were a period of decline relative to the industrial growth of [[Belfast]]. By 1900, the population of Belfast was nearly twice as large. Whereas Belfast was prosperous and industrial, Dublin had become a city of squalor and class division, built on the remains of lost grandeur.  
  
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.
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In 1913, Dublin experienced the [[Dublin Lockout|the Lockout]]. [[James Larkin]], a militant syndicalist [[trade union]]ist, founded the Irish Transport and General Worker's Union and attempted to win improvements in wages and conditions for unskilled and semi-skilled workers. Within a month, 25,000 workers were either on strike or locked out. The lockout lasted for six months, after which most workers, many of whose families were starving, resigned from the union and returned to work.
  
The City of Dublin is the area administered by [[Dublin City Council]], but the term normally refers to the contiguous urban area which includes the adjacent local authority areas of [[Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown]], [[Fingal]] and [[South Dublin]]. Together the four areas form the traditional [[County Dublin]]. This area is sometimes known as 'Urban Dublin' or the '[[Dublin Metropolitan Area]]'.
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Dublin was still the primary center of administration and transport for much of Ireland, though bypassed by the [[Industrial revolution]]. The [[Easter Rising]] of 1916 occurred in the city center, bringing much physical destruction. The [[Anglo-Irish War]] (1919 to 1921) and [[Irish Civil War]] (1922-1923) contributed even more destruction, leaving many of its finest buildings in ruins.  
  
== Economy==
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From 1922, following the partition of Ireland, Dublin became the capital of the [[Irish Free State]] (1922–1949). Many buildings were rebuilt, and parliament moved to [[Leinster House]].
[[Image:Ulster Bank Dublin.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Ulster Bank's Dublin head office at night (middle)]]
 
[[Image:DublinDocklands.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The Docklands of Dublin, east of the city centre.]]
 
[[Image:IMGPortTuNorthEnt 4572w.jpg|thumb|right|250px|December 2006, southbound entrance of the [[Dublin Port Tunnel]].]]
 
[[Image:DART Unit 8203.jpg|right|thumb|250px|A [[Dublin Area Rapid Transit|DART]] train, forming part of the [[Dublin Suburban Rail]] network.]]
 
[[Image:Ireland - Dublin - Tram.jpg|right|thumb|250px|[[Luas]] tram crossing the Liffey.]]
 
Dublin has been at the centre of Ireland's phenomenal economic growth over the last 10-15 years, a period (often of double-digit growth) referred to as the [[Celtic Tiger]] years. Living standards in the city have risen dramatically, although the cost of living has also soared. In 2008, Dublin was listed as the fifth-richest city in the world<ref>[http://www.citymayors.com/economics/usb-purchasing-power.html City Mayors - ''The world's richest cities by purchasing power in 2008'']</ref>. According to one source, Dublin is now the planet's 16th most expensive city (8th most expensive city in Europe, excluding Russian cities).<ref>[http://www.finfacts.ie/costofliving.htm Global/Worldwide Cost of Living Survey Rankings 2007/2008, Cities, International, Europe] 2007</ref>  It was also listed as the third most expensive city in the world in which to live.<ref>[http://www.citymayors.com/economics/expensive_cities2.html City Mayors - ''The world's most expensive cities in 2008'']</ref>However, it has the second highest wages for a city in the world, ahead of both [[New York City]] and [[London]], though behind [[Zürich]].<ref>[http://www.citymayors.com/economics/richest_cities.html London is the most expensive city in the world while Swiss cities are home to highest earners]</ref>
 
  
Per capita GDP, rank
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Through ''The Emergency'' during [[World War II]] (1939-1945), when [[Ireland]] was officially neutral, until the 1960s, Dublin's city center remained at an architectural standstill. This made the city ideal for historical [[film production]], with many productions including ''[[The Blue Max]]'' (1966) and ''[[My Left Foot (film)|My Left Foot]]'' (1989) capturing the [[cityscape]] in this period. This became the foundation of later successes in [[cinematography]] and [[film-making]].
Financial and business services sector
 
Tourism
 
Manufacturing
 
Transport: Road, rail, air, sea
 
  
{{main|Economy of Dublin}}
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With increasing prosperity, modern [[architecture]] was introduced, while a vigorous campaign began to restore the [[Georgian Dublin|Georgian]] greatness of Dublin's streets, rather than lose the grandeur forever. Since 1997, the landscape of Dublin has changed immensely, with enormous private and state development of housing, transport, and business. Some well-known Dublin street corners are still named for the pub or business which once occupied the site prior to closure or redevelopment.
  
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==Government==
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[[Image:Leinsterhouseirl.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Leinster House, the eighteenth century ducal palace that houses the [[Dáil Éireann|Dáil]] and [[Seanad Éireann|Seanad]].]]
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[[Image:gbuildings.jpg|thumb|right|225px|Government Buildings.]]
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[[Ireland]] is a parliamentary democratic republic. The president, who is chief of state, is elected by popular vote for a seven-year term, and is eligible for a second term. The prime minister, ''(taoiseach)'' who is head of government, is nominated by the House of Representatives and appointed by the president.
  
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The bicameral parliament consists of the senate of 60 seats, with 49 members elected by the universities and from candidates put forward by five vocational panels, and 11 nominated by the prime minister, to serve five-year terms. The House of Representatives has 166 seats, the members of which are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve five-year terms.
  
Historically, [[brewing]] has probably been the industry most often associated with the city: [[Guinness]] has been brewed at the [[St. James's Gate Brewery]] since 1759. Since the advent of the Celtic Tiger years, however, a large number of global pharmaceutical, information and communications technology companies have located in Dublin and the [[Greater Dublin Area]]. For example, [[Microsoft]], [[Google]], [[Amazon.com|Amazon]], [[PayPal]], [[Yahoo!]] and [[Pfizer]] (among others) now have European headquarters and/or operational bases in the city and its suburbs. [[Intel]] and [[Hewlett-Packard]] have large manufacturing plants in [[Leixlip]], [[County Kildare]], {{convert|15|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} to the west.  
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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.
  
Banking, finance and commerce are also important in the city - the [[International Financial Services Centre|IFSC]] alone handles over €1 trillion a year. 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).
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The City of Dublin is the area administered by [[Dublin City Council]], but the term normally refers to the contiguous urban area which includes the adjacent local authority areas of [[Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown]], [[Fingal]] and [[South Dublin]]. Together the four areas form the traditional [[County Dublin]]. This area is sometimes known as 'Urban Dublin' or the '[[Dublin Metropolitan Area]]'.
  
The economic boom years have led to a sharp increase in construction, which is now also a major employer, though, as of 2007, unemployment is on the rise as the housing market has begun to see supply outstrip demand.{{Fact|date=January 2008}} Redevelopment is taking place in large projects such as [http://www.ddda.ie/ Dublin Docklands], [http://www.spencerdock.ie/ Spencer Dock] and others, transforming once run-down industrial areas in the city centre. Dublin City Council seems to now have loosened the former restrictions on "high-rise" structures. The tallest building, [[Liberty Hall]], is only {{convert|59.4|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} tall; already under construction in the city is [http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=323 Heuston Gate], a {{convert|117|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} building (134 m including spire). The {{convert|120|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} [http://www.skyscrapernews.com/buildings.php?id=1338 Britain Quay Tower] and the {{convert|120|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} [[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.
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== Economy==
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[[Image:DublinDocklands.jpg|right|thumb|225px|The Docklands of Dublin, east of the city centre.]]
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[[Image:IMGPortTuNorthEnt 4572w.jpg|thumb|right|225px|The southbound entrance of the [[Dublin Port Tunnel]].]]
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[[Image:DART Unit 8203.jpg|right|thumb|225px|A [[Dublin Area Rapid Transit|DART]] train, forming part of the [[Dublin Suburban Rail]] network.]]
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[[Ireland]] is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy. [[Agriculture]], once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry and services. Although the exports sector, dominated by foreign multinationals, remains a key component of Ireland's economy, construction fueled economic growth around 2008, along with strong consumer spending and business investment.  
  
