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County Dublin
Province: Leinster
Location: maritime county on the east coast beside the Irish Sea
County Size: 27th in Ireland
Land Area: 49 sq miles (Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown), 173 sq miles (Fingal), 86 sq miles (South Dublin)
Highest Point: Kippure Mtn (752 m)
Main Rivers: Liffey; Tolka; Dodder; (Royal Canal, Grand Canal)
Main Islands: St. Patrick's; Lambay; Ireland's Eye; Dalkey; North Bull.
Areas of Geographical Interest:
Phoenix Park (largest city park in Europe)
Howth Head, The Dublin Mountains, Kiliney Hill, Sherries Seaside Resort, Howth Castle, the Dublin Mountains.
Areas of Historical Interest:
Marino Cresent (birthplace of Bram Stoker)
Kilmainham Jail
James Joyce Museum, Malahide Castle, The Dáil, The National Art Gallery, Dublin Castle (General Post Office, the Four Courts, Custom Hosue, Stephens Green- All involved in the 1916 Easter Rising )
The Guniness Brewery (Home of the Black Stuff)
The County
Total Population: Roughly 1/3 of Irelands total population
Capital City: Dublin
Main Towns: Blackrock, Dun Laoghaire, Dundrum, Lucan, Rathfarnham, Stillorgan, Blanchardstown, Malahide
Main Business Contact: Dublin City Enterprise Board; 17 Eustace Street, D2, Tel 01-677 6068
No. of Schools: National 462; Secondry 188.
No. of Golf Clubs: 32 in county, 23 in City
Blue Flag Beaches: 2
Dublin City
For the very first-time visitor, Dublin can be a perplexing experience. Its very size and city-like qualities in what is still a largely rural country make it a typical, yet it encapsulates so much that is endearing and exasperating about Ireland that it represents the Emerald isle better than any other town. It's a city of pubs, churches, grand buildings and fine museums, boozers and talkers, down-to-earth commerce and airy pipe-dreams - above all, an intimate place whose pulse must be taken at close range and over some time, possibly through a glass of Guinness, apocryphally tasting of the peaty waters of the Liffey. It is indeed a beautiful place, set on a broad river-basin fringed by the majestic sweep of Dublin Bay and the tantalising close to Wicklow Mountains. The best of its Georgian architecture rivals anything that can be seen in Bath or Edinburgh, but much has been destroyed by crass development or sheer neglect. Fortunately, though, Dublin has avoided the high-rise buildings that have ruined the skylines of other cities, and north of the river, the unsightliness is more due to dereliction than deliberate destruction. A conversation struck up with strangers is not regarded as a sign of impertinence or lunacy, but a simple acknowledgement of fellow humanity. There is a natural friendliness about both its citizens and the whole atmosphere of the city. Though the central areas feel compact, and can easily be explored on foot, the capital is by far the largest city in Ireland. Currently the Greater Dublin area contains about a million people, almost a third of the Republic's population, many of whom have drifted in from country areas in search of work. A large proportion of Dublin's inhabitants are under 25. It is a cosmopolitan city with many different nationalities and social groupings, but there is by no means the same racial mix as say, London. In 1991, Dublin was chosen as Europe's City of Culture, and civic ambitions leapt, only to be dashed by economic uncertainty as world recession deepened. Today, Dublin seems to be holding its breath, poised uncertainly between expansion and decline. Catch it while you can......
Transport
Main Routes: Dublin is served by major routes M1-N1-M1-N1-A1-M1 (to Belfast); N7-N8 (to Cork); N4-N6-N18 (to Galway)
Miles from: Belfast (103); Cork (159); Galway (135).
Nearest Travel Centre (Bus): Busaras, Store Street, Dublin 1. Tel 01-8366111
Main Rail Station: Connolly Station, Amien Street, Dublin 1. Tel 01-8363333
Nearest Airport: Dublin Airport. Tel 01-814 1111
Nearest Ferry Port: Dublin; Rosslare (+96 miles)
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