The Dublin Castle

The Spire of Dublin , 120 meters high, is the largest sculpture in the world

According to Ptolemy, Eblana existed from the year 140 AD The village Celtic Ath Cliath (the ford of the hedge) is actually predates the founding of Dublin as "Dubh Linn" by the Vikings ⁱⁿ the ninth century.

In the year 837 , Thorgis returns for the second time, this time a fleet of 120 Viking ships. Sixty of them up the river Boyne , and sixty other River Liffey. According to the annals of time, this formidable military force gathers under its authority. Unknown in his own country, all the stories about his conquests are in Ireland and the British Isles. Upon arrival in Dublin, his men seized this community of fishermen and farmers and erect a very solid construction methods as Scandinavia, on the hill where the present Dublin Castle.

The modern names of Dublin refer to this double origin: the original hamlet name for Gaelic , and the Viking village for the English version.

King Brian Boru , nicknamed Boroimhe Brian Mac Cenneidigh, born in the year 941 in Thomond in Ireland, was buried in Dublin in the year 1014, at the age of 73. He attempted a unification of Ireland and he died at the Battle of Clontarf April 23, 1014, in his tent, a Friday.

After the invasion of Ireland by the Anglo-Normans ( in 1170 / in 1171 ), Dublin replaced the Hill Tara as Ireland's capital, power settling in Dublin Castle until independence.

A bishopric was erected in 1018 and in 1213 the English, who had made themselves masters, there erected a castle, fortified in the ^fifteenth century.

From the ^seventeenth century , the town grew rapidly, growth will be streamlined and fifty years later by the opening of boulevards, in the Wide Streets Commission was established in 1757.

In 1700, the population exceeds 60,000 inhabitants, making it the second city of the British Empire, then reduced to islands and colonies in North America and the Caribbean. After their victory at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, troops of Protestant William of Orange , including 3000 French Huguenots, installed many of their men in Dublin, to stand out from the controversial Protestants who had settled the Ulster and Munster last century. The 239 Huguenot Dublin have a collective burial, Huguenot House in a small street Mansion Row near the park of St Stephen's Green , created in 1693 in the new Dublin, which are engraved the names of 239 of them, listed alphabetically .

Their political and cultural domination is facilitated by exile in France of 20,000 soldiers Jacobites at the Treaty of Limerick , who include most of the Irish Catholic aristocracy, a large part had already been expropriated, in regions Munster (West Central) and Uslter a century.

London does not claim landowners into this new wave of Protestants, who have experienced life in Holland, and prefers to see them gathered in Dublin to deal with possible landings Jacobites, such as that attempted in 1692 at the start of the French port of La Hougue.

Later, the Easter Rising in 1916 put the capital into instability, and the Anglo-Irish , while the Irish Civil War , left the city in ruins, many of its finest buildings were destroyed. The state of Ireland has rebuilt much of the buildings in the city, but without taking any real initiative to modernize the city parliament has been moved to Leinster House.

After the Second World War (known as "The Emergency" in reference to the state of emergency from 1939 to 1946), Dublin was a quaint capital, the renewal of the town was slow until the 1960s , which saw the beginning of change. More recently, infrastructure has been disrupted with the advent of the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (transportation plan for the Dublin area), which has allowed the city to have an urban transport system worthy of a European city modern.

Since the beginning of British occupation in the twelfth ^century, the city has played the role of capital of the island of Ireland, in all forms has been able to take the political authority:

• the Lordship of Ireland ( one thousand one hundred seventy-one - one thousand five hundred and forty-one ),
• the Kingdom of Ireland ( 1,541 - 1,800 ),
• the island as a member of the United Kingdom ( one thousand eight hundred and one - 1922 ),
• the self-proclaimed Republic of Ireland ( 1919 - 1922 ).

In 1922, following the partition of Ireland, Dublin is the capital of the Irish Free State ( 1922 - 1937 ).

(Most of these entities have coexisted and competed for common periods falling within either British or Irish constitutions ...)

Economy

Primary Sector

Secondary Sector

The city is home to a factory German confectioner Haribo.

