{"id":62,"date":"2013-06-26T19:27:56","date_gmt":"2013-06-27T02:27:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/dublin\/?p=62"},"modified":"2014-10-30T09:18:12","modified_gmt":"2014-10-30T16:18:12","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/dublin\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dublin – capital city of Ireland, with over 1.5 million residents and over 1,000 pubs.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

10 trivia facts about Dublin\u2019s fair city<\/p>\n

1. The name for Dublin in the Irish language is both Dubh Linn and Baile \u00c1tha Cliath. While walking around Dublin you\u2019re more likely to see the latter on road signs. The literal meaning of \u00c1tha Cliath is “Ford of the Reed Hurdles.” Dublin or Dubh Linn is derived from the Old Irish Gaelic, which has its literal meaning “Black Pool”. The Dubh Linn was a lake used by the Vikings to moor their trade ships and was connected to the Liffey by the River Poddle.<\/p>\n

2. The city of Dublin covers a land area of 44.5 square miles. The average temperature in January is 41\u00b0F and the July Average is 63\u00b0F. It is estimated that 50% of the city\u2019s residents are under-25 years of age. My advice dress warmly and party hard.<\/p>\n

\"DublinRiverLiffeyView\"<\/a>3. Dublin is twinned to cities Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain, Liverpool in the United Kingdom and San Jose, in California.<\/p>\n

4. Dublin’s O’Connell Bridge that covers the famed River Liffey is reckoned to be the only bridge in the European continent that has the same width as its length. This present concrete structure was built in 1863, replacing a wooden bridge built in 1801. Amazingly, prior to that time, O’Connell Bridge was a rope structure that could only carry one person and a donkey at a time.<\/p>\n

5. Dublin has a renowned history in the Literary and Movie World with celebrated native names such George Bernard Shaw (dramatist, critic & Nobel Prize winner), James Joyce (writer and poet and writer of Ulysses), Oscar Wilde (playwright, poet, essayist & novelist) and Dracula creator Bram Stoker to name but a few. Prominent Hollywood Actors hailing from the city include Maureen O\u2019Hara, Brendan Gleeson, Gabriel Byrne and Colin Farrell.<\/p>\n

6. The “Oldest Pub in Ireland” is reputed to be located in Dublin. The pub is called the Brazen Head. There has been a pub on this site since 1198.<\/p>\n

7. Handel\u2019s classic “Messiah” was premiered for the first time in 1742 in Dublin at the New Music Hall in Fishamble Street, with 26 boys and five men from the St Patrick\u2019s and Christchurch choir cathedrals taking part.<\/p>\n

8. Dublin is home to many of Ireland\u2019s most famous musicians, from the Dubliners and Thin Lizzy to Sinead O\u2019Connor and U2. Many of U2\u2019s back catalogue of albums were recorded in their home city. Windmill Lane Studios was the place where U2 recorded their early work and first three albums. The site at Windmill Lane Studios is covered in graffiti from fans that have paid pilgrimage from all over the world and is known as the “U2 Wall.”<\/p>\n

9. Trinity College, the ancient Dublin university set up at the request of Queen Elizabeth I, has had some memorable graduates including Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift and, surprisingly, Bram Stoker, creator of Dracula.<\/p>\n

10. None of the so-called Dublin Mountains is high enough to meet the criteria required to claim mountain status. The Sugarloaf is the tallest ‘Dublin Mountain’ yet measures a mere 423.3 meters above sea level.<\/p>\n

(Courtesy:\u00a0www.irishcentral.com)<\/p>\n

***************<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Much More<\/p>\n

Ireland’s\u00a0capital since medieval times,\u00a0Dublin\u00a0continues to entice visitors with its blend of\u00a0Irish hospitality and lively nightlife. Pubs and\u00a0beer are seemingly at the centre of life in this\u00a0city, whose most popular attraction is the\u00a0Guinness Storehouse and the most popular\u00a0area among visitors is Temple Bar, primarily\u00a0due to its central location and, of course,\u00a0availability of pubs and clubs, although its\u00a0medieval cobbled streets do add immensely\u00a0to its appeal.<\/p>\n

