Dublin-IE

Located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, Dublin is at the mouth of River Liffey and covers a land area of approximately 115 sq km. The capital and most populous city of Ireland, Dublin is bordered by a low mountain range to the south and bounded by flat farmland to the north and west with River Liffey acting as the divider.

The history of Dublin dates back to 140 AD, following the Scandinavian settlement on the River Poddle, a tributary of the Liffey in an area currently known as Wood Quay. A lake, Dubh Linn, was used to anchor ships and was connected to the Liffey by the Poddle. In the early 18th century, these lakes were covered and they were largely deserted as the city expanded.  

Consequently, Dublin was established in the 9th century as a Viking settlement, despite a number of rebellions by the native Irish. Next, the Norman invasion of Ireland was launched from Wales in 1169. As the city grew, in the 17th century, Dublin stood as the second largest city of the British Empire and the fifth largest city in Europe, for a short period.

One of the oldest cities of Europe, Dublin has many landmarks and places of interest that dates back to hundreds of years. One of the oldest is the Dublin Castle, built for the defence of the city and to safeguard the King’s treasure. River Poddle was also used as a natural means of defence.  

Some of the newest monuments are Nelson's Pillar, built during the early 18th century, and Spire of Dublin or officially titled ‘Monument of Light’, in the 21st century. Trinity College is famous for its Book of Kells in its library, while Ha'penny Bridge is an old iron footbridge situated over the River Liffey in Dublin. Some of the popular parks in Dublin include Phoenix Park, Herbert Park and St Stephen's Green.

Dublin is well connected by air with Dublin Airport being the busiest airport of the country. The city is also well connected by road that is a semi-ring road which stretches around the south, west and north of the city, connecting the important national primary routes to the rest of the country. The two main railway stations in Dublin are Heuston and Connolly which are also well connected to the city and neighbouring areas.

The warmest months of the year are July and August, which is also the best time to visit Dublin, when temperatures range from 15° Celsius to 20° Celsius. These months have about 18 hours of daylight and it gets dark only around 11p m.