Dublin

It is claimed that Ireland’s fascination is legendary, and that the unique beauty of its landscape and its rich historic, literary and artistic associations have long made it a favourite resort with tourists. Ireland itself is regarded as being the most westerly country in Europe, and is said to cover more than 32,000 miles – with no part being more than seventy miles from the sea.



Dublin, the capital of the Irish Republic, is said to have been founded by Viking pirates more than a thousand years ago. Described as ‘a lovely city’, it stands at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains and faces Dublin Bay. And it is famous for its Georgian architecture and spacious streets. Through the city flows the River Liffey, which rises out of the Wicklow Hills.

O’Connell Street, which is Dublin’s main thoroughfare, crosses the River Liffey by O’Connell Bridge. The bridge was first built during the 18th century, and then it was rebuilt in the year 1880. And it’s considered unique since it’s almost as wide as it is long. Certainly the view from the bridge of the River Liffey and the city’s myriad buildings is truly spectacular.

A statue of Daniel O’Connell stands at the entrance to O’Connell Street, which was the work of sculptor John Henry Foley, and which was unveiled when the bridge was reopened in 1882. O’Connell Street contains many monuments, including one dedicated to Charles Stewart Parnell, on which are carved his words: ‘No man has a right to fix the boundary to the march of a nation.’

Custom House is a notable Dublin building. Designed by James Gandon, it is described as a masterpiece of Georgian design, and extends for 375 feet along the River Liffey. ‘Four Courts’, which also stands on the River Liffey, is another of James Gandon’s renown eighteenth century masterpieces. And, as it’s name implies, it once represented four courts, namely Exchequer, Common Pleas, King’s Bench and Chancery. The building is now the seat of Ireland’s High Court and Supreme Court.

Numerous churches are to be located in Dublin. And these include St. Michan’s Church, which was built on the site of a Viking shrine, and which has an early 18th century organ, upon which Handel played during his visit to Dublin. Other churches include St. Werburgh’s Church, Christ Church Cathedral, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The latter cathedral came into being following feelings of hostility towards the Christ Church authorities, which was led by Archbishop Henry De Londres in 1213.

As a result Dublin ended up having two cathedrals. It’s said that Dublin has more than six hundred pubs, several of which, it is claimed, were frequented by James Joyce and other eminent literary figures.

And claiming world wide fame is the Guinness Brewery. Founded by Sir Arthur Guinnes in 1759, the thirty four year old brewer set about brewing what is described as ‘one of the world’s greatest beers’. Stout is said to be ‘one of the great Irish institutions, whose popularity never wavers’. The brewery is described as being one of the most famous in Europe, claiming to produce more than four million pints a day, and exporting more beer than any other brewery in the world. The factory itself is said to cover sixty four acres south of the River Liffey, and employs more than four thousand people. A small museum adjoins the factory, where a film featuring the making of ‘Guinness’ is shown. Southwest of the River Liffey stands Dublin Castle. Here too is Dame Street, where the Dublin banking and business world is to be found. The City Hall is located here too – a building that was once known as The Royal Exchange – and which looks particularly impressive at night, when it is illuminated.

Dublin abounds with museums and art galleries. The Dublin Writers’ Museum was opened in 1991 and is located in Parnell Square – an area once regarded as Dublin’s city centre. And this small museum houses letters, first editions, photographs and memorabilia of Dublin’s great authors. The National Museum is claimed to contain some of Ireland’s greatest treasures. And considered to be its main attraction is its Irish antiquities, which include a collection of prehistoric jewellery and chalices, brooches, crosses and reliquaries.

The National Gallery, likewise, is considered to contain the country’s principal art collection, including the works of 18th and 19th century Irish artists. It also features the work of ‘old masters’ such as Titian, El Greco, Uccello, Gainsborough, Goya, Velazquez, Caravaggio and Rubens. The Municipal Art Gallery features mainly the works of French Impressionists such as Manet, Monet, and Renoir. This gallery was founded in 1908 by the art collector Sir Hugh Lane, who was killed while travelling on ‘The Lusitania’ when it was torpedoed off the Irish coast by the Germans in 1915.

