The city of Dublin is the capital of
the Republic and the county contains 28% of its population with
nearly 1.2 million residents. As the third smallest on the island,
the county area contains the highest population density by far with
almost 1300 residents for every km˛. This is over 20 times the
countrywide average. Dublin is located in the East of the country in
the province of Leinster, centred on the River Liffey. The city is
arranged into 24 different postcodes with even numbers generally
indicating residencies located south of the Liffey and odd numbers
indicating the northern locations. The southern postcodes can boast
some of the most desirable property locations (with high prices to
match) but there are also some equally salubrious addresses in the
northern suburbs by the coast, such as Howth and Malahide.
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To be technically correct, we should point out that County Dublin
has not officially existed since 1994. The correct reference term
today is the Dublin Region. This is because Dublin was sub-divided
into 4 administrative areas in 1994, somewhat confusingly referred
to as the modern counties of South Dublin, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
and Fingal with the most central area now known as Dublin City
containing 0.5 million residents alone. Further confusion is caused
when the administrators refer to a larger local government region as
the Greater Dublin Area which includes the neighbouring counties of
Kildare, Meath, and Wicklow. The popular Dublin suburban towns such
as Bray, Greystones, Maynooth, Naas, Leixlip, Clane and Clonee, are
not actually in "county" Dublin at all and can be found in the
aforementioned bordering counties.
Dublin Tourism Centre
A trip to the fantastic Dublin Tourism Centre is a must for every
visitor to Dublin, providing a one stop shop for all your
information and reservation needs while visiting Dublin city and
county. Opened in 1996, the Dublin Tourism Centre is situated in the
beautifully restored former church of St. Andrew on Suffolk Street,
in the heart of Dublin's city centre. The centre has information on
everything you need to know about Dublin and Ireland. While waiting
for your enquiry number to be called, the visitor can relax in Fionn
McCools Sandwich Bar or enjoy a stroll around the souvenir and gift
shops. The more inquisitive might want to explore the building for
its historical details - such as the unfinished stone crests of
Dublin which can be found outside, or the welcoming motif above the
original church door.
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Chester Beatty Library
European Museum of the Year 2002,
Irish Museum of the Year 2000.
Situated in the heart of the city centre, the Chester Beatty
Library's exhibitions open a window on the artistic treasures of the
great cultures and religions of the world. The Library's rich
collection of manuscripts, prints, icons, miniature paintings, early
printed books and objects d'art from countries across the world
offers visitors a visual feast. Egyptian papyrus texts, beautifully
illuminated copies of the Qur'an, the Bible, European medieval and
renaissance manuscripts are among the highlights of the collection.
Turkish and Persian miniatures and striking Buddhist paintings are
also on display, as are Chinese dragon robes and Japanese woodblock
prints. In its diversity, the collection captures much of the
richness of human creative expression from about 2700 BC to the
present day.
Irish Museum of Modern Art
The Irish Museum of Modern Art is Ireland's leading national
institution for the collection and presentation of modern and
contemporary art. The Museum presents a wide variety of art in a
dynamic programme of exhibitions, which regularly includes bodies of
work its own Collection and its award winning Education and
Community Department. It also creates more widespread access to art
and artists through its National and Artists’ Studio programmes. The
Museum is housed in the magnificent, 17th century Royal Hospital
building, whose grounds include a formal garden, meadow and medieval
burial grounds.
Dublin
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Book of Kells
The Book of Kells was written around the year 800 AD and is one of
the most beautifully illuminated manuscripts in the world. The Book
of Kells Turning Darkness into Light explains the background of the
story of the famous gospel manuscript.
Opening Times:
The Old Library (all year): Monday-Saturday: 9.30am-5pm
Sunday (October-April):12pm-4.30pm
Sunday (May-September):9.30am-4.30pm
Closed 10 days over Christmas and New Year period.
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle is the heart of historic Dublin. In fact the city gets
its name from the Black Pool - 'Dubh Linn' which was on the site of
the present Castle garden. The Castle stands on the ridge on a
strategic site at the junction of the River Liffey and its tributary
the Poddle, where the original fortification may have been an early
Gaelic Ring Fort. Later a Viking Fortress stood on this site - a
portion of which is on view to visitors at the 'Undercroft'. The
south range houses the magnificent State Apartments that were built
as the residential quarters of the viceregal court. They are now the
venue for Ireland's Presidencies of the European Community,
Presidential Inaugurations and State Functions. The State
Apartments, Undercroft and Chapel Royal are open to visitors. On
occasions, the State Apartments may be closed for State Purposes.
Dublinia and the Medieval Viking World
The Dublinia & the Viking World exhibitions are amongst Dublin's
most popular visitor attractions. The exhibitions reveal fascinating
glimpses of the Viking and medieval past using reconstructions,
audio-visual, artefacts and interactive displays. Superbly
researched and imaginatively presented there is something here to
interest everyone. The exhibition is housed in a beautiful
neo-Gothic building, formerly the Church of Ireland Synod Hall,
linked to Christ Church Cathedral by an elegant covered bridge, one
of the city's landmarks. Owned by the Medieval Trust, a charitable
trust, income generated from the Dublinia exhibitions is used to
fund the ongoing preservation of this beautiful building.
Suburbia
Dublin has many fine and quite affluent suburbs. A walk around some
them on a nice day is well worth your time as many are home to some
of Ireland's finest architecture. They are all easily navigated by
foot. Examples include Donnybrook and Ballsbridge - the 46A bus goes
through Donnybrook and the 7 through Ballsbridge, and both routes
have several stops in the north and south city centre. Ballsbridge
is also Dublin's embassy district, and is home to one of Ireland's
most architecturally distinctive roads, Ailesbury Road, which serves
as a reminder of the legacy of fine buildings left by the British.