Located in the province of\u00a0Leinster, Dublin\u00a0currently holds a population of nearly 1.1 million inhabitants to include the urban\u00a0areas of Dublin and is by far the largest city in Ireland. Built upon the River Liffey,\u00a0it became one of the fastest growing capital cities in Europe in recent years, both\u00a0economically and population wise.<\/p>\n

Once a city all too familiar with its inhabitants emigrating to foreign shores, the\u00a0capital (as well as the rest of the country) has since gone through a major\u00a0economic boom known as the Celtic Tiger. And while the economy has been\u00a0faltering somewhat since this boom period ended just before the turn of the\u00a0decade, Dublin has nonetheless evolved from a city of emigration to a thriving\u00a0city of immigration. The Irish capital is now home to a large number of foreign\u00a0nationals – most notably from\u00a0Poland,\u00a0United Kingdom,\u00a0China,\u00a0Lithuania,\u00a0Russia\u00a0and\u00a0Nigeria. Indeed Dublin has grown up a lot from its infantile status into a\u00a0thriving, modern and multicultural city in\u00a0Europe.<\/p>\n

One of the many consequences from the day of Celtic Tiger is the relatively high\u00a0costs related to living as well as visiting the fair city (and the country in general).\u00a0However, with the end of the boom, Dublin is becoming a more accessible city,\u00a0price-wise.<\/p>\n

When in Dublin, do as the Dubs do. The city centre area is compact and easily\u00a0accessible by foot. Enjoy your days taking in the sites on the streets and head\u00a0out at night to enjoy the ‘craic’ (Gaelic for ‘fun’) – i.e. drinking, music and dancing!\u00a0The friendly locals are sure to wish ‘C\u00e9ad m\u00edle f\u00e1ilte romhat’\u00a0(A hundred thousand\u00a0welcomes to you).<\/p>\n

Neighbourhoods
\nThe city of Dublin is the heart of the Dublin\u00a0Region, and is primarily separated by River\u00a0Liffey into the Northside and the Southside.\u00a0This divide has historical and socio-economical significances, where traditionally\u00a0most of the neighbourhoods in the northside\u00a0were those of working class whereas the\u00a0southside were made up of mostly of more\u00a0affluent middle and upper-middle class\u00a0neighbourhoods. The divide is blurring, given\u00a0the affordability of housing in the northside in\u00a0comparison to the southside, particularly for\u00a0new (and often young) home-owners,\u00a0although for now, the status quo remains.<\/p>\n

The inner city centre areas are often identified around the streets and squares of\u00a0significance as well as specially concentrated areas, including Grafton Street,\u00a0Dame Street, Pearse Street, St Stephen’s Green and Temple Bar on the\u00a0southside, and O’Connell Street, Parnell Street, Italian Quarter and Irish Financial\u00a0Services Centre (IFSC).<\/p>\n

What was formerly known as County Dublin is now dissolved and\u00a0administratively divided into three counties – Fingal, D\u00fan Laoghaire-Rathdown\u00a0and South Dublin – as well as the Dublin city area.\u00a0Fingalcomprises of 28 towns,\u00a0and has its head office in Swords, the third largest town in Ireland.\u00a0D\u00fan\u00a0Laoghaire-Rathdown\u00a0comprises of 30 towns, and has its head office in D\u00fan\u00a0Laoghaire. South Dublin is made up of 17 towns and has its head office in\u00a0Tallaght.<\/p>\n