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.<ref>{{PDFlink|[http://www.dubchamber.ie/Uploads/Policy.pdf Dublin employment]|256&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 262611 bytes —>}}</ref> Dublin is one of the constituent cities in the [[Dublin-Belfast corridor]] region which has a population of just under 3 million.
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Dublin has been at the center of Ireland's phenomenal economic growth from 1993-2008, a period referred to as the [[Celtic Tiger]] years. In 2008, Dublin was listed as the fifth-richest city in the world <ref> ''City Mayors Economics''. [http://www.citymayors.com/economics/usb-purchasing-power.html The world's richest cities by purchasing power in 2008] Retrieved September 20, 2008. </ref>. It has the second highest wages for a city in the world, ahead of both [[New York City]] and [[London]], though behind [[Zürich]].<ref> ''City Mayors Economics''. [http://www.citymayors.com/economics/richest_cities.html The world's richest cities by personal net earnings in 2008] Retrieved September 20, 2008.</ref> Dublin is one of the constituent cities in the [[Dublin-Belfast corridor]] region which has a population of just under 3 million. Per capita GDP for Ireland was estimated at $43,100 in 2007.  
  
Economic growth is expected to slow in the coming years, with the Irish central bank predicting medium-term growth rates of around 3–5%.<ref>[http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0418/economy.html Central Bank predicts less growth]</ref> While this represents a slowdown relative to the early Celtic Tiger years, it is still stronger than growth in most other wealthy countries.
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[[Banking]], finance and commerce are important in the city - the [[International Financial Services Centre|IFSC]] alone handles over €1-trillion a year. Numerous international firms, including [[Citibank]], and [[Commerzbank]], have established headquarters in the city. Also located there is the [[Irish Stock Exchange]], [[Internet Neutral Exchange]], and [[Irish Enterprise Exchange]].
  
Dublin is also the main hub of the country's road network. The [[M50 motorway (Ireland)|M50 motorway]], a semi-[[ring road]], connects the most important national primary routes that fan out from the capital to the regions. Dublin is served by an extensive network of nearly 200 bus routes. The [[Dublin Suburban Rail]] network is a system of five rail lines serving commuters in the [[Greater Dublin Area]], though some trains go to [[Drogheda]] and [[Dundalk]], including an electrified line known as the [[Dublin Area Rapid Transit]] (DART) line that runs along [[Dublin Bay]]. A two-line [[light rail]]/[[tram]] network called the [[Luas]] opened in 2004. A subway was planned in 2005. [[Dublin Port]] is the country's busiest [[sea port]] and [[Dublin Airport]] is the busiest airport on the island.
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The economic boom years led to a sharp increase in construction, which became a major employer, though, as of 2007, [[unemployment]] began to rise as housing market supply began to outstrip demand. Redevelopment is taking place in large projects such as Dublin Docklands, Spencer Dock, and others, transforming once run-down industrial areas in the city center.  
  
=== Communications and media ===
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[[Brewing]] has been the industry most often associated with the city: [[Guinness]] has been brewed at the [[St. James' Gate Brewery]] since 1759. Since the advent of the Celtic Tiger years, however, a large number of global [[pharmaceutical]], information and communications technology companies have located in Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area. For example, [[Microsoft]], [[Google]], [[Amazon.com|Amazon]], [[PayPal]], [[Yahoo!]] and [[Pfizer]] (among others) now have [[Europe]]an headquarters and/or operational bases in the city and its suburbs. [[Intel]] and [[Hewlett-Packard]] have large manufacturing plants in [[Leixlip]], [[County Kildare]], {{convert|15|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} to the west.  
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 Telefís 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 Ireland|TV3]], [[Channel 6 (Ireland)|Channel 6]], [[City Channel]] and [[Setanta Sports]] are also based in Dublin. Dublin is home to national commercial radio networks [[Today FM]] and [[Newstalk]], as well as local stations. The main infrastructure and offices of [[An Post]] and telecommunications companies, such as the former state telephone company [[Eircom]], as well as mobile/cellular operators [[Meteor (mobile network)|Meteor]], [[Vodafone Ireland|Vodafone]] and [[O2 Ireland|O<sub>2</sub>]] are all located in the capital. Dublin is also the headquarters of important national newspapers such as ''[[The Irish Times]]'' and ''[[Irish Independent]]''.
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Dublin is also the main hub of the country's [[road]] network. The [[M50 motorway (Ireland)|M50 motorway]], a semi-[[ring road]], connects the most important national primary routes that fan out from the capital to the regions. Dublin is served by an extensive network of nearly 200 bus routes. The [[Dublin Suburban Rail]] network has five rail lines serving commuters in the [[Greater Dublin Area]], including an electrified line known as the [[Dublin Area Rapid Transit]] (DART) line that runs along [[Dublin Bay]]. A two-line [[light rail]]/[[tram]] network called the [[Luas]] opened in 2004. A subway was planned in 2005. [[Dublin Port]] is the country's busiest [[sea port]] and [[Dublin Airport]] is the busiest [[airport]] on the island.
  
 
== Demographics ==
 
== Demographics ==
[[Image:Trinity College.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Trinity College, Dublin.]]
 
The population of the administrative area controlled by the City Council was 505,739 at the census of 2006. At the same census, the [[County Dublin]] population was 1,186,159, and that of the [[Greater Dublin Area]] 1,661,185. The city's population is expanding rapidly, and it is estimated by the [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|CSO]] that it will reach 2.1 million by 2021. Today, approximately 40% of the population of the Republic of Ireland live within a {{convert|100|km|mi|-0|abbr=on}} radius of the city centre.<ref>[http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0402/dublin.html Call for improved infrastructure for Dublin] 2 April 2007</ref>
 
  
Race/ethnicity - historical background of ethnic groups
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[[Image:Trinity College.jpg|thumb|right|225px|Trinity College, Dublin.]]
Language
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The [[population]] of the city council area was 505,739 at the census of 2006, while the [[County Dublin]] population was 1,186,159, and that of the [[Greater Dublin Area]] 1,661,185. In 2007, approximately 40 percent of the republic's population lived within a {{convert|100|km|mi|-0|abbr=on}} radius of the city center. <ref> ''RTÉ News''. April 2, 2007. [http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0402/dublin.html Call for improved infrastructure for Dublin] Retrieved September 20, 2008. </ref>
Religion
 
Colleges and universities
 
  
Dublin has a long history of emigration that continued into the early 1990s. Since then there has been net immigration and Dublin now has a significant population of immigrants. Foreign nationals in the city are primarily young and single<ref>[http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/0712/breaking69.htm Most new immigrants young and single] July 12, 2007</ref> and the greatest numbers come from the European Union, especially [[United Kingdom|the United Kingdom]], [[Poland]] and [[Lithuania]]. There is also a considerable number from outside Europe, particularly [[China]], [[Nigeria]], [[Brazil]], [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]] and [[Russia]]. 10% of the [[Republic of Ireland]]'s population is now made up of foreign nationals, and Dublin is home to a greater proportion of new arrivals than other parts of the country - for example, 60% of Ireland's Asian population lives in Dublin even though less than 40% of the overall population live in the [[Greater Dublin Area]].<ref>[http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0726/census.html Foreign nationals now 10% of Irish population] 26 July 2007</ref>
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Dublin has a long history of emigration that continued into the early 1990s, since which time there has been net immigration. Foreign nationals are primarily young and single <ref> ''Irish Times''. July 12, 2007. [http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/0712/breaking69.htm Most new immigrants young and single] Retrieved September 20, 2008. </ref> and the greatest numbers come from the [[European Union]], especially [[United Kingdom|the United Kingdom]], [[Poland]] and [[Lithuania]], as well as a considerable number from [[China]], [[Nigeria]], [[Brazil]], [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]] and [[Russia]]. A total 87.4 percent of [[Ireland]]'s population in 2006 was recorded as Irish, 7.5 percent were "other white," while 1.1 percent had a "black or black Irish" background, 1.1 percent were mixed, and 1.6 percent were unspecified.
  
