Ireland

In the wake of a remarkable economic boom, Dublin's landscape has changed immeasurably over the past decade. These days Dublin ranks among the top tourist destinations in Europe, and this vibrant city hums with a palpable sense that it is creating a new cultural heritage.

Before the 20th century

The first early Celtic habitation was beside the River Liffey and the city's Irish name, Baile Atha Cliath (the Town of the Hurdle Ford) comes from an ancient river crossing that can still be pinpointed today. By the 9th century, Viking raids had become a fact of Irish life, but some of the Danes chose to stay rather than rape, pillage and depart. They established a vigorous trading port where the River Poddle joined the Liffey in a black pool, or dubh linn. At the Battle of Clontarf in 1014, the Irish defeated the Vikings and broke their military power. But again many of the Danes remained, marrying with the native Irish, adopting Christianity and building churches. The Normans, having consolidated control in England, moved west in the 12th century and also merged with the Irish rather than ruling over them. Until Elizabeth I (1558-1603), real English control over Ireland was restricted to the narrow eastern coastal strip - the Pale - surrounding Dublin. Beyond the Pale, Ireland remained unbowed, and raids from the fierce Irish warriors constantly threatened Dublin's Anglo-Norman stronghold.

The 14th century brought an attempted Scottish invasion and the Black Death's devastation in 1348; the 16th saw a failed revolt against Henry VIII and Henry's dissolution of the monasteries. In 1592, however, Elizabeth I founded Trinity College and gave Dublin an educational tradition that it maintains today. In 1649, Oliver Cromwell took the city and seized Ireland's best land to distribute among his soldiers. Ireland backed James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. When the defeated Catholic James II fled to safety, his supporters were excluded from parliament and from many basic rights. The Protestant Ascendancy led to Dublin's 18th-century boom years; it became the British Empire's second city, after London. The nouveau riche abandoned the confines of medieval Dublin, moving to a new Dublin of stately squares surrounded by fine Georgian mansions, where the slums soon followed.

A subsequent century of trouble and unrest included a failed invasion by the French-backed Wolfe Tone and an unsuccessful revolt in 1798. In 1803 there was another revolt, but it was badly planned and ill-conceived. Robert Emmet, the ringleader, was executed outside St Catherine's Church in the Liberties and joined an increasingly long list of eloquent Irish martyrs. The Act of Union, which came into effect on January 1, 1801, created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and ended the separate Irish Parliament, whose members moved to the British Parliament. The dramatic growth that characterised Dublin in the previous century came to a halt and the city fell into a steady decline. Daniel O'Connell campaigned to recover basic rights for Ireland's Catholic population, gaining the nickname 'The Liberator'. However, he was only willing to agitate within the law, and in the 1840s his support faded after he cancelled a 'monster meeting' at Clontarf when the British objected.

In the late 1840s Ireland was struck by its direst disaster - the Great Famine. Although Dublin escaped the worst effects between 1845 and 1851, the streets and squares were still packed with refugees trying to escape from the countryside. Dublin's decline accelerated. At the same time, the clamour for Home Rule was growing louder. Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-91) was elected to the British Parliament in 1875 and campaigned for a Dublin parliament; however, the Home Rule Bill was repeatedly defeated. Parnell, dubbed the 'King of Ireland', suffered a dramatic fall from power when the Catholic Church found Parnell to be morally unfit as a leader because of his affair with a married woman. This contributed to the often bitter mistrust with which the Church, in its conservative mode, is still regarded by many Irish. Resentment of British rule became violent in 1882, when the British chief secretary was assassinated by a group known as The Invincibles.

Modern history

Ireland's entry into the 20th century was marked by the formation of the republican political movement Sinn Fein (We Ourselves). Agitation against Home Rule was on the increase in the Protestant-dominated northern Irish counties of Ulster, and authorities turned a blind eye to arms shipments coming into Ireland for irregular Protestant forces. This was not the case when the Asgard slipped into Howth harbour with a shipment of rifles for the Irish nationalist cause in 1914. That year Home Rule was passed into law but its implementation was suspended for the duration of WWI. Thousands of Irish volunteers fought in the war; the nationalists among them believed their efforts would ensure that Britain stood by its promise of Home Rule.

