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Dublin, Ireland. Tour of the City
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Dublin (Irish: Baile Átha Cliath),is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Ireland, located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin region. It has served continually as Ireland's capital city since mediæval times.

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City of Dublin
Dublin has a population of some 495,000 (CSO Census 2002) within the official city boundary, though the population of the Dublin metropolitan area is considerably higher, with the development and spread of suburbs and satellite towns continuing into the surrounding areas. currently projected to be 1,274,100 for the year 2006 when the next census will take place.

O'Connell Street Bridge - Dublin General Post Office, O'Connell Street - Dublin Liffey Bridge - Dublin Garden Of Rememberance - Dublin Merrion Square Park with Oscar Wilde Statue - Dublin Saint Patricks Cathedral - Dublin Dublin City Though there is no exact agreed definition of the "Greater Dublin Area" it would be generally accepted as including Dublin city and all of counties Wicklow, Kildare, Fingal, South Dublin, Meath and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown with the limits of the commuter belt stretching to a much greater distance.

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The name Dublin is an Anglicism of Dubh Linn (Irish, meaning "Black Pool"); though some doubt this derivation. Historically, in the old script used for the Irish language, 'bh' was written with a dot placed over the 'b' - thus appearing to be Dub Linn or Dublinn. The Norman French speaking English who arrived in Old Irish speaking Ireland starting in 1169 had no idea the dot over the 'b' signified it was really 'bh,' so they omitted it and spelled the town's name as 'Dublin.'

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Meanwhile, the city's name in Modern Irish - Baile Átha Cliath ("The Town of the Ford of the Reed Hurdles") actually refers to the settlement, founded in 988 by High King Mael Sechnaill II, which adjoined the town of Dubh Linn proper, at the Black Pool.
Some have suggested that "Dublin" is of Scandinavian origin, cf. Icelandic: "djúp lind" ("deep pond"). That does not work for two reasons. First, the name "Dubh Linn" pre-dates the arrival of the Vikings in Ireland. Second, the Old Norse name for Dublin is simply the words "Dubh Linn" re-spelled as if they were Old Norse: Dyfflin (correctly pronounced "DUEV-linn" - indeed, the letter 'y' is still pronounced like the vowel in "ewe" in Modern Norwegian, Swedish, etc., just as it was in Old Norse).

The settlement Dubh Linn dates perhaps as far back as the first century B.C., Baile Átha Cliath or simply Áth Cliath was founded in 988 near by. The two towns eventually became one. The modern city retains the Anglicised Irish name of the former and the original Irish name of the latter. After the Norman invasion of Ireland, Dublin replaced the Hill of Tara as Ireland's capital, with much of the power centring on Dublin Castle until independence. From the 17th century the city expanded rapidly, helped by the Wide Streets Commission. Georgian Dublin was for a time, the second city of the British Empire. Much of Dublin's best architecture dates from this time. The Easter Rising of 1916 left the capital in an unstable situation and the Anglo-Irish War and Irish Civil War left the capital in ruins, with many of its finest buildings destroyed. The Irish Free State rebuilt much of the city's buildings and moved parliament into the Leinster House, but took no bold tasks such as remodelling. After The Emergency Dublin remained a capital out of time, modernization was slow and finally the 1960s saw change begin. In recent years the infrastructure has been changed immensely. (See also Development and Preservation in Dublin) The Dublin Area Rapid Transit allowed the city to have a transport system suited for any modern European city.

From 1922, following the partition of Ireland, it served as the capital of the Irish Free State (1922-1937) and now as the capital of the Republic of Ireland. (Many of these states co-existed or competed within the same timeframe as rivals within either British or Irish constitutional theory.)

Dublin is a major cultural centre in Ireland. Temple Bar is an important place for night life and often people from Britain and beyond visit for the weekend. The city also has a growing gay community, though homosexuality was only decriminalised in 1993 following a case in the European Court.
Dublin is the origin of some prominent artists and writers. Dubliners is a collection of short stories by James Joyce about incidents and characters typical of residents of the city in the early part of the 20th century. Ulysses, also by James Joyce, a novel set in Dublin, is full of topographical detail and is both acclaimed and controversial.

Traditionally a north versus south division has existed within Dublin City (culturally viewed as being the area bound by the M50 motorway), with the dividing line provided by the River Liffey. The Northside (written as one word) is generally seen as being poorer and more working class, while the Southside is seen as middle and upper class and wealthier. This is also reflected by Dublin postal districts, with odd numbers being used for districts on the Northside, e.g: Raheny is in Dublin 5, and even numbers for ones on the Southside, e.g: Sandymount is in Dublin 4.
This division dates back centuries, certainly to the point when the Earl of Kildare built his residence on the then less regarded Southside. When asked why he was building on the South Side, he replied "Where I go, fashion follows me", and indeed he was promptly followed by most other Irish peers. While the Southside is perhaps wealthier, the President of Ireland's residence, Áras an Uachtaráin, is on the Northside, however its postal district is Dublin 8 which is a Southside number. The residence of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, and his Church of Ireland counterparts until the 1920s, are also on the Northside. Two of Dublin's wealthiest suburbs, Howth and Castleknock are also on the Northside. The Southside similarly has many working-class suburbs, like Palmerstown, Crumlin, and Ballyfermot. In fact, a far greater division in social terms is evident between the coastal suburbs in the east of the city, both north and south, and the newer developments further to the west, though this too is only a rough guide.

Dublin's middle class liberals are often described as Dublin 4, referring to one of the city's wealthiest postal districts, in which the studios of Radio Telifís Éireann, the national broadcaster are located, as are a number of respected schools, colleges and a university. The modern campus of University College Dublin is located on the boundary of Dublin 4 and Dublin 14. In actuality, the term Dublin 4 or the abbreviated D4 can refer to any middle class Dubliner from the Northside or the Southside or in many cases to simply an attitude that can be found anywhere in Ireland. Many politicians and political commentators live in Dublin 4, while Dublin 4 traditionally takes a strongly liberal stance in referenda on issues like abortion and divorce. The area is also associated with a distinctive accent (not actually particular to the district) which can be pleasing to some and painful to others.

The National Print Museum of Ireland, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Ireland, the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery, the Chester Beatty Library and three centers of the National Museum of Ireland are located.

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