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Dublin
was founded by the Vikings over a thousand years ago,
when their longships sailed up the River Liffey. They
called their settlement Dyflin, (their pronunciation of
'Dubh Linn' meaning "Black Pool", the old Gaelic
name for an earlier settlement, as the area we now call
Dublin was, from the time of St.Patrick, dotted with little
Christian Curches.)
In
the 12th century, the King of Englands Anglo-Norman knights
wrested Dublin from its Viking Rulers. They laid the foundations
for a thriving medieval city, a city with thick walls,
many towers and gates, part of which can still be seen.
These rulers built two great cathedrals, Christchurch
and St.Patricks, one of whose deans was the famous Jonathon
Swift, author of 'Gulliver's Travels'. Dublin Castle,
also dating from this time has been rebuilt as a Georgian
Palace. These buildings still play their part in the life
of the city. The Castle is an elegant venue for many international
meetings.
Over the following centuries, Dublin evolved into an important
city welcoming Dutch, Hugenot, English and Jewish immigrants,
all of whom contributed greatly to it's growth. Towards
the end of the 17th century, thanks to the vision of a
viceroy, the Duke of Ormond, a new and beautiful city
started to rise near the sea and away from the old town.
Vast areas of land were reclaimed from the Liffey. This
time saw the building of the Royal Hospital, the enclosing
of the Phoenix Park (1760 acres, the largest urban park
in Europe), the wide streets, impressive public buildings
such as the present Bank of Ireland (originally the Parliment
building), the Customs House, the Four Courts, City Hall,
Leinster House (built as a private residence, now seat
of our parliment, An Dail) and Trinity College founded
in 1592 - a glorious new city indeed!
After the Act of Union 1801, when Ireland's parliment
was transferred to Westminster, London, the character
of the city changed. Ireland was going through many upheavals
like the Great Famine 1845-1849 and Dublin had its share
of these too, but beautiful buildings continued to rise,
including the National Museum, National Art Gallery, Natural
History Museum, the National Library and the General Post
Office in O'Connell Street, which was to be the headquarters
of the 1916 rising and where the Proclamation of Independence
(of the Republic) can be read. The Easter Rising led to
six years of struggle for independence. Ireland became
an independent state in in 1922 and a Republic in 1947.
Today Dublin is a vibrant modern city, city of birth to
many world-famous writers - Jonathon Swift, James Joyce,
W B Yeats, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Sean O'Casey,
Samuel Beckett, Bram Stoker. Today it is home to great
writers and poets including Seamus Heaney, winner of the
Nobel Literature Prize. The Temple Bar area, where so
many artists, designers, and film-makers gather
is alive with pubs, coffee houses, restaurants, clubs,
music, chat and laughter. ..
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