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Home Page > Travel > The top ten interesting facts about Ireland’s capital, Dublin city - PHOTOS

The top ten interesting facts about Ireland’s capital, Dublin city - PHOTOS

Some choice tit-bits about "Dirty Dublin" that could very well blow your socks off!

IrishCentral Staff Writers,

Published Tuesday, April 30, 2013, 9:01 AM

Updated Tuesday, April 30, 2013, 9:01 AM

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Dublin City skyline - cost of living in Ireland's capitol has dropped

Photo by Damien Kelly

PHOTOS - A slideshow of Dublin

Dublin is the capital city of the Ireland, there are over 1.5 million residents and the pubs are good. This is all true, but they’re hardly facts that are going to blow your socks off!

Perhaps you are heading away on vacation to Dublin or maybe you would just like to get your facts straight. Let us impart to you some less known facts about Dublin.

Here are ten trivia facts about Dublin’s fair city:

1.The name for Dublin in the Irish language is both Dubh Linn and Baile Átha Cliath. While walking around Dublin you’re more likely to see the latter on road signs. The literal meaning of Átha Cliath is "Ford of the Reed Hurdles."

Dublin or Dubh Linn is derived from the Old Irish Gaelic, which has its literal meaning "Black Pool". The Dubh Linn was a lake used by the Vikings to moor their trade ships and was connected to the Liffey by the River Poddle.

2. The city of Dublin covers a land area of 44.5 square miles. The average temperature in January is 41°F and the July Average is 63°F. It is estimated that 50% of the city’s residents are under-25 years of age. My advice dress warmly and party hard.

3. Dublin is twinned to cities Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain, Liverpool in the United Kingdom and San Jose, in California.

4. Dublin's O'Connell Bridge that covers the famed River Liffey is reckoned to be the only bridge in the European continent that has the same width as its length.

This present concrete structure was built in 1863, replacing a wooden bridge built in 1801. Amazingly, prior to that time, O'Connell Bridge was a rope structure that could only carry one person and a donkey at a time.

5. Dublin has a renowned history in the Literary and Movie World with celebrated native names such George Bernard Shaw (dramatist, critic & Nobel Prize winner), James Joyce (writer and poet and writer of Ulysses), Oscar Wilde (playwright, poet, essayist & novelist) and Dracula creator Bram Stoker to name but a few. Prominent Hollywood Actors hailing from the city include Maureen O’Hara, Brendan Gleeson, Gabriel Byrne and Colin Farrell.

PHOTOS - A slideshow of Dublin

6. The "Oldest Pub in Ireland" is reputed to be located in Dublin. The pub is called the Brazen Head. There has been a pub on this site since 1198.

7. Handel’s classic "Messiah" was premiered for the first time in 1742 in Dublin at the New Music Hall in Fishamble Street, with 26 boys and five men from the St Patrick’s and Christchurch choir cathedrals taking part.

8. Dublin is home to many of Ireland’s most famous musicians, from the Dubliners and Thin Lizzy to Sinead O’Connor and U2.

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NFOstrowski | Apr 30, 2013, 11:00 PM EDT

Dublin is also twinned with Beijing, China. Happened in July of 2011.

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Seanmor | Apr 30, 2013, 07:03 PM EDT

canadian: Your comment reminds me of a talk show I heard in on a Dublin radio station some years ago. A man with a strong Northern accent phoned the station and said a few words. Then the host interrupted and asked the caller how long he lived in Dublin. When the called answered, the host then asked: "Why don't you learn to speak prober English as we do here in Dublin?".

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sirpeter | Sep 14, 2011, 12:40 PM EDT

I'm sick of saying this to Georgy Boy.But somehow he likes to think otherwise.All foreigners need written documentation from the schools that their children are attending, in order to make sure they are in the country.Anyway Poland and the other countries are in the EU and the sooner they reach Ireland's standard of living the better.Maybe then they won't take those miserable no good paying jobs.

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canadianirish | Sep 13, 2011, 08:49 PM EDT

I would like to add that I, for one, welcome with open arms any Irish immigrant who chooses to emigrate to our fair city. It'll be nice to see some Caucasian faces for a change :)

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canadianirish | Sep 13, 2011, 08:46 PM EDT

@GeorgeDillon - And I thought Toronto was bad! We're awash in a sea of immigrants over here...whose benefit entitlements would rival that of Dublin.

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KMcSinger | Sep 13, 2011, 01:19 PM EDT

This is kind of cool, being as I'm from Dublin, have regularly drunk in the Brazen Head, was a chorister in Christ Church Cathedral, sang the Messiah at least 5 times, recorded in Windmill Lane Studios and attended Trinity College : )

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GeorgeDillon | Sep 13, 2011, 10:59 AM EDT

TiocfaidhArmani: I wouldn't be as sanguine as you about foreign workers, at a time when the Irish are telling us they have a huge unemployment problem. If there are no jobs how come the foreigners continue streaming in, about a thousand a week? But you are right that the rate of welfare entitlement (I'm sure there's fraud in there, but of course most of the entitlements are perfectly legal) is huge. Check out the following statistics:------------------------------------------------Child benefit rates in Ireland per month, One child-€140 Two children-€280 Three children-€447 Four children-€624 Five children-€801 Six children-€978 Seven children-€1,155 Eight children-€1,332 Children's benefit rate per month in Poland-€20.00 Children's benefit rate per month Slovakia-€21.99 That means that a Polish guy with four children is pulling about a thousand bucks a month in benefit in Ireland. That's before we add in all his other benefits, such as free education, free school books, grant for clothing etc. etc. But, and this is where generosity becomes lunacy, those Polish children don't need to be in Ireland!!! Regardless of whether they're in Ireland, Poland, Las Vegas or Timbuctoo the Irish pay them the Irish welfare! And guess what--how do the Irish even know these children exist? You can imagine Piotr showing up at the Irish Welfare Office and saying "Yes Mr Irish, I have eleven children in Poland. You want their names?" To which Dopey Irish Welfare Agent replies "Ah shur no, aren't ye a powerful man entirely. Let's see, that'll be 1779 euros, have a seat while I issue your check..."

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KittyMurphy | Sep 13, 2011, 10:56 AM EDT

Trust you GD! You can always count on you for a bit of xenophobia in the morning eh. @Anto - You're correct. No one in America is an immigrant. It's all natives here right GD.

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antoman | Sep 13, 2011, 10:31 AM EDT

America is solely populated by various tribes of Native Americans. Except for a small minority of Irish in New York.

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TiocfaidhArmani | Sep 13, 2011, 08:27 AM EDT

That's because of the generous benefit system in Ireland people abroad love creaming so much and that's a fact. I have no problem with foreign labour, we did it enough ourselves, but there's no doubt we're being creamed.

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GeorgeDillon | Sep 13, 2011, 08:03 AM EDT

Another weird fact about Dublin is that it is the capital city with the highest percentage of foreign migrants in the world. You're more likely to meet a Russian, a Polack or a Chinaman in downtown Dublin than you are to meet an Irishman.

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