Trinity College
\nOne Dublin’s most famous tourist attraction,\u00a0Trinity College\u00a0(also known as the\u00a0University of Dublin) sits proudly on extensive grounds right in the centre of the\u00a0city on College Green. Now more than 400 years old, it is Ireland’s oldest\u00a0university and today ranked as one of the world’s top 50 universities. Aside from\u00a0its magnificent grounds, the college is most famous for being home to\u00a0the Book\u00a0of Kells, an amazingly ornate illuminated manuscript in Latin that monks inked\u00a0by hand as many as 1,200 years ago. Entry to the college grounds is free, but\u00a0there is a \u20ac9 entry fee (\u20ac8 for students\/senior citizens) for the Book of Kells.\u00a0There are also student-led guided tours for \u20ac10 which includes the admission to\u00a0the Book of Kells. Additionally,\u00a0visitors to Trinity College\u00a0can also visit the\u00a0Douglas Hyde Gallery and the Science Gallery for free. Visitors may also\u00a0download\u00a0Science Safaris: The Trinity Trail podcast series\u00a0to enhance their\u00a0visit to the campus.<\/p>\n

Science Gallery
\nThe\u00a0Science Gallery\u00a0is an one-of-a-kind venue where science meets arts and\u00a0the public from an interactive manner, and explores various topics of current\u00a0interests. Please check the events listing prior to visit, as there is transitional\u00a0period in between exhibits. Science Gallery does not house a permanent exhibit.\u00a0Entry is free although some experiments may incur a small charge to cover the\u00a0running costs. There is also a caf\u00e9 (albeit somewhat clinical in appearance) in\u00a0the gallery that serves delicious Italian food.<\/p>\n

National Museum of Ireland
\nThe\u00a0National Museum of Ireland\u00a0has three branches in the capital: the\u00a0Archaeology branch on Kildare Street, which looks at prehistoric and medieval\u00a0Ireland; the Decorative Arts & History branch at Collins Barracks; and the Natural\u00a0History branch on Merrion Street (currently closed for restorations – part of the\u00a0exhibits can be seen as temporary exhibition at Collins Barracks). All are free of\u00a0charge.<\/p>\n

The National Gallery of Ireland
\nFacing onto Merrion Square (but with a second entrance at Clare Street), the\u00a0The\u00a0National Gallery of Ireland\u00a0is home to the Irish national art collection. Most\u00a0notable for its comprehensive collection of Irish art, the gallery also has some\u00a0great works from Italian baroque and Dutch masters. Free entry to the permanent\u00a0collection.<\/p>\n

Irish Museum of Modern Art
\nLocated on an impressive site – in a 17th century building west of Dublin city\u00a0centre that was formerly a hospital – the\u00a0Irish Museum of Modern Art(IMMA) is\u00a0Ireland’s home of modern and contemporary art. Free entry, except to some\u00a0special exhibitions.<\/p>\n

Dublin Castle
\nOriginally a castle boasting four circular\u00a0towers and tall walls,\u00a0Dublin Castle\u00a0dates\u00a0all the way back to the 13th century. Just one\u00a0of these towers remains today, however, and\u00a0most of the castle’s surviving buildings are\u00a0from the 18th century. It is nonetheless a\u00a0grand location boasting several different\u00a0museums as well as regular diplomatic\u00a0functions.<\/p>\n

Christ Church Cathedral
\nThe oldest cathedral in the city, the\u00a0Christ\u00a0Church Cathedral\u00a0is a gothic-style church\u00a0of almost a thousand years old. Although it has undergone many restorations, it\u00a0remains an excellent example of medieval and Victorian architecture. It is\u00a0adjacent to\u00a0Dublinia\u00a0and entry to both places can be bought together at a\u00a0discounted price.<\/p>\n

St Patrick’s Cathedral
\nBuilt in honour of the patron saint of Ireland,\u00a0St Patrick’s Cathedral\u00a0is the\u00a0largest cathedral in Ireland. Located just beyond the old Dublin city wall (whereas\u00a0Christ Church was within the city wall) adjacent to the famous well where St\u00a0Patrick was said to have baptized converts on his visit to Dublin, the cathedral\u00a0boasts one of the largest organ in the country with over 4,000 pipes.<\/p>\n

