The history of Dublin Ireland

Now one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, Dublin attracts visitors from all over the world who come to enjoy the relaxed and fun atmosphere of Ireland´s capital city.

Dublin is a friendly city steeped in a history often troubled, sometimes splendid; a city of wide Georgian streets, elegant squares, magnificent doorways; a city of memorable sunsets that bathe the 18th-century red brick facades until the houses seem to glow with their own fire and the windows seem made of gold; a city of ancient churches and cathedrals thrusting their hallowed spires and towers against the skyline; a city where the English language acquires a unique dimension and where the dark, creamy-headed Guinness stout flows abundantly in companionable pubs.

This is a city like no other European capital, set like a jewel in the sweep of Dublin Bay. Behind, to the south, rise the Dublin hills and the Wicklow Mountains. Through the city the river Liffey - James Joyce's Anna Livia Plurabelle - wends its leisurely way to the sea, spanned as it passes through Dublin by 11 bridges.

Once there was only one bridge. Indeed, it was not so much a bridge as a mere ford in the river, and it stood approximately where the Father Matthew Bridge stands today. It was built by the first Celtic inhabitants of what is now Dublin. When they came here, we cannot be sure; what is certain is that, by AD 140, they were well established on this site. The Celts themselves probably referred to the spot by a name that endures to this day - the official Gaelic Baile Atha Cliath (town of the ford of the hurdles).

Dublin and the Vikings

It was not, however, until the coming of the Vikings in the 9th century that Dublin as we now know it began to take shape. The old Celtic settlement had at no time been a place of national importance; its significance was as a ford of the Liffey en route to the ancient royal capital of Tara. In AD 837, 65 Viking longboats sailed into Dublin Harbour and up the mouth of the river Liffey. These early Viking settlers established themselves a little downstream from the old Celtic settlement, on a spot where the Poddle, which now flows underground, entered the Liffey, causing it to form a dark pool, or dubhlinn.

The Vikings referred to their settlement by these two Gaelic words, and the anglicized version became the city's modern English name. Dublin rapidly became the focal point of the Viking invasion of Ireland. Then, as the Vikings began to see that trading was ultimately more profitable than plunder, and as they began to settle and intermarry in their new homeland, Dublin became a major centre for their extensive European trade. Not long after their arrival, they were converted to Christianity, and in 1034 they erected a cathedral, which became the nucleus of modern Christ Church. The cathedral stood in the centre of Viking Dublin and allows us to place the ancient city accurately. Just over 3 centuries after the coming of the Vikings, new invaders swept Ireland. In 1169 the first contingent of Normans landed on the beach of Bannow, in County Wexford. Two years later, the powerful Baron Richard Gilbert de Clare, otherwise known as Strongbow, arrived at the gates of Dublin with 1,000 men. The city was taken by storm; its Viking king and inhabitants were forced to flee. Thereafter Dublin became the centre of the English conquest, as it had become the centre of the Viking conquest.

Dublin Castle

Not long afterward, the city was fortified by Dublin Castle, built not far from the old Viking cathedral. The cathedral had been taken over by Strongbow and a new and larger edifice had been erected in its place. The city walls were built along with the castle. (Their remains can be seen at St. Audeon's Arch, below Christ Church.) Thus medieval Dublin began to take shape, a small area surrounded by walls. In shape and in size Dublin did not alter greatly until the arrival of a new viceroy, or king's representative, in 1662 heralded Dublin's rise to a definitive national importance. Dublin, under James Butler, Duke of Ormonde, became and remained the central arena for Ireland's social, political, and cultural life.

Butler, believing that the stability of a government should be reflected in public works, began municipal improvements almost immediately. The solitary, medieval Dublin Bridge was joined by four new bridges across the river; Phoenix Park (to this day the largest enclosed urban park in the world) was walled and several new streets were built. Dublin's importance as a city and as a seaport increased enormously in the late 17th century.

18th Century Dublin

In the 18th century, however, Dublin truly flourished, as it became one of the most brilliant and sparkling capitals in all of Europe. The strong movement toward parliamentary independence that took place at this time was reflected in the splendid Parliament House (now the Bank of Ireland in College Green), commenced in 1729, the first in a series of great public buildings. Extensive rebuilding was carried out on Dublin Castle and Trinity College. The Wide Streets Commission was set up. It was as if the city were proudly preparing for the unprecedented position of importance it would occupy when, in 1782, parliamentary independence was conceded to Ireland by the British Parliament.

