Dublin is a fantastic cultural and cosmopolitan city beautifully located looking out to the Irish sea and backed by the Wicklow mountains. In our native Gaelic language Dublin is known as ‘Baile Atha Cliath’- town of the hurdle ford, a hurdle ford being a shallow crossing on the river Liffey and also ‘Dubh Linn’-the dark pool, formed where the river Liffey met the river Poddle, later forced underground.
Dublin was not always the Capital of Ireland and it was not even until the arrival of the Vikings in 841 that it developed into a town . In these times the banks of the Liffey would have reached up close to the side of Trinity College. Along here they would have landed their boats and there once stood a long stone 12- 14 feet high to mark a safe landing spot along the bank. There has now been erected a similar stone to mark this spot close to where the original once stood at the junction of D’Olier Street and College Street.

It would have been about 930 when the Vikings built a fortress where now stands Dublin Castle to protect themselves from the natives, but when the Anglo-Norman invasion came along in 1169 neither they nor the Irish were any match and within a couple of years the Vikings were forced out to Oxmanstown north of the Liffey.

The building of Dublin Castle was undertaken in 1204 to protect the Anglo Normans from raids carried out by the Vikings and the Irish clans hidden in the mountains. Buildings such as Christchurch also date from this Anglo Norman period. And due to such attacks it was deemed safe to build outside of he city walls from which buildings such as Trinity College date. From the 18th Century and the Georgian period 19th Century does the city owe much of its architecture, with magnificent buildings such as The Customs House, Four Courts and Leinster House, seat of the Irish Parliament since 1921, built during this period.

Many great writers and poets hailed from Dublin, such as Joyce, Swift, Wilde, Beckett, Shaw and many other characters have become part of our heritage, such as sweet Molly Malone, an 18th Century street trader whose like can still be found today at the bustling street market on Moore Street.

Dublin is a compact city and walking from Henry Street main shopping district on the northside to its counterpart Grafton Street on the southside only taking 10 minutes. Both areas are alive with shoppers and Grafton Street with its buskers will keep you entertained. Least not we forget in the middle is Temple Bar which still retains its cobblestoned streets and old buildings, making it the oldest quarter of the city with features unfortunately not to be found in most other parts.

We hope you take the time to savor all our city has to offer and wish you a most pleasant stay and hope to see you again sometime.