Opposition to British rule exploded again in 1916 in yet another ill-planned, poorly executed revolt - the Easter Rising. The General Post Office (GPO), the headquarters of the rising, was quickly taken by the rebels and other key points in the city were secured. However, the Irish forces were soon outnumbered and outgunned. After weeks of fighting the garrisons surrendered and the leaders were jailed. The British administration disastrously overreacted with 77 death sentences (though many were not carried out), which transformed the leaders of the Easter Rising from public nuisances into national heroes. The general election of 1918 saw republican Sinn Fein candidates win nearly three-quarters of the Irish parliamentary seats. Instead of attending at Westminster, they declared Ireland independent, forming the first Dáil Éireann - the Irish Assembly. At the same time terrorist strikes against symbols of British control began, led by the Irish Republican Army (IRA), the military wing of Sinn Fein. The British countered by introducing a tough auxiliary force, known as the Black and Tans because of the colour of their uniforms. Their violent tactics simply increased anger against the British. On November 11, 1920, Ireland's first 'Bloody Sunday' signalled a further escalation in the struggle. The violence fumed until a truce was signed on July 11, 1921, followed by the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which created the still-subservient Irish Free State on December 6, 1921. The six Ulster counties that make up Northern Ireland opted out of the new state. Thus the seeds were planted for a problem that continues to fester.

Although the Dáil narrowly ratified the Treaty and the general public did the same by a larger margin, civil war broke out in June 1922. On August 22, revolutionary leader Michael Collins was killed in an ambush near Cork. The Dáil then passed a bill making the death sentence mandatory for any IRA member possessing a gun. By May 1923, 77 executions had taken place and the president of Sinn Fein ordered the IRA to drop their arms. The Civil War ground to a halt, driving a wedge between Sinn Fein as a political force and the IRA as a terrorist group. In 1932 former Sinn Fein leader de Valera and his new party, Fianna Fáil (Warriors of Ireland), won an election, repeating this victory with an increased majority in 1933. The forces that lost the Civil War in 1922 had taken power through the ballot box 10 years later. The oath to the British Crown went, the British governor general soon followed and, by the outbreak of WWII, Ireland was a republic in all but name. The government declared the Free State to be a republic and Ireland left the British Commonwealth in 1949.

Recent history

The early 1980s saw Ireland once more in economic difficulties. In the 1990s, however, Ireland underwent a dramatic change in its economic fortunes. The country - and Dublin in particular - experienced its greatest period of economic success since independence. Signs of the so-called 'Celtic Tiger' economy were everywhere, from the cranes dotting the skyline to the new Mercedes purring around town. The renaissance prompted an explosion in tourism and a reversal of the age-old trend of emigration. From 1993 to 1997 Ireland's economy grew by a whopping 40%, leading to record-low unemployment, higher standards of living and lower interest rates. But in the new millenium growth levelled off significantly, and economists have expressed concern about rising inflation, interest rates and spiralling house prices.

The global financial crisis of 2008, coupled with the puncture of the grossly over-extended construction bubble, hit Ireland, and Dublin, hard, leading to the highest unemployment rate for a quarter century, the collapse and bailout of banks and the steady disappearance of many a foreign company, tempted by cheaper markets and lower wage costs in Eastern Europe and Asia.

For the moment, the Celtic Tiger is no longer roaring.

Top Accommodation

Top Restaurants

Dublin's maximum temperature in July and August ranges from 15-20°C (60-70°F). During January and February, the coldest months, daily temperatures range from 4-8°C (40-47°F). Major snowfalls are rare. There are about 18 hours of daylight in July and August; it's only truly dark after about 23:00. Despite being one of the driest parts of Ireland, Dublin gets rain on 150 days in a typical year and it often rains every day for weeks.

