Dublin (Baile Atha Cliath, "Town of the Hurdle Ford", or Dubhlinn, "Dark Pool") lies in the wide sweep of Dublin Bay, between the rocky promontory of Howth in the north and the headland of Dalkey to the south.
The River Liffey, which flows into the harbor, divides the city into a northern and a southern half. A major part of the inner city lies on the right bank in the south, bordered by fine parklands, and another nucleus is situated on the north bank. Both are linked by several bridges, the most important of which is the O'Connell Bridge. Upstream the Father Matthew Bridge marks the position of the ancient ford over the Liffey.
Air traffic: Dublin International Airport is 5mi/8km north of the city on the N1; there is a city center terminal in the Bus Station (Busarus), Store Street.
Rail traffic: There are two main railroad stations, Heuston Station at Heuston Bridge (Kingsbridge) with services to Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Westport, and Connolly Station in Amiens Street with services to Belfast, Sligo and Wexford. There is a direct bus service between the two stations.
Ferries: The terminal for the car ferry service between Dublin and Liverpool is reached by East Wall and Alexandra Road. Sailings to Holyhead in summer.
Bus services: Most city and suburban bus services pass through the city center. Long-distance services start from the Bus Station (Busarus) in Store Street.
Main post office: The General Post Office is in O'Connell Street, at the corner of Henry Street. Poste restante mail can be collected between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland, was, centuries ago, the only real metropolis in the British Isles apart from London. In spite of the vicissitudes of Irish history, which have inevitably had their effect on the city, it has preserved all the air of a capital in its atmosphere and the way of life of its citizens.
The architectural character of Dublin is set not only by the numerous public buildings of the 18th and early 19th century, whose neo-Classical facades and domes bear witness to the skills of architects such as Sir Edward Lovett Pearce, Richard Cassels, Thomas Cooley, James Gandon and Francis Johnston, but also by the numerous private houses of the same period, in a plain but elegant style which gives architectural unity to street after street. Many of these houses have already disappeared and others are threatened with destruction. The city is in an age of change - the result of the still recent achievement of independence and also of new and closer links with other countries, combined with a modest but growing prosperity. Old buildings which have fallen into a state of disrepair are being pulled down and replaced by new but not usually better ones. Nevertheless there is also a recognition of the values which many of these older buildings represent, and efforts are being made to save them and adapt them to serve new purposes.
History: The oldest Irish name of the city and the one still generally used, Baile Atha Cliath, refers to the ancient ford which crossed the Liffey here. The place is mentioned by the classical geographer Ptolemy in A.D. 140 under the name of Eblana. St Patrick is believed to have visited Dublin in 448 and converted many of the inhabitants. Subsequently a Christian community grew up around the ford; then in 840 a first party of Danes occupied the town and established a fortified base for their raiding and trading activities. In 988 the Irish king Mael Sechnaill II captured the town and in 1014 the High King Brian Boru broke the power of the Danes by his victory at nearby Clontarf (now a suburb of the city). It was not until 1170 however that the Danes were finally driven out by the Anglo-Normans. Two years later Henry II came to Dublin to receive the homage of the Irish chieftains. The town now became the capital of the area under English control, the Pale (from 'palisade'), which was defended by the castles of Anglo-Norman knights. During the conflicts of the 15th and 16th century the Dubliners usually supported the opponents of the English king. In the 17th century, however, they sided with the Royalists against Cromwell - who captured the town in 1649 - and later with James II against William of Orange.
In 1697 public street lighting was introduced.
In the 18th century Dublin prospered, and the population rose from 65,000 to 200,000. A Wide Street Commission and a Paving Board were established to promote the development and improvement of the city, and there was a great boom in building both by public authorities and by Dublin's prosperous citizens.
At the beginning of the 19th century a brief period of independence was brought to an end by the political union with Great Britain. There followed a time of repression and resistance: in 1844 the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daniel O'Connell, was imprisoned for "incitement to discontent", and a few years later the leaders of the Land League movement, among them Charles Stewart Parnell, were thrown into Kilmainham Jail. Political assassinations were carried out by a secret society, and separatist agitation grew.
In 1916 the Easter Rising took place in Dublin, and the General Post Office and other public buildings were occupied by the rebels. In 1919, on the initiative of the Sinn Féin (We Ourselves) movement, an independent parliament met in the Mansion House, presided over by Eamon de Valera. On May 25, 1921, during the Civil War, the Custom House was set on fire. In spite of the ratification of the treaty of January 1922, which established the Irish Free State, domestic conflict continued in Dublin until 1927. It was not until 1931 that most of the public buildings were restored.
During the Second World War Ireland remained neutral. In 1941, however, some German bombs were dropped in error on Dublin.
Tourist Trails: A number of Tourist Trails are signposted in the city center; a brochure about them can be obtained from Tourist Information Offices.
Street names are shown in both English and Irish. In many of the older streets the houses are still numbered in a continuous sequence, up one side and down the other.
Sightseeing in Dublin: Although apart from the two cathedrals few Dublin buildings are older than the 18th century, the city's handsome Georgian streets and squares, its public buildings, museums and libraries offer so much of interest that they are best seen in a series of separate tours.