Official statistics from [[An Garda Síochána]] for 2001-2005<ref>[http://www.garda.ie/statistics/report2005.html Garda Annual Reports] 1999-2006</ref> show that the overall headline crime rate for the metropolitan area per 1,000 of population is the highest in the country. During the 1980s and 1990s, a heroin epidemic swept through working class areas of the inner city and outlying suburbs. As of September 2008, there has been 14 homicides in which 13 were gang-related gun murders.
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The official [[language]]s are Irish and [[English language|English]], although the latter is by far the predominant language spoken throughout the country. The Republic of Ireland is 86.8 percent [[Roman Catholic]], and has one of the highest rates of regular and weekly church attendance in the Western World, although this has declined over the past 30 years. Immigration has increased Dublin's [[Religion|religious]] diversity, with increasing numbers of [[Protestant]]s and [[Muslims]].  
  
===Education===
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Dublin is the primary center of [[education]] in Ireland, with three universities and several other higher education institutions. The [[University of Dublin]] is the oldest university in Ireland. Its sole constituent college, [[Trinity College, Dublin|Trinity College]], was established by [[Royal Charter]] under [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]]. The [[National University of Ireland]] has its seat in Dublin, which is also the location of [[University College Dublin]], the largest university in Ireland. [[Dublin City University]] (DCU) is the newest and specializes in business, engineering, and science courses.
  
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.<ref>[http://www.dublincity.ie/your_council/our_city/dublin_facts/ Dublin facts]</ref> The [[University of Dublin]] is the oldest university in Ireland dating from the 16th century. Its sole constituent college, [[Trinity College, Dublin|Trinity College]], was established by [[Royal Charter]] under [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]] and was closed to Roman Catholics until [[Catholic Emancipation]]; the Catholic hierarchy then banned Roman Catholics from attending it until 1970. It is situated in the city centre, on College Green, and has 15,000 students, the majority of whom are Catholics. The [[National University of Ireland]] (NUI) 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 {{convert|25|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} from the city centre. The Irish public administration and management training centre has its base in Dublin, the Institute of Public Administration provides a range of undergraduate and post graduate awards via the National University of Ireland and in some instances, Queen's University Belfast
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==Society and culture==
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[[Image:Croke Park from the hill.jpg|thumb|left|215px| [[Croke Park]], Europe's fifth-largest stadium and home to the Gaelic Athletic Association.]]
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[[Image:Joyce oconnell dublin.jpg|thumb|upright|150px|Statue of [[James Joyce]] on North Earl Street, Dublin.]]
  
[[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 be relocated 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]]. [[Portobello College Dublin]] has its degrees conferred through the [[University of Wales]].<ref>[http://www.portobello.ie/about_us/portobello_college.htm Portobello College Dublin<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref>
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Numerous [[literature|literary]] figures from Dublin include [[William Butler Yeats]], [[George Bernard Shaw]] and [[Samuel Beckett]], [[Oscar Wilde]], [[Jonathan Swift]], and [[Dracula]] creator [[Bram Stoker]]. Others include [[J.M. Synge]], [[Seán O'Casey]], [[Brendan Behan]], [[Maeve Binchy]], and [[Roddy Doyle]]. The city is the location of the greatest works of [[James Joyce]]—''[[Dubliners]]'' and ''[[Ulysses (novel)|Ulysses]]''.
  
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.
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Dublin city center has several shopping districts, including Grafton St., Henry St., Stephen's Green Shopping Centre, Jervis Shopping Centre, and the Ilac Shopping Centre. The area around St. Stephen's Green has some of the most popular nightclubs and pubs in Dublin. Live music is played on streets and at venues throughout Dublin, and the city has produced top rock bands including [[U2]], [[Hothouse Flowers]], [[Horslips]], [[The Boomtown Rats]], [[Thin Lizzy]], and [[Boyzone]]. Items and locations of interest include:
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* The [[Book of Kells]], a world-famous [[illuminated manuscript]] produced by Celtic Monks in 800 and an example of [[Insular art]], which is on display in [[Trinity College Dublin|Trinity College]].
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* The [[Chester Beatty Library]], which houses the famous collection of manuscripts, miniature paintings, prints, drawings, rare books and decorative arts assembled by American mining millionaire [[Sir Alfred Chester Beatty]] (1875-1968).
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* Large art galleries include the [[Irish Museum of Modern Art]], the [[National Gallery of Ireland|National Gallery]], the [[Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery]], [[City Arts Centre|The City Arts Centre]], [[Douglas Hyde Gallery|The Douglas Hyde Gallery]], [[Project Arts Centre|The Project Arts Centre]] and [[Royal Hibernian Academy|The Royal Hibernian Academy]].
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* Three centers of the [[National Museum of Ireland]] are in Dublin, as are the [[National Print Museum of Ireland]] and [[National Library of Ireland]].
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* Theaters include the Gaiety, the Abbey, the Olympia Theatre, the Gate Theatre, and the Mahony Hall, which is the largest.  
  
[[Dublin Business School]] (DBS) is Ireland's Largest Private Third Level Institution with over 9,000 students. The college is located on Aungier Street.
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The headquarters of nearly all of Ireland's sporting organizations are in Dublin, and the most popular sports in Dublin coincide with those that are most popular throughout Ireland: [[Gaelic football]], [[soccer]], [[rugby union]] and [[hurling]]. [[Croke Park]] is the 5th largest stadium in Europe. It hosts Gaelic football and hurling games during the summer months, as well as [[international rules football]] in alternating years, as well as concerts, with acts such as [[U2]] and [[Robbie Williams]].
  
[[National College of Ireland]] (NCI)
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==Looking to the future==
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Inhabited since the [[Ice Age]], Dublin has a rich history that includes foundation by the [[Vikings]], English conquest and re-conquest, an 18th century golden era, decline and [[poverty]], and re-emergence since the 1990s as an economic miracle.
  
There are also various other smaller specialised colleges, including private ones:<br />
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As capital of the nation with the second highest [[GDP]] per capita in the world, and the fourth highest [[Human Development Index]], as well as high ratings for political, economic, and [[press freedom]], as well as literacy, Dublin is well placed to continue as a prosperous city. With its rich literary history, and long history of emigration, the city is guaranteed a continuing stream of international guests, from literati, and from young travelers in search of their ancestral roots.
*[[Griffith College Dublin]] is located at the former Griffith Barracks on the South Circular Road, offering courses in Accountancy, Business, Law, Computing, Media & Journalism and Design.
 
*[[The Gaiety School of Acting]] hosts both a two year intensive degree in acting and a three year undergraduate [[Bachelor of Arts|BA]] degree in acting in conjunction with [[Dublin City University]], and [[Dublin Business School]], located on Aungier Street.  
 
*The [[New Media Technology College]] provides specialised courses in film, performing arts, information technology, photography, interactive media and music technology (including a Master's degree and [[FETAC]] courses).
 