Tertiary

Culture

Literature, Theatre and Arts

Joyce's statue in Dublin

Dublin City has a great literary history, having produced a very large literary figures such as Nobel Prize William Butler Yeats , George Bernard Shaw and Samuel Beckett or authors Oscar Wilde , Jonathan Swift and even the creator of Dracula Bram Stoker. Dublin is also famous as the site of action of the greatest works of James Joyce. Dubliners is a collection of stories about events and city residents in the early ^twentieth century. His most famous work, Ulysses is also running in Dublin and full of details describing the city. Other writers Dubliners are also celebrated, as John Millington Synge , Sean O'Casey , Brendan Behan , and more recently Maeve Binchy and Roddy Doyle. The largest libraries in Ireland are in Dublin, the National Library of Ireland or the Chester Beatty Library.

There are many theaters in Dublin. They have trained a few world famous players like Noel Purcell , Brendan Gleeson , Stephen Rea , Colin Farrell , Colm Meaney and Gabriel Byrne. The theaters are the best known of the Abbey Theatre , the Gate Theatre , the Gaiety Theatre and the Olympia. The Abbey Theatre was founded in 1904 by a group of writers including Yeats , in order to promote the literary talents of Irish authors. He helped to discover the works of authors such as Shaw, Synge, O'Casey, and at the same time serve as a springboard to national and political revival of the early ^twentieth century. The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 to promote the works of European and American avant-garde. The Gaiety Theatre is itself specialized in musical productions: operas , musicals , ballets. The biggest drama is the Mahony Hall.

National Museum of Ireland

Dublin is also the focal point of Irish art. It contains the most important museums in the country. The Book of Kells is kept in the library of Trinity College. The Chester Beatty Library has numerous manuscripts, drawings and other rare books whose earliest records date back to 2700 BC. Artistic works of Irish artists can be contemplated in many museums located in Dublin and art galleries downtown. The major museums are the National Gallery of Ireland , the Irish Museum of Modern Art , the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery and National Museum of Ireland divided into three sites in Kildare Street archeology, decorative arts and history in Collins Barracks and Natural History Merrion Street in .

Exhibitions

• 1865 - International Exhibition of Art and Crafts (The International Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures')
• 1874 - International Exhibition of Art and Crafts

Entertainment

Temple Bar district of Dublin's nightlife

There is a vibrant nightlife in Dublin. The city is one of the youngest in Europe with nearly 50% of the population aged under 25 years ^, . More Dublin was elected in 2007 and 2009 Friendliest City in Europe ^, .

Like the rest of Ireland, Dublin is dotted with pubs. Temple Bar , a neighborhood located on the south bank of the Liffey , is a place of attraction of a crowd came from all over the city and many tourists come to take the pubs by storm. This area was developed into a cultural district with art galleries, the National Cinema Centre ( Irish Film Institute ), photography studios. Numerous events are organized. The streets around St Stephen's Green - especially Harcourt Street, Camden Street, Wexford Street and Leeson Street have very many night clubs.

The concerts are very popular. From small groups of traditional music to hard rock all the musical styles are found in various pubs. Many artists have taken their first steps in Dublin, foremost among them U2 , The Dubliners , The Boomtown Rats , Thin Lizzy , Sinead O'Connor and The Cranberries.

Society

Northside & Southside

The Liffey divides the city

There is traditionally an opposition North and South of the city, with the line formed by the Liffey. The Northside is poorer and working class, while the Southside is considered easier, occupied by middle and upper classes. This division is reflected in the postal codes allocated to districts, the North with odd numbers, while even numbers are assigned to the southern neighborhoods. This division dates back centuries, probably when the Earl of Kildare built his residence in the South, at the time undeveloped, and was quickly followed by his peers when he was asked why he would move south, he replied "Where I'm going to follow fashion."

In contrast, although the South is easier, the official residence of the President of Ireland ( ras Uachtarin ) lies to the north (but with the postal code 8, usually the south). The residence of the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and its Anglican counterpart until 1920 are also located in the Northside, while one of the richest suburbs of Dublin, the Hill of Howth, is also in the North.

There are also many working class suburbs in the South, as Palmerstown , Crumlin and Ballyfermot.

Dublin 4

The middle classes are often called Dublin Dublin 4 , referring to the postal code of one of the richest neighborhoods of Dublin, where are the studios of national radio, Radio Telefs ireann , and many schools and reputed colleges, universities and embassies. The modern campus of the University College Dublin is located at the boundary between Dublin 4 and Dublin 14.