The gallery now also includes the work of Irish painters such as Jack Butler Yeats, Louis Le Brocquy and Paul Henry. Dublin’s Natural History Museum is described as ‘an amazing, old fashioned museum, containing fascinating skeletons of the Irish elk – a creature that became extinct ten thousand years ago’. And these skeletons, it is claimed, have become the ‘architectural pride of Dublin’. The Bank of Ireland is another Dublin landmark. Initially the seat of parliament and the centre of government, it no longer fulfilled this role following the passing of the Act of Union. The building was consequently sold to the Bank of Ireland. The building itself dates back to 1729, and its oak-panelled Lords’ Chamber is open to visitors.

College Green is considered to be a key Dublin landmark, yet at one time it was a Viking meeting place and burial ground. Now, however, two of Ireland’s historic figures overlook the scene – namely Thomas Daves, the 19th century poet and founder of the Young Ireland movement, and Henry Grattan, the past parliamentarian.

Trinity College itself was founded in 1591, and former graduates include statesman and philosopher Edmund Burke, poet and dramatist, Oliver Goldsmith, Jonathan Swift, author of ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, Wolfe Tone, the founding father of modern Irish nationalism, Bram Stoker, author of ‘Dracula’, J.M. Synge, author of ‘The Aran Islands’, and Samuel Becket, playwright and novelist.

The college’s renown Library was built between 1712 and 1732, and originally had three floors, but in 1857 the ceiling was removed from the middle floor, resulting in the creation of the ‘Long Room’, which is 209 feet in length and has a high barrel vaulted ceiling where the famous ‘Book of Kells’, ‘Book of Durrow’, and ‘Book of Amagh’ were placed, which are described as Trinity College’s most precious treasures. Trinity College lays claim to 3,000,000 books, and 200,000 of them are in this library. The library has also been a Copyright Library since the year 1801.

There is also a National Library in Dublin which features a collection of first editions, old manuscripts, and work by Irish authors such as Jonathan Swift, W.B. Yeates, Oliver Goldsmith, George Bernard Shaw, James Joyce, and Samuel Becket.

Dublin also has a little library known as Marsh’s Library, which has three ‘cages’ that enclose rare books. This library was founded by Archbishop Narcissus Marsh, and was built by Sir William Robinson over a period of four years, and opened in 1705 – and represented Ireland’s first public library.

The public gardens known as St. Stephen’s Green were laid out in 1880. And St. Stephen’s Green is considered to be a favourite place for people of all ages, who love to stroll along its leafy paths, or sit beside its still waterfront.

Nearby is the Mansion House, a building designed by Joshua Dawson – after whom the street on which it stands is named. The Mansion House has been the Lord Mayor’s residence since the year 1715, and it was here in 1919 that the Declaration of Irish Independence was ratified. It’s claimed that the best bookshops in Dublin are to be found on Dawson Street, while nearby Harcourt Street is the site of a famous Gaelic bookshop, known as ‘An Siopa Leabhar’.

Another notable Dublin ‘green’ area is Phoenix Park, which is almost 2,000 acres in size and was once the grounds of a priory, and then after the Reformation in the 17th century became a royal hunting ground. It features vast expanses of ‘greenery’ and to the south of the park there is a garden of flowers, which is known as ‘The People’s Garden’. And near here are the Zoological Gardens, renown since 1857 for having been the location where the first lion cubs were born and bred in captivity.

Dublin’s city centre is a vibrant area, renown for its pubs and restaurants. Both Guinness and Irish Whiskey being associated with the country, Irish Stew likewise remains a strong favourite in many restaurants. And Irish Coffee has become a firm favourite with tourists, composed as it is of one part whiskey to two parts sweetened black coffee – with cream floating on top…….

Dublin is definitely a fascinating city to explore, and draws tourists from all over the world. From Britain it is possible to reach Dublin by air, by ferry, or even by train and coach and ferry. And as the capital of ‘The Emerald Isle’, Dublin is a city that is well worth a visit……