  
The [[Economic and Social Research Institute]], a social science research institute, is based on Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin 2.
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== Notes ==
[[Institute of European Affairs]] is also in Dublin.
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<references/>
  
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== References ==
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* ''C.I.A. World Fact Book''. Ireland 2008.
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*Craig, Maurice. ''The Architecture of Ireland from the Earliest Times to 1880.'' Batsford, 1989. ISBN 0713425873
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*Flynn, John and Jerry Kelleher. ''Dublin Journeys in America.'' High Table Publishing. 2003. ISBN 0954469410
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*Hem, Hanne. ''Dubliners, An Anthropologist's Account.'' Oslo, 1994.
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*Liddy, Pat. ''Dublin A Celebration - From the 1st to the 21st century.'' Dublin City Council, 2000. ISBN 0946841500
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*McDonald, Frank. ''Saving the City: How to Halt the Destruction of Dublin.'' Tomar Publishing, 1989. ISBN 1871793033
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*McParland, Edward. ''Public Architecture in Ireland 1680–1760.'' New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001. ISBN 0300090641
  
== Culture ==
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== External links ==
[[Image:Joyce oconnell dublin.jpg|thumb|upright|Statue of [[James Joyce]] on North Earl Street, Dublin.]]
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All links retrieved February 12, 2024.
=== Literature, theatre and the arts ===
 
 
 
The city has a world-famous literary history, having produced many prominent literary figures, including [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel laureates]] [[William Butler Yeats]], [[George Bernard Shaw]] and [[Samuel Beckett]]. Other influential writers and playwrights from Dublin include [[Oscar Wilde]], [[Jonathan Swift]] and the creator of [[Dracula]], [[Bram Stoker]]. It is arguably most famous, however, as the location of the greatest works of [[James Joyce]]. ''[[Dubliners]]'' is a collection of short stories by Joyce about incidents and characters typical of residents of the city in the early part of the 20th century. His most celebrated work, ''[[Ulysses (novel)|Ulysses]]'', is also set in Dublin and full of topical detail. Additional widely celebrated writers from the city include [[J.M. Synge]], [[Seán O'Casey]], [[Brendan Behan]], [[Maeve Binchy]], and [[Roddy Doyle]]. Ireland's biggest libraries and literary museums are found in Dublin, including the [[National Print Museum of Ireland]] and [[National Library of Ireland]].
 
 
 
There are several theatres within the city centre, and various world famous actors have emerged from the Dublin theatrical scene, including [[Noel Purcell (actor)|Noel Purcell]], [[Brendan Gleeson]], [[Stephen Rea]], [[Colin Farrell]], [[Colm Meaney]] and [[Gabriel Byrne]]. The best known theatres include the [[Gaiety Theatre, Dublin|Gaiety]], the [[Abbey Theatre|Abbey]], the [[Olympia Theatre|Olympia]] and the [[Gate Theatre|Gate]]. The [[Gaiety Theatre, Dublin|Gaiety]] specialises in musical and operatic productions, and is popular for opening its doors after the evening theatre production to host a variety of live music, dancing, and films. The [[Abbey Theatre|Abbey]] was founded in 1904 by a group that included [[William Butler Yeats|Yeats]] with the aim of promoting indigenous literary talent. It went on to provide a breakthrough for some of the city's most famous writers, such as [[J.M. Synge|Synge]], Yeats himself and [[George Bernard Shaw]]. The [[Gate Theatre|Gate]] was founded in 1928 to promote European and American Avante Guarde works. The largest theatre is the Mahony Hall in [[The Helix]] at [[Dublin City University]] in [[Glasnevin]].
 
 
 
Dublin is also the focal point for much of Irish Art and the Irish artistic scene. The [[Book of Kells]], a world-famous manuscript produced by Celtic Monks in A.D. 800 and an example of [[Insular art]], is on display in [[Trinity College Dublin|Trinity College]]. The [[Chester Beatty Library]] houses the famous collection of manuscripts, miniature paintings, prints, drawings, rare books and decorative arts assembled by American mining millionaire (and honorary Irish citizen) [[Sir Alfred Chester Beatty]] (1875-1968). The collections date from 2700 B.C.E. onwards and are drawn from Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. Work by local artists is often put on public display around [[St. Stephen's Green]], the main public park in the city centre. In addition large art galleries are found across the city, including the [[Irish Museum of Modern Art]], the [[National Gallery of Ireland|National Gallery]], the [[Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery]], [[City Arts Centre|The City Arts Centre]], [[Douglas Hyde Gallery|The Douglas Hyde Gallery]], [[Project Arts Centre|The Project Arts Centre]] and [[Royal Hibernian Academy|The Royal Hibernian Academy]].
 
 
 
Three centres of the [[National Museum of Ireland]] are in Dublin.
 
 
 
=== Nightlife and entertainment ===
 
 
 
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:U2crokepark05.jpg|thumb|right|U2 performing in Dublin in 2005.]] —>
 
There is a vibrant nightlife in Dublin and it is reputedly one of the most youthful cities in Europe - with estimates of 50% of inhabitants being younger than 25.<ref name = "yjwuoo"/><ref name = "axdqer"/> Furthermore in 2007, it was voted the friendliest city in [[Europe]].<ref>[http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=MHAUCWGBKFOJ Dublin voted friendliest European city] March 13, 2007</ref> Like the rest of Ireland, there are pubs right across the city centre. The area around [[St. Stephen's Green]] - especially Harcourt Street, Camden Street, Wexford Street and Leeson Street - is a centre for some of the most popular nightclubs and pubs in Dublin.
 
 
 
The internationally best-known area for nightlife is the [[Temple Bar, Dublin|Temple Bar]] area just south of the [[River Liffey]]. To some extent, the area has become a hot spot for tourists, including stag and hen parties from [[united kingdom|Britain]].<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20000711/ai_n14328511  Article on stag/hen parties in Tenby, mentioning Dublin]</ref> It was developed as Dublin's cultural quarter (an idea proposed by local politician [[Charlie Haughey]]), and does retain this spirit as a centre for small arts productions, photographic and artists' studios, and in the form of street performers and intimate small music venues.
 
 
 
The [[LGBT culture in Ireland|LGBT scene in Dublin]] is centred on a number of superpubs and clubs such as ''The Dragon'' and ''[[The George, Dublin|The George]]'' on South Great George's Street. The other two bars focused towards the gay scene are ''The Front Lounge'' (on Parliament street) and ''Pantibar'' (on Capel Street). There are also over 13 gay club nights ranging from ''Q&A'' (Queer & Alternative), ''Spice'', ''Glitz'', ''The Furry Glen'' (Bear night), ''Shift'', ''VIQ'', ''Bukakke'', ''Nimhneach'' (Fetish night), ''After Dark'', ''Kiss'' (Lesbian night), ''L Club'' (Lesbian night).
 
 
 
Live music is popularly played on streets and at venues throughout Dublin in general and the city has produced several rock bands of international success, including [[U2]], [[Hothouse Flowers]], [[Horslips]], [[The Boomtown Rats]], [[Thin Lizzy]], and [[Boyzone]]. The two best known cinemas in the city centre are the [[Savoy Cinema]] and the [[Cineworld]] Cinema, both north of the Liffey. Alternative and special-interest cinema can be found in the [[Irish Film Institute]] in Temple Bar, in the Screen Cinema on d'Olier Street and in the Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield. Across suburban Dublin are located large modern multiscreen cinemas. Situated on the Liffey at the Eastlink tollbridge, the ''The Point Theatre'' is currently under renovation, but has housed performers including [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]], [[Aerosmith]] and is noted for being the final performance of [[iconic]] [[popstar]] [[Britney Spears]], during her [[Onyx Hotel Tour]], before her decline in publicity. Also the Point Theatre was the venue for the last performance of famous American pop punk band [[Blink-182]]
 
 
 
=== Sport ===
 
[[Image:Croke Park from the hill.jpg|thumb|left|[[Croke Park]], Europe's fifth-largest stadium and home to the Gaelic Athletic Association.]]The headquarters of almost all of Ireland's sporting organisations are in Dublin, and the most popular sports in Dublin are those that are most popular throughout Ireland: [[Gaelic football]], [[soccer]], [[rugby union]] and [[hurling]].
 