In fact, the term Dublin 4 D4 or its abbreviation can be applied to any middle-class Dubliners, as well as the Northside of Southside, or more often an attitude that can be found anywhere else in Ireland. Many political scientists and politicians live in Dublin 4 and the neighborhood is traditionally very liberal positions on referendums on topics such as abortion or divorce. Dublin 4 is also associated with a certain accent (not really specific to this area), which some like and others abhor.

Specialties

The St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre

The brewery 'St. James's Gate ', where the famous Guinness is produced since 1759.

During the Irish economic miracle ( 1990 ), many multinational pharmaceutical and information technology have established themselves in Dublin and its suburbs. The operational center of Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa is located in the business area of Sandyford, south Dublin, and Xerox, Google, Salesforce.com and Provectio. To the west of Dublin, Leixlip welcomes Intel and Hewlett-Packard. The amount of industrial computing in Dublin has made the Silicon Valley of Europe.

Sport

Croke Park , the fourth largest stadium in Europe and residence of the Gaelic Athletic Association

The headquarters of almost all sports federations are located in Dublin Ireland. Ireland's capital in 2010 will be the European Capital of Sport " .

With its 82,500 seats, Croke Park is the fourth largest sports arena in Europe ^, . The stadium hosts the traditional Gaelic sports such as the hurling and Gaelic football. It also hosts international rugby matches and concerts such as U2 and recently Robbie Williams.

The stadium Lansdowne Road , jointly owned by the federations V "> rugby and football matches receives national teams of these two sports. The stadium is under renovation (it will then take the name of Aviva Stadium ), it will amount to a capacity of 50,000 seats. The new stadium will host in 2011 the final of the Europa League ^{Main sites}

The cathedral, seen from the inside

In the city there is a Georgian architecture, tangible marks of the Irish literary history ( Jonathan Swift , Oscar Wilde , George Bernard Shaw , William Butler Yeats , James Joyce , Samuel Beckett ...)

Dublin is bisected by the Liffey. Among the sites visited, the most interesting are:

• Trinity College , University founded in 1592 by Elizabeth I of England and home to the Book of Kells, illuminated manuscript dating from about 800 , making it one of the oldest books in the world;
• Bank of Ireland building which was originally to house the Irish Parliament;
• Christ Church Cathedral , parts of which date back to the construction of Danish origin (XX ^century);
• St. Patrick's Cathedral ;
• GPO (General Post Office), site of the proclamation of the Republic of Ireland in 1916 during the Easter Rising;
• Dublin Writers' Museum (Dublin Writers Museum);
• Dublin Castle , formerly the center of British power in Ireland ;
• National Museum;
• National Art Gallery ;
• The Ha'penny Bridge , which owes its name to the price (half a penny) that the traveler had to pay for the right to cross and enter the city.

There are also many plazas and squares concealing wealth of Georgian architecture: St Stephen's Green , Merrion Square, Ely Place, Fitzwilliam Square ...

The city's most richly endowed in restaurants is one of Temple Bar , old, interesting and full revival. However, the Dublin authorities are trying to reduce the number of burials of life as a young girl or boy (the Stag nights) British, who invaded the neighborhood each week.

To appreciate another aspect of the city, you can visit the peaceful village of Sutton.

Infrastructure

The metamorphosis of Dublin

Dublin has experienced a brisk economic expansion over the past fifteen years with the establishment of a competence center for the installation of many multinational high technology ( computers mainly), attracted by a very favorable tax and infrastructure improvements thanks to European subsidies resulting from the entry of Ireland into the European Union. Thus, Dublin, who had a rather provincial aspect there are still two decades, has changed significantly since the 1990s , due to a frenzy and urban real estate.

To mark the year 2000, construction of the Spire (arrow Millennium) - nicknamed "The Spike" (tip) by Dubliners - the center of one of the main avenues of the city, wanted a symbol of this change.

A tram began to be built since June 2004.

Communications

Radio Telefs ireann is the national radio and television, is headquartered in Dublin which are also installed its main studios. Fair City is a soap opera produced by the chain which takes place in a fictional suburb, Carraigstown. TV3 , the only national private channel, is also based in Dublin, and imports most of its programs of British and American television, trying to reach a young audience.

The main office of postal services, telephone (fixed and mobile) are also located in Dublin, like many radio stations and most national newspapers.

