Home of Guinness beer (since 1759, they have a 9,000 year lease on the building, which started in 1757; the biggest Guinness factory is actually in Lagos, Nigeria!) and Jameson Whiskey
“Dublin” comes from Duvh/dove [black] and Linn [pool], which reflected the inland harbor at the time, which was full of eels, so it looked black. It was eventually anglicized to Dublin. The city is 12 square miles, and is split in half by the River Liffey, around which it grew. Dublin is home of the largest Viking settlement outside of Scandinavia (outside of Denmark, primarily). They would get to Dublin Bay by making their way up the River Liffey. Vikings were known for their trade, especially gold. In 1014, the high king of Ireland took on the Vikings, and 8000-11,000 people died in the battle. 1.2 million people live in Dublin now, in 32 counties, some of which have shared Parliament with the British. Interesting/Fun Fact: In Ireland, only the Emergency Response Unit (who drive BMW’s and Audi’s) carries guns. The Garda is not armed.
There are 7 million cows (mostly Angus for food) in Ireland (including 2 million on the island of Fresian) and they drink 100+ liters of water each. Irish horses bring in $7 billion to the economy, especially in Kildare County, which is the richest county in Ireland. Interesting/Fun Fact: The movie Braveheart was filmed in Ireland because they had the number of horses and men needed for the film. When there is a drought, bales of hay go up in price from 15 Euro to 28 Euro per bale.
Over the next 10 years, there will be a lot of changes in Ireland, including more public transport and fewer roadways for cars, more walkways, and no more diesel cars. They currently get 30% of their energy from turbines, and hope to get that to 75% in 10 years. Interesting/Fun Fact: No private vehicles are allowed in the city center as of a year ago.
Ireland is officially a dual language country – Gaelic Irish and English. From 1590-1829, speaking and writing Gaelic Irish was illegal. It is now compulsory to learn Gaelic Irish in school. One tour guide said 4% of Irish still have Gaelic Irish as their first language. Another guide said that in the West part of the country, 50% of the people speak Gaelic Irish as their primary language, and people on the islands speak 100% Gaelic Irish, with different dialects in different parts of the country. There used to be no modern writing in the Gaelic Irish language back in the 1970s due to social issues back then. Up to the 1990s, there were a lot of people who left Ireland and never came back, except to bury their parents. There was also a period of low self-respect during the colonial era. This all resulted in the Gaelic Irish language being looked down upon. In the 1990s, Ireland became rich with investments and people could make lives and careers there. This increased their self-confidence, and people came there to live from other countries, especially the Baltics, India, and China. More recently, Brazilians have been going to Ireland for the language schools. With regard to the language, there was a re-appraisal of the language and a rise in the use of the Gaelic Irish language, mostly because of the people who arrived, which were referred to as the New Irish.
Dublin is home to Phoenix Park, which is the largest enclosed park in Europe (7 hectares), and is where the Irish President lives. There is also a zoo there, and is also the place where the US Ambassador to Ireland resides.
Centuries ago, Ireland had penal laws that were anti-Catholic legislation, but not anti-Irish. King John was invited to come to Ireland and did not invade it. As a result, he was invited to help establish rule. Subsequently, there was a disestablishment of the Catholic Church by Henry VIII because they (Catholics) were too strict. This began the feud between the Catholics and Protestants, and led to a battle that ended the Catholic rule in Ireland. Once the Catholic were defeated, there was a flight of people from Ireland to the European mainland to try to overthrow the British (Flight of the Earl in 1601).
The population of Ireland in 1801 was 8.1 million, 1901 was 4.1 million, and today is 6.1 million. It is the only country to have fewer people than they had 200 years ago. This was due to the greatest catastrophe to impact Ireland – The Potato Famine. Pre-1800, Ireland had “Home Rule.” This meant that they were part of the British Empire, but they could do their own thing, but still had to follow the penal laws. There were a lot of businesses growing up around that time. In 1800, a law was passed that brought Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales together as one entity, and they were ruled from London. This was considered the darkest period of history in Ireland. During this time, there were peasants who worked the land for free and grew potatoes. From 1844-1848, there was a Blight bacterial infection that impacted the potatoes and led to 4 years of famine and 1.25 million people died from disease and famine/hunger, and a large number of people left Ireland and never returned. Many left the farm and came to Dublin and then the Docklands, and then landed in Liverpool. There is still a large Irish population in Liverpool. This led to the eventual desire for independence. The war for independence was 1919-1921, and resulted in independence in 1922 (though one of our tour guides said that Ireland celebrated 100 years of independence in 2016). Interesting/Fun Fact: In the early 1920s, women would dress as nuns, and provided the perfect cover during the war. Ireland was the first to leave the British Empire. India followed in 1940, then Ghana in the 1960s, and Hong Kong in the 1980s.
Dublin Castle was the nerve center of British rule in Ireland for many years. They are now state apartments that are used for visiting dignitaries. They also have an area that holds some remains from the Vikings.
Dublin is also home to Trinity College, which was founded in 1592, and has been continuously used since then. Men from the Anglican Church of England were the only ones allowed to attend Trinity College for the first 200 years.
Celtic (pronounced “kel-tick”) history includes telling stories, and enjoyment of being together. Every August, they hold a storytelling championship in Cork. With regard to literature, there are several people who are associated with Dublin who had an impact on English language literature. These include Bram Stoker (born in Dublin; moved to London during the White Castle murders [Jack the Ripper], which was the inspiration for Dracula), and Oscar Wilde (educated at Trinity College; said the Irish perfected the language after the English established it).
Interesting/Fun Fact: During British rule, all of the buildings were required to look the same, but people were allowed to choose the color of their front doors. So, you see a lot of colorful doors around the city.
1.2 million people visit the Cliffs of Moher every year, and it is considered to be one of the most popular places to visit.