 
 
The city is host to the 5th largest stadium in Europe,<ref>[http://www.justreservations.com/croke-park-fixtures.asp Croke Park Fixtures - UEFA European Championship Listings] 2006]</ref> [[Croke Park]], the 82,500 <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/10-things-that-the-gaas-new-directorgeneral-paraic-duffy-should-do-1229596.html|title=10 things that the GAA's new director-general Paraic Duffy should do|accessdate=2007-11-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/article3199338.ece |title=Croke Park here we come|accessdate=2007-11-28}}</ref> capacity headquarters of the [[Gaelic Athletic Association]]. It traditionally hosts [[Gaelic football]] and [[hurling]] games during the summer months, as well as [[international rules football]] in alternating years. It also hosts concerts, with acts such as [[U2]] and [[Robbie Williams]] having played there in recent years. The [[Dublin GAA|Dublin board]] of the Gaelic Athletic Association play their league games at [[Parnell Park]].  The nickname for the Dublin [[Gaelic football]] team is "[[Dublin GAA|The Dubs]]".
 
 
 
[[Lansdowne Road]] stadium (previously owned by the [[Irish Rugby Football Union]]) was the venue for home games of both the [[Ireland national rugby union team|Irish Rugby Team]] and the [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic's national soccer team]]. Until recently, it had a mixed standing and seating capacity of 49,000. However, as part of a joint venture between the [[IRFU]] and the [[Football Association of Ireland|FAI]], it is currently being demolished and is expected to be replaced with a 50,000 all-seated stadium by 2009.<ref>[http://www.lrsdc.ie LRSDC.ie - Homepage of Lansdowne Road Development Company (IRFU and FAI JV)]</ref> Accordingly, [[rugby union]] and [[soccer]] home internationals have been temporarily moved to [[Croke Park]].
 
 
 
[[Donnybrook Rugby Ground]] is the home of the [[Leinster Rugby]] team, which plays in the [[Magners League]]. They also play some important league and [[Heineken Cup]] matches at Lansdowne Road and have recently played these matches in the [[Royal Dublin Society|RDS]].
 
 
 
Dublin is home to six [[FAI League of Ireland]] clubs, Bohemian FC, Shelbourne FC, Shamrock Rovers FC, Saint Patrick's Athletic FC, UCD AFC and Sporting Fingal FC. [[Dalymount Park]] in [[Phibsboro]], the traditional Home of Irish Soccer, is now used only for home games of local club [[Bohemian F.C.|Bohemians]]. Rivals {{fc|Shelbourne}} and {{fc|Shamrock Rovers}} play at nearby [[Tolka Park]] in [[Drumcondra, Dublin|Drumcondra]], while {{fc|St Patrick's Athletic}} play at [[Richmond Park (football ground)|Richmond Park]] in [[Inchicore]] on the south west edge of the city.  The other senior soccer clubs are {{afc|University College Dublin}}, based at the [[UCD Bowl]], [[Belfield, Dublin|Belfield]], and newly-formed {{fc|Sporting Fingal}}, who play at [[Morton Stadium]], [[Santry]].
 
 
 
[[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 takes place at the [[Royal Dublin Society|RDS]], [[Ballsbridge]], which hosted the [[Show Jumping World Championships]] in 1982. The national boxing arena is located in [[National Stadium (Ireland)|The National Stadium]] on the [[South Circular Road (Dublin)|South Circular Road]], though larger fights take place in the [[Point Theatre|Point Depot]] in the docklands area. There are also [[Basketball]], [[Gaelic Handball|Handball]], [[Field hockey|Hockey]] and [[Athletics (track and field)|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, and the [[Dublin Women's Mini Marathon|Women's Mini Marathon]] has been run since 1983 and is said to be the largest all female event of its kind in the world.<ref>[http://www.womensminimarathon.ie/race/default.5.LE.asp - About The Women's Mini Marathon]</ref>
 
 
 
In recent years [[Rugby league in Ireland|rugby league]] as a sport in Dublin has attained limited popularity.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} The [[North Dublin Eagles]] play in Ireland's Carnegie League. Recent popularity has been increased with the Irish National Team's success in their qualifiers for the [[Rugby League World Cup]] to be held in Australia in 2008.
 
 
 
=== Shopping ===
 
[[Image:Clerys 12-10-2006.jpg|thumb|left|Clery's department store on O'Connell Street.]]
 
 
 
Dublin is a popular shopping spot for both Irish people and tourists.
 
Dublin city centre has several shopping districts, including [[Grafton Street (Dublin)|Grafton Street]], [[Henry Street (Dublin)|Henry Street]], [[Stephen's Green Shopping Centre]], [[Jervis Shopping Centre]], and the newly refurbished [[Ilac Shopping Centre]] (all popular meeting-places for decades). On Grafton Street, the most famous shops include [[Brown Thomas]] and its sister shop [[BT2]], being akin to [[Bloomingdales]] in New York City, for example. Brown Thomas also contains "mini-stores" such as [[Hermès]] and [[Chanel]] on its Wicklow Street frontage. This is Dublin's nearest equivalent to a Designer shopping street such as [[Bond Street]] in London or [[5th Avenue]] in New York City.
 
 
 
Dublin city is the location of large department stores, such as [[Clerys]] on O'Connell Street, [[Arnotts (Ireland)|Arnotts]] on Henry Street, [[Brown Thomas]] on Grafton Street and Debenhams (formerly Roches Stores) on Henry Street.
 
 
 
A major €750m development for Dublin city centre has been given the green light. The development of the so-called Northern Quarter will see the construction of 47 new shops, 175 apartments and a four-star hotel. [[Dublin City Council]] gave Arnotts planning permission for the plans to change the area bounded by Henry Street, [[O'Connell Street]], [[Abbey Street]] and [[Liffey Street]]. The redevelopment will also include 14 new cafes along with a 149-bed hotel. It is expected that work on the new area will start in the second half of 2008. Prince's Street, which runs off [[O'Connell Street]], will become a full urban street and pedestrian thoroughfare.
 
 
 
Since the mid 1990s, suburban Dublin has seen the completion of several modern retail centres. These include [[Dundrum Town Centre]] (on the [[Luas]] Green Line), [[Blanchardstown|Blanchardstown Centre]], [[The Square, Dublin|The Square]] in [[Tallaght]] (on the [[Luas]] Red Line), Liffey Valley Shopping Centre in [[Clondalkin]], Northside Shopping Centre in [[Coolock]], and Pavilions Shopping Centre in [[Swords]].
 
 
 
 
 
=== Northside and Southside ===
 
[[Image:Dublin riverside composite 01.jpg|thumb|left|The River Liffey divides the city into [[Northside (Dublin)|Northside]] and [[Southside (Dublin)|Southside]].]]
 
 
 
A north-south division has traditionally existed in Dublin for some time, with the dividing line being the [[River Liffey]]. The [[Northside (Dublin)|''Northside'']] is seen by some as working-class (with the exception of a few suburbs such as Howth, Malahide, Portmarnock, Clontarf and Sutton) while the ''[[Southside (Dublin)|Southside]]'' is seen as middle and upper middle class (with the exception of a few "working-class" suburbs such as Ballinteer, Sallynoggin, Crumlin, Drimnagh, Inchicore, Ballyfermot,Palmerstown, Neilstown and Tallaght).  However this is not a clear divide in reality by any means and in fact it is only in recent times that the divide has taken on the present "rich and poor" badge.  Traditionally it was a working class divide which began at Dublin docks in the early 1900s where, depending which side of the Liffey a boat docked, the dockers on that side got a day's work while those on the other side went home.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}
 
 
 
A noted theory on the division dates back some 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 [[Peerage of Ireland|Irish peers]].
 