Education

Trinity College

Dublin is the main center for higher education in Ireland. The city has three universities. The University of Dublin (Protestant origin) is the oldest, founded in the ^sixteenth century. His only option, Trinity College , was founded by a royal edict in the reign of Elizabeth I of England. The National University of Ireland based in Dublin, as the direction of the University College Dublin , an independent faculty since 1997 , its main body. Another of its departments, the National University of Ireland Maynooth, is based about 25 miles from Dublin. Dublin City University is the university most recently established in Ireland. She specializes in trade, engineering and industrial sciences, and has major research centers.

The Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland is an independent medical school based on Stephen's Green in the center.

Dublin Institute of Technology , the Dublin Institute of Technology, is a modern engineering school, the largest structure of higher education in the country which is not a university, and his specialties are the raw technology, but it also provides a remarkable art education. It will soon enter the campus Grangegorman. There are also smaller institutes of technology in Blanchardstown and Tallaght. The National College of Art and Design (National School of Art and Design) and the Institute of Dn Laoghaire for the Arts, Design and Technology are conducting action research and experimentation in the arts, design and information technology. There are also many special schools in the city, including some private ones.

Transport

Dublin seen by satellite Spot

Dublin is the center of the Irish transport system. The port is the country's largest and Dublin Airport is home to most of the country's passenger traffic. Heuston Station and Connolly Station are the two main stations of the city, the first serving the South and the West while the second connects Dublin to Sligo , Rosslare and Belfast.

There are also different ways of urban transport:

• the Dublin Area Rapid Transit or "DART", an express train to serve us the Dublin area on a north-south, mostly on the coast;
• two lines of tram named "Luas";
• many bus lines.

The transit services in the area of Dublin have a reputation of not being very punctual. Delays are frequent, but it can also happen that the train (DART) arrive and depart early.

Transportation center cost about 1.60 euros each way. It is possible to buy a monthly pass or a ticket book.

Roads

Dublin is also the center of the road network in Ireland. The M50, a kind of peripheral encircling Dublin's north to south through the west (east is the coast), connects all the pins from the national capital. A toll is charged for crossing the West Link, a highway bridge spanning the River Liffey at the village of Lucan. Although its construction has begun in the 1980s, in 2005 all works are completed. A lawsuit about the preservation of medieval Carrickmines Castle site has delayed the final installment. Currently, the M50 has 2x2, but is beginning to reflect the shift to 2x3. The National Roads Authority also plans to increase the capacity of the most popular parts of the highway by building more efficient heat exchangers. To complete the device, circumvention "East" is being considered. The first part of the project is under construction, it is the Dublin Port Tunnel. The opening to traffic of this section, which should primarily accommodate heavy trucks, is scheduled for 2006. After the commissioning, the Dublin City Council hopes to prevent the passage of trucks through the city. Following the project involves another tunnel linking the port to the south of the city, but plans for this party have not yet been established ... The capital is also surrounded by what the council called the inner and outer orbital. The orbital circles the inner heart of the Georgian town of St Stephen's Green to Mountjoy Square and King's Inns to St Patrick's Cathedral. The outer orbital bypasses the city along the natural circle formed by the two channels, Dublin: the Grand Canal of Ireland and the Royal Canal of Ireland, and South Circular Road and North Circular Road.

Public Transport

The DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit, or rapid transit in the Greater Dublin area), is the only electrified railway in the country, serves stations spread all along the East Coast. A tram-train network is being created, with a first tranche (green line) in service since June 2004, serving the South Dublin and the county. In September 2004, the red line was opened in turn to traffic, linking the main stations Heuston and Connolly to the suburbs to Tallaght. A project was launched to connect the two lines (green and red), but the procedures and routes are still in discussions. A subway project linking Dublin Airport to downtown is the next step in the development of public transport, but it is still under negotiation. 3 different routes (East, West and Central Africa) are under study. A subway station could be built under the River Liffey at the bottom of O'Connell Street. Work could begin in 2009 and completed in 2012 . Commuter trains also serve the west of the city, with lines drawn between Kildare and Maynooth.

The majority of public transport is provided by Dubliners Bus tha Cliath (Dublin Bus), which has a network of nearly 200 scheduled day (indicated by their numbers, sometimes followed by a letter) and 24 "Nitelink" of night bus who officiate 7 nights on 7, which are called by a number followed by "N". There is only one driver on board (no controller) and the fare, the number of bus stops between the departure and arrival must be paid exactly the driver to climb, without rendering currency. There are also prepaid packages that can compost the rise of the bus. The fare night buses is a package independent of the distance traveled, which may seem expensive (between 4 and 6 euros), but less than a taxi ...

