04 Jan History of Dublin
Tours of Ireland often begin , or end , in Dublin. It has a great history.
Dublin has been recognised officially since 988 AD.
However until the middle of the 17th century Dublin remained a small , walled medieval town.
But in after the English Civil Wars in 1649 the town was taken over by Oliver Cromwell , it had only 9,000 residents at this time and was in a state of shambles.
By the end of the 17th century however a remarkable growth began with Protestant refugees from the European continent pouring into Dublin.
In the course of the next century Dublin grew enormously in size and wealth and soon became the second city of the British Empire !!!
This prosperity made Dublin an exciting city for the Protestant Ascendancy , members of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy denied basic civil rights to the native Roman Catholics.
In 1800 the Act of Union between England and Ireland abolished the Irish Parliament and drastically reduced Dublin’s status. A long decline set in that only began to be reversed after Ireland became independent in 1922. This independence came about after the 1916 Rising and the subsequent War of Independence.
Dublin was the scene of some of the most severe fighting of the Irish rebellion of 1916 and of the revolution of 1919 to 1921 which resulted in the establishment of the Irish Free State
After Independence Dublin became the political , economic , and cultural center of Ireland.
The location of the Government of Ireland , Dail Eireann, assembles in Leinster House , Dublin.
The Four Courts , seat of Ireland’s judiciary , and the Custom House are excellent examples of Dublin’s late 18th-century architecture. Both buildings were damaged heavily during the Civil War but have been restored.
South of the river is Dublin Castle , which was begun in 1204 and almost totally rebuilt in Georgian style in the 18th century. The castle was the seat of English authority in Ireland until 1922. Today it is the site of the inaugurations of Ireland’s presidents.
Near the castle are Christ Church and St. Patrick’s , Dublin’s two Protestant cathedrals. Both date from Dublin’s earliest days as a Viking settlement.They were extensively rebuilt by the Anglo-Norman invaders of the late 12th and early 13th centuries and were again rebuilt in the 19th century.
Ireland’s original Parliament House , now the Bank of Ireland in College Green , dates from the 18th century and is also in Georgian style.
Ireland Luxury Tours advises you to include this unique city in any tours of Ireland that you are planning……
