About Dublin
Dublin is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city, with a population of 1.4 million.
The city developed from a ninth–century Viking settlement at the mouth of the River Liffey. The name derives from the Irish Dubh Linn (Black Pool), though the official name in the Irish language is Baile Átha Cliath (Place of the Hurdle Ford), originally the name of the Celtic settlement on the northern bank of the river.
Dublin became the administrative capital of Ireland following the twelfth-century Anglo-Norman invasion. It achieved the peak of its prosperity and influence in the eighteenth century when it was regarded as the second city of the British Empire. Many of the characteristic features of the city took shape during this period: elegant public buildings, wide streets and Georgian residential squares. After the Act of Union in 1801 the city lost its independent parliament and as a result its prosperity waned. Ireland experienced a cultural revival from the end of the nineteenth century, leading to the Easter Rising of 1916 and eventual independence from Britain in 1921. From the 1960s the city began its latest phase of growth and development, reflected in the eclectic mix of historic and contemporary buildings that now make up its streetscape.
Trinity College Dublin
Located at the heart of the city, Trinity College Dublin is Ireland's oldest and most renowned university. It was founded in 1592 under charter from Elizabeth I. Its campus contains a harmonious blend of buildings from the eighteenth century to the present, laid out in a cruciform arrangement of squares with playing fields and further buildings to the rear. The university now has almost 16,000 students and over 2,000 members of staff. Amongst its distinguished graduates are Jonathan Swift, Edmund Burke, Oliver Goldsmith, William Rowan Hamilton, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Samuel Beckett, Ernest Walton, and the current Chancellor, Mary Robinson.
Trinity College Library holds the largest research collection in Ireland, built up over four centuries. It has been a legal deposit library for the UK and Ireland since 1801. The collection contains about 4.5 million printed volumes, significant holdings of maps and printed music, and an extensive collection of literary and historical manuscripts, the most famous being the Book of Kells. The Library also provides access to 30,000 electronic journals and approximately 300,000 online books.
Places of interest
Central Dublin is relatively small and easy to navigate on foot. The city is split, physically and psychologically, by the River Liffey. Trinity College Dublin is located south of the River and will provide the focal point for IAML Conference 2011. There are plenty of things to see and do within the vicinity of the College. Firstly, there are the treasures of Trinity College itself, including the Book of Kells. The College is also located close to the best of what remains of Georgian Dublin: areas such as Fitzwilliam and Merrion Squares and of course St. Stephen's Green. The National Library, the National Gallery, the National Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of Archaeology and History are all within a few minutes walking distance.
Slightly further afield, but still within walking distance, lies one of Dublin's oldest landmarks, Christ Church Cathedral. The choral services are sung by the Cathedral choir, which traces its origins to the choir school founded in 1480 and is famous for the taking part in the first performance of Handel's Messiah, along with the choir of nearby St. Patrick's Cathedral. St. Patrick's was founded in 1191 and has also contributed much to Irish life throughout its long history. Its most famous Dean was the writer and satirist Jonathan Swift and his grave and epitaph lie near the entrance of the cathedral. And while you are in this area of town, you might like to pay a visit to Marsh's Library which is located beside St. Patrick's. Built in 1701 by Archbishop Narcissus Marsh, this was the first public library in Ireland. Today it is used as a research library and its collections consist mainly of 16th, 17th and 18th printed books and manuscripts, including music. The interior of the library remains unchanged since it was built three hundred years ago, with its dark oak bookcases, each with carved and lettered gables, topped by a mitre, and the three elegant wired alcoves or 'cages' where the readers were locked with rare books.
The main street North of the Liffey is O'Connell Street, where you can see the General Post Office, one of the main battle scenes of the 1916 Easter Rising. Further north, among more Georgian squares, and past the Garden of Remembrance, are the Dublin Writers' Museum and the Hugh Lane Gallery. Two of the city's main theatres, the Abbey and the Gate, are also located North of the Liffey. During the summer months they usually stage well-known plays by Irish dramatists such as O'Casey, Synge or Friel.
Once you have enjoyed your fill of cultural excursions, Trinity College is in a prime position for one of the main shopping streets of the city, Grafton Street. And if you tire of the city centre, there is always the option of heading to Dublin's biggest green space and one of the world's largest walled parks, the Phoenix Park. The 1,760 acres (712 hectares) are home to the Irish President, Dublin Zoo, as well as herds of deer and a giant white cross commemorating the 1979 Papal visit.
Of course, the other alternative is to indulge in a little of Dublin's pub culture. Dublin's pub scene is infamous and one of the main draws for tourism, prompting a well-known travel guide to write that visitors should "stop pretending you're here for anything else"! The area known as Temple Bar has in recent years evolved into the hub of the city's nightlife. This warren of cobbled streets is thronged with revellers at weekends, and the area is full of bars and restaurants, although it can often seem a bit like a tourist trap. However, you will not have to travel very far from the vicinity of TCD to find pubs that are more traditional and less frenetic. You can also sample the "black stuff" at the Guinness Storehouse, now one of the main tourist attractions in the city, or for something stronger, the Old Jameson Distillery located in Smithfield.
There are many concert and live music venues dotted throughout the city. The main classical music venue in the city centre is the National Concert Hall. As well as weekly performances by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, whose home is at the National Concert Hall, a programme of visiting international soloists and orchestras is promoted by the National Concert hall, in addition to concerts of jazz, contemporary and traditional Irish music. Listings for other venues are available on Dublin Events website, or on the Ticketmaster website for larger concerts and events. If you are interested in Irish sport, you might like to attend a Gaelic football or hurling match at Croke Park, home of the Gaelic Athletic Association, Ireland's largest sporting organisation. In addition to the GAA Museum, you can take a guided tour of the stadium, which is the 4th largest in Europe.
The urban sprawl of the city centre quickly gives way to many smaller centres which punctuate the curve of Dublin Bay and many are easily accessible using the DART — Dublin's local train service. The fishing port of Howth is located to the north of the city, while to the south lies Sandycove with its James Joyce connections.
Should you wish to venture further afield, Dublin is one of the easiest capitals from which to escape. It is a good base for exploring the hills and coastline of Wicklow to the south, where attractions include the 5th century monastic settlement located in the scenic valley of Glendalough, or the 47 acres of gardens at Powerscourt House. Gentler scenery to the north of the city leads up to the Boyne Valley and the megalithic monuments of Newgrange and Knowth.
Places of interest text © 2004 Emma Costello.