Administration

Municipal Powers

Dublin is managed by the Council of the City of Dublin (Dublin City Council, which previously was called "Dublin Corporation"), which is chaired by the Lord Mayor of Dublin (equivalent of mayor), which is elected annually and lives in Mansion House , now the residence of Mayor in 1715. The board of Dublin is based on two sites: the main Dublin City Hall , the former Royal Exchange, which had been built for this purpose in the 1850's. much of the administration, however, is housed in buildings of the Civic Offices, very controversial because built on what was one of the best Viking archaeological sites preserved in the world.

The decision to raze the site to the Dublin Council has led to one of the greatest challenges in recent history in Ireland, with thousands of people demonstrating to stop work.

The destruction of this site, and construction of what is now called 'The Bunker' in reference to their ugliness, is considered the worst disaster suffered by the Irish Heritage since Independence. Even the Council of that time has finally admitted his shame, and only 2 of 4 buildings originally planned have been achieved.

Instead of the other two, a third building designed by Scott Tallon Walker workshop was completed in 1994. This building, located opposite the river, is less massive than its predecessors. Council meetings are held at City Hall on Dame Street, one of the most beautiful buildings in the city built by Thomas Cooley.

The Dublin Region

For centuries, the city was administered by the Board in Dublin. Today the Dublin area, previously known as County Dublin, has more than one million inhabitants spread over 922 km. In 1994, the Dublin County (outside the city) was divided into three, each new entity receiving the status of a county full and equal administration, they are:

• Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
• Fingal
• South Dublin

There is now a regional authority: the 'Dublin Regional Authority', in which the various administrations of each of the entities in the region of Dublin (City and three counties devices) coordinate their policies.

National government

The Old Parliament House

The National Parliament of the Republic of Ireland (Oireachtas ireann called ') is composed of the President of Ireland and two chambers' Dil ireann', or House of Deputies and Seanad ireann, the Senate, the three powers are based on Dublin.

The residence of the President of Ireland is ras an Uachtarin , the former residence of Governor General of the Irish Free State, located in Phoenix Park , the largest city park.

As for the two rooms, they meet in Leinster House , a former ducal palace in the south of the city. This building is the seat of Parliament since the creation of the Irish Free State on 6 December 1922

The Irish Government, meanwhile, occupies a large building designed by Aston Webb, the architect who created the facade of Buckingham Palace. This building, now known as Government Buildings, was built for the Royal College of Science, and was the last building built under the British administration in Ireland. Given its proximity to Leinster House, the building was selected to house some departments temporarily in 1921 after independence. Finally, Government Buildings as well as Leinster House (also referred to temporarily house the parliament) became the permanent residences of the Government and Parliament.

Until 1990, the Government shared the building with the engineering school of the University College of Dublin but the construction of new buildings on campus at UCD Belfield has allowed the government to take possession of the full premises, and to redevelop its use.

Personalities

Twinnings

Dublin City is twinned with :

• Barcelona ( Spain )
• Liverpool ( UK )
• San Jose ( USA )

References

See also

Related articles

• Dublin International Airport
• Dublin tramway
• Wood Quay

External Links

• (En) Site of the Dublin City Council
• (En) Official website for tourism in Dublin

Bibliography

• (In) HB Clarke - Irish Historic Towns Atlas - ^No. 11: Dublin part 1, to 1610 - Royal Irish Academy - Dublin 2002 ( ISBN 1-874045-89-5 )

Preceded by	European Capital of Culture 1991	Followed by
Glasgow	Dublin	Madrid

Capitals of member countries of the European Union
Amsterdam Athens Berlin Bratislava Brussels Bucharest Budapest Copenhagen Dublin Helsinki Valletta Lisbon Ljubljana London Luxembourg Madrid Nicosia Paris Prague Riga Rome Sofia Stockholm Tallinn Warsaw Vienna Vilnius
Portal European Union

Cities in the state of Ireland and Northern Ireland
Ireland	Dublin Cork Galway Kilkenny Limerick Waterford Bray Carlow Drogheda Dundalk Ennis Naas Navan Sligo Swords Tralee
Northern Ireland	Belfast Armagh Lisburn Derry / Londonderry Newry Ballymena Bangor Coleraine Downpatrick Enniskillen Larne Newtownards Omagh Portadown
Ireland portal

• Ireland portal