Great buildings followed one another in dizzying succession - Leinster House, the Royal Exchange, the Mansion House, the Four Courts, the Custom House. Irish classical architecture, in all its gravity, beauty, and balance, reached full maturity. It flowered in public buildings and private houses, spacious squares and elegant streets. This was Georgian Dublin (various King Georges sat on the British throne in the period): the Dublin of Henry Grattan, Oliver Goldsmith, Jonathan Swift, Bishop Berkeley and Edmund Burke, David Garrick, and Peg Woffington. Handel himself conducted the world premiere of his "Messiah" in this glittering city, whose centre was concentrated in the area between Dublin Castle and the Parliament House.

Architecturally, Dublin reached its zenith in the 18th century. Later, its brilliance would be sculpted in the written word rather than in stone. In the 19th century, with the dismantling of the Parliament, Dublin's political and social life suffered a blow from which it was not to recover easily. By contrast, its literary life began to flower, for two great literary movements were born in Dublin - the Gaelic League and the Irish literary renaissance.

Between them, the two movements revived and romanticized the early legends and history of Ireland. The literary renaissance - spearheaded by William Butler Yeats, Lady Augusta Gregory, Douglas Hyde, and John Millington Synge, to name but a few - placed a splendid and indelible mark on 20th-century English literature. (Equally renowned are Irish or Ireland-born writers not directly associated with the Irish literary renaissance, such as Samuel Beckett, who was born in Dublin in 1906 and won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1969; George Bernard Shaw, who wrote in England but was born in Dublin; and the Irish playwright Brendan Behan.) The movement found its greatest expression in the creation of the Abbey Theatre, associated forever with the brilliant plays of Sean O'Casey. For many years the Abbey was the most famous theatre in the world.

The Easter Rebellion of 1916

The Gaelic League had more popular appeal; with its dream of the restoration of the Gaelic language and the re-establishment of a separate Irish cultural nation, it provided a great deal of the inspiration for the Easter Rebellion of 1916.

This uprising, concentrated in Dublin, sparked the 5-year War of Independence, which culminated in the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 (whereby Ireland gained the status of free state). The signing of the treaty was followed by civil war in 1922-23, during which many buildings that had escaped damage in 1916 suffered badly. Today, happily, all the heirlooms of the 18th century have been restored to their original grandeur.

Dublin today, with a population of 1 million, is far larger than it has been at any other stage of its history. Nevertheless, it still is an eminently walkable city. The crossroads of medieval and 18th-century Dublin remain the centre of interest. Within a half-mile radius of the Bank of Ireland on College Green lie the cathedrals, the museums, Dublin Castle, the great Georgian public buildings, the parks, and the shops. All are neatly enclosed by the Royal Canal to the north and the Grand Canal to the south.


Modern Dublin

Thanks to the Dublin Millennium celebrations in 1988, the downtown area of the city now enjoys a number of permanent enhancements, including 10 new sculptures by modern Irish crafts persons. The most notable pieces include a freestanding "liberty bell" in St. Patrick's Cathedral Park, a replica of a Viking ship on Essex Quay, and a double arch on a traffic island in Merrion Row, near St. Stephen's Green. In the heart of the city on O'Connell Street there also now is an elaborate fountain, with 40 spouts, designed to represent the course of the River Liffey. The river itself is represented by a larger-than-life sculpture of a reclining female nude, Anna Livia.

Dublin has enjoyed a tense but intriguing history, which has resulted in a vibrant city with a wide range of attractions for visitors. Dublin may not be the cheapest city to stay in, but you can still find cheaper places to stay including bed and breakfast accommodation and guesthouses just outside Dublin city centre, and some of the best Irish pubs, restaurants and live entertainment in Ireland. Whether you are looking for 5-star luxury or a cheap weekend away, you will find accommodation, hotels, guesthouses and b&b´s to suit your budget and requirements. Budget airlines fly to Dublin from most UK airports, including Ryanair and Easyjet, and you can pre-book cheap car hire at Dublin Airport before you fly to save money and delays.