  
[[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.
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*[http://www.visitdublin.com Visit Dublin]
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*[http://www.dublincity.ie Dublin City Council]  
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*[http://www.dublin.ie Dublin portal] Dublin.ie.
  
  
 
== Tourist attractions ==
 
{{see|:Category:Visitor attractions in County Dublin}}
 
 
== Footnotes ==
 
{{reflist|2}}
 
 
== See also ==
 
[[Image:Nelsons Pillar Dublin.jpg|right|thumb|The former [[Nelson's Pillar]] on O'Connell Street which was destroyed by the [[Irish Republican Army (1922–1969)|IRA]].]]
 
*[[Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin]]
 
*[[Dublin Castle]]
 
*[[Dublin postal districts]]
 
*[[General Post Office (Dublin)]]
 
*[[Ha'penny Bridge]]
 
*[[Irish Houses of Parliament|Old Irish Houses of Parliament]]
 
*[[Kings of Dublin]]
 
*[[1916 Rising]]
 
*[[List of Dublin people]]
 
*[[List of Ireland-related topics]]
 
*[[List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland|List of towns and villages in Ireland]]
 
*[[Mulligan's]]
 
*[[Northside (Dublin)|Northside]]
 
*[[Southside (Dublin)|Southside]]
 
*[[Spire of Dublin]]
 
*[[St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral]]
 
*[[St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin]]
 
*[[Temple Bar, Dublin]]
 
*[[Theatre Royal, Dublin]]
 
*[[The Pale]]
 
*[[Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church]]
 
*[[List of European metropolitan areas by GRP]]
 
*[[Hiberno-English#Dublin English|Dublin English]]
 
*[[Dublin-Belfast corridor]]
 
*[[Dublin GAA]]
 
 
== Further reading ==
 
*Pat Liddy, ''Dublin A Celebration - From the 1st to the 21st century'' (Dublin City Council, 2000) (ISBN 0-946841-50-0)
 
*Maurice Craig, ''The Architecture of Ireland from the Earliest Times to 1880'' (Batsford, Paperback edition 1989) (ISBN 0-7134-2587-3)
 
*[[Frank McDonald]], ''Saving the City: How to Halt the Destruction of Dublin'' (Tomar Publishing, 1989) (ISBN 1-871793-03-3)
 
*Edward McParland, ''Public Architecture in Ireland 1680–1760'' (Yale University Press, 2001) (ISBN 0-300-09064-1
 
*Hanne Hem, ''Dubliners, An Anthropologist's Account'', Oslo, 1994
 
*John Flynn and Jerry Kelleher, ''Dublin Journeys in America'' (High Table Publishing, 2003) (ISBN 0-9544694-1-0)
 
 
== External links ==
 
{{sisterlinks|Dublin}}
 
*{{Wikitravel}}
 
*[http://www.visitdublin.com Dublin Tourist Board - Official website]
 
*[http://www.dublincity.ie Dublin City Council - Official website]
 
*[http://www.dublin.ie Portal for Dublin - Dublin.ie (supported by Dublin City Council)]
 
*[http://www.irish-architecture.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/ Architecture of Dublin - IrishArchitecture.com]
 
*[http://www.chaptersofdublin.com/ Chapters of Dublin - Site with original text of books on Dublin history]
 
 
[[Category:Geography]]
 
[[Category:Geography]]
 
[[Category:Cities]]
 
[[Category:Cities]]
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[[Category:Europe]]
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{{credit|Dublin|238358466|}}
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{{credit|Dublin|238358466|History_of_Dublin|238678932|}}

Latest revision as of 17:16, 12 February 2024

Dublin
Baile Átha Cliath
Samuel Beckett Bridge
Samuel Beckett Bridge
Flag of Dublin
Flag
Coat of arms of Dublin
Coat of arms
Motto: Obedientia Civium Urbis Felicitas
"The citizens' obedience is the city's happiness"[1]
Ireland map County Dublin City.png
Coordinates: 53°20′N 6°15′W
Country Ireland
Province Leinster
Government
 - Type City Council
 - Headquarters Dublin City Hall
 - Lord Mayor Andrew Montague (Lab)
 - Dáil Éireann Dublin Central
Dublin North–Central
Dublin North–East
Dublin North–West
Dublin South–Central
Dublin South–East
 - European Parliament Dublin constituency
Area
 - City 114.99 km² (44.4 sq mi)
Population
 - City 527,612
 - Density 4,588/km² (11,882.9/sq mi)
 - Urban 1,110,627
 - Metro 1,804,156
 - Demonym Dubliner, Dub
 - Ethnicity
(2006 Census)
Time zone WET (UTC0)
 - Summer (DST) IST (UTC+1)
Postal districts D1-18, 20, 22, 24, D6W
Area code(s) 01
Website: www.dublincity.ie

Dublin is both the largest city and capital of the Republic of Ireland. Founded as a Viking settlement, Dublin has been Ireland's primary city for most of the island's history since medieval times. Located in the province of Leinster in the east-central part of the country at the head of Dublin Bay on the Irish Sea, it is also the nation's chief port and center of financial, commercial, and administrative power. One fourth of the Republic's population resides in the Greater Dublin urban area, and it continues to have one of the fastest growing populations of any European capital city.

Long the seat of culture within Ireland, it has been at the center of the country's rich Anglo-Irish literary, philosophical, and political history. Literary figures of international significance who hailed from Dublin include three winners of the Nobel Prize for LiteratureWilliam Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw and Samuel Beckett—as well as Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift, Brendan Behan, and Dracula creator Bram Stoker. James Joyce composed some of his greatest works while in the city. Both Orson Welles and James Mason began their acting careers there.

While its history has been one of war and conquest, it has re-emerged since the 1990s as an economic miracle. With Ireland, it rates high in political, economic, and press freedoms, and benefits from its nation's relatively high per capita GDP.

Geography

The River Liffey divides the city into Northside and Southside.

The name Dublin derives from 'Dubh Linn', with dubh meaning black, and linn meaning pool. The Dubh Linn was a lake used by the Vikings to moor their ships and was connected to the Liffey River by the Poddle River. The Dubh Linn and Poddle were covered during the early 1800s. The common name for the city in modern Irish is 'Baile Átha Cliath' ('The Settlement of the Ford of the Reed Hurdles'). 'Áth Cliath' is a place-name referring to a fording point of the Liffey in the vicinity of Heuston Station.

Located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, on a hill-ringed plain on a bay, Dublin straddles the River Liffey, into which dark bog water drains, creating the “black pool,” which is the city's name.

Dublin enjoys a maritime temperate climate characterized by mild winters, cool summers, and a lack of temperature extremes. The average maximum January temperature is 46°F (8°C), the average maximum July temperature is 68°F (20°C). The sunniest months are May and June. Severe winds are most likely during mid-winter. The wettest months are December and August, with 2.9 inches (74mm) of rain. The driest month is April, with 1.77 inches (45mm). The total average annual rainfall is 30 inches (762mm).

The city covers a land area of 44 square miles (114.99 square kilometers).

A north-south division has existed in Dublin for some time, with the dividing line being the River Liffey. The Northside is seen by some as working-class (with the exception of a few suburbs such as Howth, Malahide, Portmarnock, Clontarf and Sutton) while the Southside is seen as middle and upper middle class (with the exception of a few "working-class" suburbs such as Ballinteer, Sallynoggin, Crumlin, Drimnagh, Inchicore, Ballyfermot, Palmerstown, Neilstown and Tallaght).