It is also among Ireland's most expensive addresses - the French
embassy was recently sold for a staggering 60m euro. It is adjoined
by Shrewsbury Road, which is similarly exclusive and architecturally
interesting. They both lie toward the end of Merrion road which is
also famous for holding one of Ireland's only 6 star Hotels 'The 4
seasons' . Ballsbrige is also home to The Royal Dublin Society(RDS)
Which promotes and develops agricultre, arts, industry and science
in Ireland. It hosts many concerts and also showcases the annual
Show Jumping Competition, a major entertainment event. You can
approach Ballsbridge via 'Herbert park' opposite Donnybrook Village
and visa-versa. Dalkey and Killiney (proper) which lie on the
southern most tip of Dublin are two other upmarket neighbourhoods.
Dalkey (which is often jokingly referred to as 'bel-eire') is home
to such celebrities as Bono, Lisa Stansfield and Enya. A walk up
Vico Road to take in the view is a must-do. Killiney Hill is also
very beautiful, offering panoramic views of the surrounding Dublin
Mountains. These areas are best approached by the Dart, which runs
along the coast and has three main stops in the city centre. A walk
around Foxrock and its 3 main roads Torquay, Westminster and
Brightonis a well-worth experience. The houses are simply out of
this world! This enclave can be best approached by the 63 bus from
the city centre or the 46A (simply get off at Foxrock church, cross
the footbridge and walk down towards Westminster Road). Blackrock,
accessible by the bus and Dart, is also worth a visit. Its village
is home to many great restaurants and cafes and don't be put off the
dated and service orientated Temple Road. From the Village walk
accross Temple Road to get to The UCD( University College Dublin)
Blackrock campus. The area is surrounded by some lovely leafy roads
including Avoca Avenue and a stroll around Carrysfort park with a
coffee is a good way to relax.Blackrock can also be approached by
foot from Newtown Park Avenue On White's Cross,Foxrock. This Leafy
Residential hill offers on a nice day beautiful views across Howth
Head. Ranelagh is also worth visiting, and is accessible by the
Green Luas Line. It is a short walk from Donnybrook village so any
buses serving Donnybrook will leave you close to Ranelagh. The
village is small but affluent and has several critically acclaimed
eateries. Sandymount, a coastal suburb no more than 2 miles south of
the City Centre,is another quite affluent area with a park and some
fine Restaurants. it is also the birthplace of W.B Yeats.The suburb
along with its strand also appear prominently in James Joyce's
Ullyses. All the above areas are dotted with many fine upmarket
delicatessans and Boutiques. Be sure also to go North of The Liffey
to Malahide and Howth. The latter is also home to a handful of Irish
celebrities including Gay Byrne and Dolores O'Riordan. Climbing the
Ben of Howth, a 171m high hill on Howth Head on a fine day is well
worth your time.
Eat
Dublin has a wide range of good quality restaurants, most of which
are, however, horribly overpriced by European standards. Main course
prices range from €10 at the lower end up to around €40 at the
higher end. Wine in restaurants is generally marked up from its
already expensive retail price by a factor of at least two and three
times retail price would not be uncommon. There are many excellent
value Indian restaurants around the South William Street area,
parallel to Grafton St. These often have reasonable priced lunch and
'early bird' deals, offering three course meals for around €10.
Quality is high. Particularly to be recommended are the Khyber
Tandoori on South William St and Shalimar on South Great Georges St.
Also excellent is Surma on Camden St and "Govindas" on Georges St
for very cheap Hari-Krishna vegetarian food. A similar
multi-cultural hotspot is Parnell St (O'Connell St- Gardiner St)
which has a dense concentration of Chinese and Asian restaurants
extensively frequented by the ex-pat communities.
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Drink
No visit to Dublin would be complete without a visit to one (or ten)
of its many pubs (last count says there are over 600 pubs). Drink is
relatively expensive: a pint of stout costs around €4.50 and up,
while lager costs around €4.90 and up. However, the government gave
a tax break to microbrewed beer in the December 2004 budget, this
had a slight effect on prices in brewpubs. Pubs are open until
11:30PM during the week (although many bars have late licenses up to
3AM), and as late as around 3AM on weekends, depending on the pub.
Smoking has been illegal in Irish pubs (as well as all indoor
workplaces) since March 2004; this has had the positive side effect
of increasing al fresco facilities. Beer tends to be more expensive
around the Temple Bar area, due to the increased tourist flow, and
will be cheaper in more traditional styled pubs. The Temple Bar that
people often speak of is an area that used to be a sand bar, not an
actual bar. (Originally, anyway; now there is a pub called "The
Temple Bar" in Temple Bar!) The Temple Bar district has a mixture of
food, drink, shopping and music. It appeals to all ages, but is a
hot spot for tourists. The narrow, cobble stoned streets gives it an
original feeling within the heart of the city. Its central location
also makes it easy to walk to from Dublins Centre. However, late
night revellers tend to make it an unpleasant place to be after
dark. It can be taken over by drunken stag and boisterous hen
parties, many who travel cheaply from the United Kingdom to avail of
Temple Bar's delights!
Towns in County Dublin
Towns include Balbriggan, Ballyboghil, Donabate, Garristown,
Kinsaley, Loughshinny, Lusk, Naul, Oldtown, Portmarnock, Portrane,
Rush, Skerries, Swords, Newcastle, Brittas, Glencullen, Rathcoole
and Saggart (the home of the Citywest Business Campus and adjoining
Golf Resort & Hotel)
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