Average weather

• Temperature
• Rainfall
• Sunshine

Transport

Getting there and away

A plentiful array of airlines run direct flights to Dublin from all major European centres (including a dizzying array of options from the UK) and from Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles in the USA. Flights from further afield (Australasia or Africa) are usually routed through London. The emergence of no-frills airlines has made cheap tickets to Ireland from the rest of Europe the norm rather than the exception. No airline has a walk-in office in Dublin, but most have walk-up counters at Dublin airport. The website of the Fáilte Ireland (Irish Tourist Board; www.ireland.ie) has information on getting to Dublin from a number of countries. Dublin's only airport (tel: 814 1111; www.dublinairport.com) is 13km north of the city centre. Along with pubs, restaurants, shops, ATMs and car-hire desks, airport facilities in the one passenger terminal include banks, post office and a pharmacy.

Dublin has two ferry ports and a handful of passenger ferry companies. The Dun Laoghaire ferry terminal (tel: 280 1905; Dun Laoghaire), 13km southeast of the city, serves Holyhead in Wales; and the Dublin Port terminal (tel: 855 2222; Alexandra Rd), 3km northeast of the city centre, which serves Holyhead and Liverpool. Buses are timed to coincide with arrivals and departures from the Dublin Port terminal. Several buses travel between Dun Laoghaire ferry terminal and Dublin.

Busáras (tel: 836 6111; www.buseireann.ie; Store St), the main bus station, is just north of the river behind Custom House; it has a left-luggage facility. It's possible to combine bus and ferry tickets from major UK centres to Dublin on the bus network, but with the availability of cheap flights it's hardly worth the hassle. The journey between London and Dublin takes about 12 hours and costs very little.

Getting around

Traffic in Dublin is a nightmare and car parking is an expensive headache. Clamping of illegally parked cars is thoroughly enforced, with a charge for removal. Car theft and break-ins are a problem, with foreign number plates prime targets; never leave your valuables behind. Car rental in Dublin is expensive. In July and August it's wise to book well ahead. Motorbikes and mopeds are not available for rent.

Dublin Bus (tel: 872 0000; www.dublinbus.ie; 59 Upper O'Connell St) runs buses across Dublin. Fares are calculated according to stages. Nitelink late-night buses run from the College St, Westmoreland St and D'Olier St triangle from Monday to Saturday.

All taxi fares begin with a flagfall fare, followed by a charge per unit (one-sixth of a kilometre or 30 seconds) thereafter. Taxis can be hailed on the street and are found at taxi ranks around the city, including O'Connell St, College Green in front of Trinity College and St Stephen's Green at the end of Grafton St. There are numerous taxi companies that will dispatch taxis by radio. Weekends and late nights are notoriously hard times to find a cab.

The Dublin Area Rapid Transport (DART) provide bus and train services across Dublin. All rail information, including timetables and ticket and pass sales, is available from the Rail Travel Centre (tel: 836 6222; www.irishrail.ie; 34 Lower Abbey St). The city has two main train stations: Heuston Station, on the western side of town near the Liffey, and Connolly Station, a short walk northeast of Busáras, behind Custom House. The brand-new Luas (www.luas.ie) light-rail system has two lines: the green line, which connects St Stephen's Green with Sandyford in south Dublin via Ranelagh and Dundrum; and the red line, which runs from Lower Abbey St to Tallaght via the north quays and Heuston Station. There are ticket machines at every stop or you can buy a ticket from newsagents throughout the city centre.

Rust-red cycle lanes throughout the city make cycling in Dublin easier than ever, although traffic congestion, motorised maniacs and roadworks can make the city something of an obstacle course. Bike theft is a problem. Never leave your bike on the street overnight. Bike rental is available through several outlets, though it has become increasingly difficult to find due to crippling insurance costs.

Health & Legal Requirements

Dangers and annoyances

Dublin is a safe city by any standards, except maybe those set by the Swiss. Basically, act as you would at home. However, certain parts of the city are pretty dodgy due to the presence of drug addicts and other questionable types, including north and northeast of Gardiner St and along parts of Dorset St, on the north side, and west along Thomas St, on the south side.