Guinness Storehouse
\nOne of the most visited attractions in the city, the\u00a0Guinness Storehouse\u00a0is\u00a0located inside St James Gate brewery, which has been the home of the famous\u00a0black stuff since the 1700s. Here one can learn all about how the stout is made,\u00a0its many famous advertising campaigns and even how to pour the perfect pint.\u00a0The tour ends with a complimentary drink in the Gravity Bar, which offers a great\u00a0360-degree view of the city. Online purchase of the tickets is discounted by 10%\u00a0and as the tour of the storehouse is self-guided, visitors should\u00a0download the\u00a0podcast available\u00a0on the web to accompany their visit.<\/p>\n

Old Jameson Distillery
\nThe\u00a0Old Jameson Distillery\u00a0in Dublin’s modern Smithfield district offers visitors\u00a0the chance to learn everything about the history of this famous whiskey and its\u00a0founder, John Jameson.<\/p>\n

By Foot
\nOf course, probably the best way to travel around the city centre of Dublin is to\u00a0hit the streets on foot. The most popular tourist areas in the city are reasonably\u00a0close together and well within walking distance. Strolling through the various\u00a0areas you will soon witness how old Dublin meets the new modern developments\u00a0and neither backdrop will seem out of place. During the day the streets will be\u00a0bustling with shoppers and workers running out to grab lunch. Even at night the\u00a0streets are relatively safe. However, as is with all cities, it is best to keep to well lit\u00a0and busy areas.<\/p>\n

Nightlife
\nLong famous as a good-time city, Dublin has become a mecca for young tourists\u00a0from Britain and elsewhere in\u00a0Europe\u00a0that descend on the Irish capital specifically\u00a0to party. Therefore you’re sure to find fellow tourists everywhere on the nightlife\u00a0circuit, although some groups of visitors, particularly stag (bachelor) and hen\u00a0(bachelorette) parties, have earned themselves something of a bad reputation.\u00a0Pubs and nightclubs aside, Dublin has an active cultural scene, with plenty of\u00a0concerts, theatre and other events to choose from. The best sources for\u00a0information on what’s on in the city at any given time include\u00a0In Dublin,\u00a0The\u00a0Irish Times\u00a0newspaper and\u00a0Entertainment.ie.<\/p>\n

Eat
\nThere are plenty of good quality places to eat in Dublin, with a wide price range\u00a0to suit all budgets and a variety of cuisine type on offer. Admittedly, Dublin is an\u00a0expensive city and therefore many travellers may find eating out in Dublin\u00a0overpriced. However, many restaurants are offering set value menus in order to\u00a0make dining out a more affordable affair once again. For a list of places to eat,\u00a0see\u00a0Eating Out in Dublin.<\/p>\n

Drink
\nBeing the Irish capital, the first thing most travellers think of upon their arrival in\u00a0Dublin is where can they get a decent pint! And for sure the city is not one to\u00a0disappoint. The River Liffey creates a divide through the city between the\u00a0Northside and the Southside – both of which offer a multitude of variously themed\u00a0pubs and clubs. Some of the bigger places are quite obvious to the passerby,\u00a0however a little venturing down winding streets and narrow lanes can provide\u00a0satisfying rewards in the form of small, but homely pubs and bars. It’s also not\u00a0unusual to find larger clubs hidden away in obscure locations. A reasonably\u00a0comprehensive list of pubs in the capital can be found at the\u00a0Dublin Pubscene\u00a0website.<\/p>\n

(Courtesy: www.travellerspoint.com)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dublin – capital city of Ireland, with over 1.5 million residents and over 1,000 pubs. 10 trivia facts about Dublin\u2019s fair city 1. The name for Dublin in the Irish language is both Dubh Linn and Baile \u00c1tha Cliath. While walking around Dublin you\u2019re more likely to see the latter on road signs. The literal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-about"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/dublin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/dublin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/dublin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/dublin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/dublin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/dublin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/dublin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/dublin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/dublin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/dublin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}