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British Mensa Travel Special Interest Group |
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The
Stuff of Heaven Dublin is the capital city of the Republic of Ireland, and the largest city in Ireland. The name comes from the Gaelic Dubh Linn, which means “black pool.” Two rivers the Liffey and the much smaller Poddle came together and formed a pool that allowed boats to come close to the land instead of having to load and unload over a beach. Dublin was an active port in Roman times - they called it Eblana - and has remained the main port for the east of Ireland ever since. The first written references to Dublin are dated 988, when an agreement was signed linking it with Bristol. An archaeological dig at Wood Quay unearthed an amazing collection of Viking and pre-Viking artefacts many of which are on display (free of charge) at the National Museum. There has
never been an overall plan for the city on the lines of, say, Paris or
Berlin. In fact it has been only since the end of British rule in Ireland,
that any real plans were put together at all. These have always
been on a small scale basis, such as designing of housing estates rather
than of entire areas. There have never been planned cities and towns
in Ireland like Letchworth, Welwyn Garden City and Bourneville in the
UK, although a small number of company towns were set up to provide accommodation
for staff in factories (mostly in what is now Northern Ireland). This
means that Dublin consists of a number of smaller villages which became
part of the city as it expanded. Many of these areas have retained
their character, and people who live in them will tell you they live in
Clontarf or Rathmines or Lucan, even though these areas have long been
part of the greater Dublin area. From the early 12th century to the 1920s, Ireland was effectively an English colony. Its main function was to provide a market for English manufactured goods and supply cheap labour for English factories and low-paid soldiers for English wars. Being Irish was a major disadvantage during this period and millions emigrated, especially during the period 1820 - 1960. The population dropped from about 8 million to just over 2 million, of which one-third lived in Dublin. Today some 82 million people claim Irish ancestry, and being Irish or of Irish ancestry is a great advantage in many walks of life. So if you have a day to spare in Dublin, what do you do? The centre of the city is compact, and it is easy to walk to most of the better known tourist destinations. There are the obvious places such as the Guinness brewery - by far the biggest in Europe, and second biggest in the world. However, you could explore Dublin for a year and find 365 different nooks and crannies full of history and interest. If you like architecture, you can see buildings that have been around for hundreds of years, or just hundreds of days. Many of the streets and kerbstones have been made from granite hacked from the rocks at Ballyknockan, 80 kilometres away near the source of the Liffey, and dragged by horse-drawn barge to where they now lie. Many buildings from the early 18th century still retain their wonderful symmetry (and beautiful interior plaster work). You can visit any of hundreds of pubs throughout the city and country. Like any other city, there are locals, theme pubs, music pubs, tourist pubs, and those which offer peace and quiet. There are all sorts of accommodation alternatives from 5-star hotels to cheap hostels and even campsites. Dublin Zoo is one of the world’s oldest, and is sited in the Phoenix Park, Europe’s biggest enclosed public park. The original piano keyboard used by Handel when he played the Messiah - for the world premier - is there for anybody to see at St Michan’s church. If you take a 31 bus to its terminus at Howth, and walk the 200 metres gentle climb to the summit of Howth hill on a clear day, you might be rewarded with views of the Cambrian mountains in Wales or the Mourne mountains in County Down - both over 70 miles away. At night, there are wonderful views of the lights of Dublin. There is a working fishing and leisure port at Howth harbour, with the island of Ireland’s Eye - full of legends of leprechauns and saints and devils - just a mile off shore. At one end of Ireland’s Eye there is a sharp crevasse in the rock, clearly visible from the mainland. The story goes that one day St Patrick took a well-earned break from preaching, and was accosted by the devil who promised Patrick could have anything he wanted provided he acknowledged that Satan was boss. Patrick immediately refused the offer, and the devil was so angered by this unexpected refusal that he stamped his foot and broke off the end of the island, causing the crevasse! Dublin is the home of Gulliver’s Travels, U2, George Bernard Shaw and James Joyce, whose masterpiece Ulysses was based on 1902 Sandymount, now a south Dublin suburb. The city is the home of countless people who make their living from the use of words, from musicians, writers and poets to politicians, actors and talkers. Go to any pub and you will find someone who will offer you an opinion about whatever subject interests you. However, do not expect to find a well organised tourist trail. Every person you meet will give you their own list of “must-sees”. You need to do some research to find out what you want and where to go. But the research itself is great fun First published in VISA issue 57 (Sep 2004) |