History

Political map of Ireland.
One of the surviving mediæval towers at Dublin Castle. To its left is the Chapel Royal.
Statue of James Larkin on O'Connell Street (Oisín Kelly 1977)
Dublin Castle, seat of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and his court until 1922.
The former Nelson's Pillar on O'Connell Street which was destroyed by the IRA.

Most of Ireland was covered with ice until about 9,000 years ago. Mesolithic middle stone age inhabitants arrived some time after 8000 B.C.E., and people have dwelt in the area around Dublin Bay since then. The Greek astronomer and cartographer Ptolemy, around 140 C.E., referred to a settlement he called Eblana Civitas. The settlement 'Dubh Linn' dates perhaps as far back as the first century B.C.E. and later a monastery was built there. Around 290 C.E., “the people of Dublin” were recorded as having defeated an army from Leinster, the province surrounding Dublin.

The Vikings, who were Scandinavian explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates, invaded in the ninth century, and built a settlement on the River Poddle, a tributary of the Liffey, to the East of Christchurch in about 841. [2] The Vikings, or Ostmen as they called themselves, ruled Dublin for nearly three centuries, established a large slave market, were expelled in 902, and returned in 917, notwithstanding their defeat by the Irish High King Brian Boru at the battle of Clontarf in 1014.

In 1167, the Norse inhabitants of Dublin supported Roderic O’Connor of Connaught, for the high kingship of Ireland, against their overlord, Leinster king Dermot MacMurrough. Dermot retook Dublin in 1170, helped by an army of Anglo-Normans from Wales. This prompted English king Henry II (1133-1189) to bring an army to affirm his sovereignty, in the Norman conquest of the southern half of Ireland in 1169-1171.

After 1171, many Norse inhabitants left the old city, on the south side of the river Liffey, and built their own settlement on the north side, known as Ostmantown or "Oxmantown." Dublin became the capital of the English Lordship of Ireland from 1171, and was peopled with settlers from England and Wales, as was the rural area around the city. In the fourteenth century, this area was fortified against the increasingly assertive Native Irish – becoming known as the Pale. English rule centered on Dublin Castle. The city was also the seat of the Parliament of Ireland, which was composed of representatives of the English community in Ireland.

Throughout the Middle Ages, Dublin paid protection money or "black rent" to the neighboring Irish clans to avoid their predatory raids. In 1314, an invading Scottish army burned the city’s suburbs. In 1348, the city was hit by the Black Death – a lethal bubonic plague that ravaged Europe in the mid-14th century. The plague recurred regularly until its last outbreak in 1649.

In 1487, during the English Wars of the Roses, the Fitzgeralds occupied the city with the aid of troops from Burgundy and proclaimed the Yorkist Lambert Simnel to be King of England. In 1536, the same dynasty, led by Silken Thomas, who was angry at the imprisonment of Garret Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare, besieged Dublin Castle. Henry VIII sent a large army to destroy the Fitzgeralds and replace them with English administrators.

Henry VIII, in 1532, broke English Catholicism from Rome. The Irish remained Catholic, and were excluded from political power. From 1536, Henry VIII re-conquered Ireland, and in 1541, was himself proclaimed King of Ireland. Opposition by Dubliners to extra taxes to support an English garrison resulted in the settlement there of Protestants from England. These "New English" became the basis of the English administration in Ireland until the 19th century.

Thousands of Protestants fled to Dublin to escape the Irish Rebellion of 1641. When Irish Catholic forces threatened the city, the English garrison expelled Catholic Dubliners. The city was besieged twice during the Irish Confederate Wars, in 1646 and in 1649. In 1649, a mixed force of Irish Confederates and English Royalists were routed by Dublin's English Parliamentarian garrison in the battle of Rathmines, and fought on the city's southern outskirts.

After the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1649-1653), Catholics were banned from dwelling within the city limits under the Cromwellian settlement but this law was not strictly enforced.

By 1700, the English imposed the harsh Penal Laws on the Catholic majority of Ireland's population. In Dublin however the Protestant Ascendancy was thriving, and the city expanded rapidly. Under the Restoration, Ormonde, the then Lord Deputy of Ireland, ordered that the houses along the river Liffey had to face the river and have high quality frontages—in contrast to earlier, when Dublin faced away from the river, often using it as a rubbish dump. The population had surpassed 60,000, making it the second largest city after London, in the British Empire, and the fifth largest European city.

The city expanded rapidly. Helped by the Wide Streets Commission, much of Dublin's most notable architecture dates from this time and is considered a golden era for the city. The famous Guinness brewery was established then. In 1742, Handel's Messiah was performed for the first time in New Musick Hall in Fishamble Street.

The 1800s, with the seat of government moving to Westminster, were a period of decline relative to the industrial growth of Belfast. By 1900, the population of Belfast was nearly twice as large. Whereas Belfast was prosperous and industrial, Dublin had become a city of squalor and class division, built on the remains of lost grandeur.

In 1913, Dublin experienced the the Lockout. James Larkin, a militant syndicalist trade unionist, founded the Irish Transport and General Worker's Union and attempted to win improvements in wages and conditions for unskilled and semi-skilled workers. Within a month, 25,000 workers were either on strike or locked out. The lockout lasted for six months, after which most workers, many of whose families were starving, resigned from the union and returned to work.

Dublin was still the primary center of administration and transport for much of Ireland, though bypassed by the Industrial revolution. The Easter Rising of 1916 occurred in the city center, bringing much physical destruction. The Anglo-Irish War (1919 to 1921) and Irish Civil War (1922-1923) contributed even more destruction, leaving many of its finest buildings in ruins.

From 1922, following the partition of Ireland, Dublin became the capital of the Irish Free State (1922–1949). Many buildings were rebuilt, and parliament moved to Leinster House.

Through The Emergency during World War II (1939-1945), when Ireland was officially neutral, until the 1960s, Dublin's city center remained at an architectural standstill. This made the city ideal for historical film production, with many productions including The Blue Max (1966) and My Left Foot (1989) capturing the cityscape in this period. This became the foundation of later successes in cinematography and film-making.

With increasing prosperity, modern architecture was introduced, while a vigorous campaign began to restore the Georgian greatness of Dublin's streets, rather than lose the grandeur forever. Since 1997, the landscape of Dublin has changed immensely, with enormous private and state development of housing, transport, and business. Some well-known Dublin street corners are still named for the pub or business which once occupied the site prior to closure or redevelopment.

Government

Leinster House, the eighteenth century ducal palace that houses the Dáil and Seanad.
Government Buildings.

Ireland is a parliamentary democratic republic. The president, who is chief of state, is elected by popular vote for a seven-year term, and is eligible for a second term. The prime minister, (taoiseach) who is head of government, is nominated by the House of Representatives and appointed by the president.

The bicameral parliament consists of the senate of 60 seats, with 49 members elected by the universities and from candidates put forward by five vocational panels, and 11 nominated by the prime minister, to serve five-year terms. The House of Representatives has 166 seats, the members of which are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve five-year terms.

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.

The City of Dublin is the area administered by Dublin City Council, but the term normally refers to the contiguous urban area which includes the adjacent local authority areas of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin. Together the four areas form the traditional County Dublin. This area is sometimes known as 'Urban Dublin' or the 'Dublin Metropolitan Area'.

Economy

The Docklands of Dublin, east of the city centre.
The southbound entrance of the Dublin Port Tunnel.
A DART train, forming part of the Dublin Suburban Rail network.

Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry and services. Although the exports sector, dominated by foreign multinationals, remains a key component of Ireland's economy, construction fueled economic growth around 2008, along with strong consumer spending and business investment.

Dublin has been at the center of Ireland's phenomenal economic growth from 1993-2008, a period referred to as the Celtic Tiger years. In 2008, Dublin was listed as the fifth-richest city in the world [3]. It has the second highest wages for a city in the world, ahead of both New York City and London, though behind Zürich.[4] Dublin is one of the constituent cities in the Dublin-Belfast corridor region which has a population of just under 3 million. Per capita GDP for Ireland was estimated at $43,100 in 2007.

Banking, finance and commerce are important in the city - the IFSC alone handles over €1-trillion a year. Numerous international firms, including Citibank, and Commerzbank, have established headquarters in the city. Also located there is the Irish Stock Exchange, Internet Neutral Exchange, and Irish Enterprise Exchange.

The economic boom years led to a sharp increase in construction, which became a major employer, though, as of 2007, unemployment began to rise as housing market supply began to outstrip demand. Redevelopment is taking place in large projects such as Dublin Docklands, Spencer Dock, and others, transforming once run-down industrial areas in the city center.

Brewing has been the industry most often associated with the city: Guinness has been brewed at the St. James' Gate Brewery since 1759. Since the advent of the Celtic Tiger years, however, a large number of global pharmaceutical, information and communications technology companies have located in Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area. For example, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, PayPal, Yahoo! and Pfizer (among others) now have European headquarters and/or operational bases in the city and its suburbs. Intel and Hewlett-Packard have large manufacturing plants in Leixlip, County Kildare, 15 km (9 mi) to the west.

Dublin is also the main hub of the country's road network. The M50 motorway, a semi-ring road, connects the most important national primary routes that fan out from the capital to the regions. Dublin is served by an extensive network of nearly 200 bus routes. The Dublin Suburban Rail network has five rail lines serving commuters in the Greater Dublin Area, including an electrified line known as the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) line that runs along Dublin Bay. A two-line light rail/tram network called the Luas opened in 2004. A subway was planned in 2005. Dublin Port is the country's busiest sea port and Dublin Airport is the busiest airport on the island.

Demographics

Trinity College, Dublin.

The population of the city council area was 505,739 at the census of 2006, while the County Dublin population was 1,186,159, and that of the Greater Dublin Area 1,661,185. In 2007, approximately 40 percent of the republic's population lived within a 100 km (62 mi) radius of the city center. [5]

Dublin has a long history of emigration that continued into the early 1990s, since which time there has been net immigration. Foreign nationals are primarily young and single [6] and the greatest numbers come from the European Union, especially the United Kingdom, Poland and Lithuania, as well as a considerable number from China, Nigeria, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and Russia. A total 87.4 percent of Ireland's population in 2006 was recorded as Irish, 7.5 percent were "other white," while 1.1 percent had a "black or black Irish" background, 1.1 percent were mixed, and 1.6 percent were unspecified.

The official languages are Irish and English, although the latter is by far the predominant language spoken throughout the country. The Republic of Ireland is 86.8 percent Roman Catholic, and has one of the highest rates of regular and weekly church attendance in the Western World, although this has declined over the past 30 years. Immigration has increased Dublin's religious diversity, with increasing numbers of Protestants and Muslims.

Dublin is the primary center of education in Ireland, with three universities and several other higher education institutions. The University of Dublin is the oldest university in Ireland. Its sole constituent college, Trinity College, was established by Royal Charter under Elizabeth I. The National University of Ireland has its seat in Dublin, which is also the location of University College Dublin, the largest university in Ireland. Dublin City University (DCU) is the newest and specializes in business, engineering, and science courses.

Society and culture

Croke Park, Europe's fifth-largest stadium and home to the Gaelic Athletic Association.
Statue of James Joyce on North Earl Street, Dublin.

Numerous literary figures from Dublin include William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw and Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift, and Dracula creator Bram Stoker. Others include J.M. Synge, Seán O'Casey, Brendan Behan, Maeve Binchy, and Roddy Doyle. The city is the location of the greatest works of James JoyceDubliners and Ulysses.

Dublin city center has several shopping districts, including Grafton St., Henry St., Stephen's Green Shopping Centre, Jervis Shopping Centre, and the Ilac Shopping Centre. The area around St. Stephen's Green has some of the most popular nightclubs and pubs in Dublin. Live music is played on streets and at venues throughout Dublin, and the city has produced top rock bands including U2, Hothouse Flowers, Horslips, The Boomtown Rats, Thin Lizzy, and Boyzone. Items and locations of interest include:

  • The Book of Kells, a world-famous illuminated manuscript produced by Celtic Monks in 800 and an example of Insular art, which is on display in Trinity College.
  • The Chester Beatty Library, which houses the famous collection of manuscripts, miniature paintings, prints, drawings, rare books and decorative arts assembled by American mining millionaire Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968).
  • Large art galleries include the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery, the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery, The City Arts Centre, The Douglas Hyde Gallery, The Project Arts Centre and The Royal Hibernian Academy.
  • Three centers of the National Museum of Ireland are in Dublin, as are the National Print Museum of Ireland and National Library of Ireland.
  • Theaters include the Gaiety, the Abbey, the Olympia Theatre, the Gate Theatre, and the Mahony Hall, which is the largest.

The headquarters of nearly all of Ireland's sporting organizations are in Dublin, and the most popular sports in Dublin coincide with those that are most popular throughout Ireland: Gaelic football, soccer, rugby union and hurling. Croke Park is the 5th largest stadium in Europe. It hosts Gaelic football and hurling games during the summer months, as well as international rules football in alternating years, as well as concerts, with acts such as U2 and Robbie Williams.

Looking to the future

Inhabited since the Ice Age, Dublin has a rich history that includes foundation by the Vikings, English conquest and re-conquest, an 18th century golden era, decline and poverty, and re-emergence since the 1990s as an economic miracle.

As capital of the nation with the second highest GDP per capita in the world, and the fourth highest Human Development Index, as well as high ratings for political, economic, and press freedom, as well as literacy, Dublin is well placed to continue as a prosperous city. With its rich literary history, and long history of emigration, the city is guaranteed a continuing stream of international guests, from literati, and from young travelers in search of their ancestral roots.

Notes

  1. Dublin City Council ',Dublin City Coat of Arms',. Dublincity.ie. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  2. Thomas D'Arcy McGee. (1825-1868) A Popular History of Ireland Project Gutenberg. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
  3. City Mayors Economics. The world's richest cities by purchasing power in 2008 Retrieved September 20, 2008.
  4. City Mayors Economics. The world's richest cities by personal net earnings in 2008 Retrieved September 20, 2008.
  5. RTÉ News. April 2, 2007. Call for improved infrastructure for Dublin Retrieved September 20, 2008.
  6. Irish Times. July 12, 2007. Most new immigrants young and single Retrieved September 20, 2008.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • C.I.A. World Fact Book. Ireland 2008.
  • Craig, Maurice. The Architecture of Ireland from the Earliest Times to 1880. Batsford, 1989. ISBN 0713425873
  • Flynn, John and Jerry Kelleher. Dublin Journeys in America. High Table Publishing. 2003. ISBN 0954469410
  • Hem, Hanne. Dubliners, An Anthropologist's Account. Oslo, 1994.
  • Liddy, Pat. Dublin A Celebration - From the 1st to the 21st century. Dublin City Council, 2000. ISBN 0946841500
  • McDonald, Frank. Saving the City: How to Halt the Destruction of Dublin. Tomar Publishing, 1989. ISBN 1871793033
  • McParland, Edward. Public Architecture in Ireland 1680–1760. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001. ISBN 0300090641

External links

All links retrieved February 12, 2024.


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