"Dublin" Dublin by leafmcgowan

Irish as Baile Atha Cliath, Ath Cliath, or Dublin is the capital of Ireland and is Eire's largest city. The name "Dubh Linn" means "Black Pool" or "Baile Atha Cliath" meaning "town of the hurdled ford" as it is the fording point of the Liffey in the vicinity of the Heuston Station named after the early Christian monastery that was believed to have settled here. The Dubh Linn and Poddle was covered during the early 1700s and was a lake used by Scandinavians to moor their ships and connected to the Liffey by the Poddle. But as the city expanded these were forgotten about. The Dubh Linn was situated where the Castle Garden is now located opposite the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle. It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's East Coast at the mouth of the River Liffey. It was originally a viking settlement that evolved into the Kingdom of Dublin becoming the island's primary city following the Norman invasion. Today it is 23rd rank on the Global Financial Centres Index and is one of the fastest growing populations of any European capital cities. Dublin is also a historical and contemporary cultural center as well as a modern center for the arts, administrative function, economy, and industry. According to the Greek astronomer and cartographer Ptolemy, the earliest habitation in the area was in Dublin around AD 140 as a settlement called Eblana Civitas. Dubh Linn dates as early as the first century BCE becoming home to a monastery. The town was later established in 841 by the Norse. The Norse ruled the city from 841-999 until it was sacked by Brian Boru, the King of Cashel. Even with a Norse King after the Battle of Clontarf in 1014, Norse influence waned under a growing Celtic supremacy until the conquest of Ireland launched from Britain in 1169-1172. 1348 saw the Black Death that ravaged the city in the 14th century. 17th century saw great evolution and expansion in the city, and the population grew from 10,000 in 1600 to over 50,000 in 1700. For a short time "Georgian" Dublin was the second city of the British Empire after London and the fifth largest European City hosting much of the notable architecture at the time. 1759 the Guinness brewery was founded at St. James Gate adding a substantial economic impact for the city. It became the largest employer in the city even though Catholics werre confined to the lower echelons of employment until the 60's. After Irish Independence the Guinness Headquarters were moved to London in the 1930's to avoid Irish taxation and a rival brewery to Dublin was opened in London at Park Royal to supply the UK. Union Act of 1800 caused a period of decline for Dublin even though it held as the center of administration and a transport hub for most of Ireland. Dublin was quiet during the Industrial Revolution as it had no native source for coal, not a center of ship manufacture. This gave a push for Belfast that prospered by having mixture of international trade, factory-based cloth production, and shipbuilding. 1916 saw key elements of the Easter Rising that destroyed a good portion of the city center. City was also devastated by the Anglo-Irish War and the Irish Civil War. The city was rebuilt by the Irish Free State Government. Through the Emergency (World War II) until the 1960's - Dublin remained a capital out of time - the city center remained at an arachitectural standstill and nicknamed the "last 19th Century City of Europe". It became well known for historical film production and soon became home to modern architecture. Dublin is notorious for world-famous literary history as having produced many prominent literary figures including William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw and Samuel Beckett, James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift and the creator of Dracula, Bram Stoker. Joyce's most celebrated work "Ulysses" is set in Dublin was well.

Dublin is home to several theaters within the city center - and many world famous actors have emerged from its stages including Noel Purcell, Sir Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, Stephen Rea, Colin Farrell, Colm Meaney and Gabriel Byrne. Central point of Irish Art and scene - the world famous "Book of Kells" lives here that was created by Celtic Monks in 800 C.E. Three branches of the National Museum of Ireland are located in Dublin: Archaeology in Kildare Street, Decorative Arts and History in Collins Barracks and Natural History in Merrion Street. Dublin is almost home to many musical and operatic companies including: Festival Productions, Lyric Opera Productions, The Pioneers Musical & Dramatic Society, The Glasnevin Musical Society, Second Age Theatre Company, Opera Theatre Company, and Opera Ireland. Temple Bar is the city's center for nightlife and entertainment hosting a very vibrant nightlife where 50% of the citizens in the area are younger than 25. Area is a hotspot for tourists including stag and hen parties from Britain. Live music is found played on the streets daily and produced many reknown artists and bands including U2, The Dubliners, Horslips, The Boomtown Rats, Boyzone, Ronan Keating, Thin Lizzy, Paddy Casey, Sinéad O'Connor, The Script and My Bloody Valentine. The city is notorious for shopping and fashion as well as being the location for large department stores in Ireland. Thriving markets,theaters, and retail centers are abundant. Trinity College is also centered in Dublin as the prime center of education with three universities and other higher education institutions. University of Dublin is the oldest in the city dating to the 16th century. Dublin has also become a center for emigration that continued well into the early 1990's ... with young and single foreign nationals commonplace coming from the European Union, especially the UK, Poland, and Lithuania.