Early History

Dublin was officially founded in 988, but before that it existed for centuries as two settlements along the River Liffey, “Dubh linn,” which means “dark pool,” and “Baile Átha Cliath,” meaning “the town of the Hurdle Ford.”

The settlements were first used by the Vikings as a base for their plundering expeditions. Ireland was going through a flourishing of Christianity, and the many monasteries around provided plenty of wealth for the Norsemen to claim. The Vikings ruled for over three centuries, but were eventually driven out by the fierce Irish kings.

Medieval History

In the 12th century the Normans landed in Dublin, under the leadership of the English King Henry II. Dublin quickly fell, and the Normans set up the city as a center of English power in Ireland. Through countless plagues, fires, wars, and struggles Dublin grew throughout the middle ages. The strong Catholic Church built up such relics as St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Christchurch Cathedral, both of which still stand today.

The English continued to be a strong force in Ireland throughout the middle ages, though their area of immediate control was limited to only a few hundred miles around Dublin. Known as “the Pale,” this term still lives today with the phrase “beyond the pale,” referring to one who is outside the limits of propriety or safety.

Medieval Dublin was a dangerous place to live, being the site of continuous plagues—the Black Death hit the city repeatedly up until 1649. It was also a battleground for constant warring between the English and the outside tribes, including an invading Scottish army that burned the city’s suburbs in 1314.

Colonial Period

After the English civil wars, the Tudor period began in Dublin with the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I in the 16th and 17th centuries. The English conquest became thorough, and Protestantism became the new word in Dublin, triggering much hostility from the well-established Roman Catholics.

In 1592 Elizabeth I opened Trinity College to encourage Protestantism, though the main Dublin families spurned it. Discontent spread through the city along with plagues, taxes, and soldiers. In 1597 the English Army’s gunpowder store exploded accidentally, killing 200 and causing even more stress between Catholic Dubliners and the English government.

Transformation

By the 1700s, the English had firm control of Ireland, and Protestants were thriving. The city expanded and grew to 60,000, making it the second biggest city in the British Empire.

A massive restoration/rebuilding project began in Dublin, and oversaw such buildings as the Dublin Castle, the Royal Hospital (now the Irish Museum of Modern Art), and the Royal House (now City Hall). Narrow medieval streets were widened, houses along the river were restored to high quality, and five major squares were set out, including St. Stephen’s Green. A grand boulevard called Sackville Street, now known as O’Connell, became the centerpiece of the new and improved city.

On top of architectural gems, 18th-century Dublin saw a huge boom Irish government, theater and music.

With the new century, the Act of Union abolished the Irish Parliament in 1801, and Dublin’s time of prosperity, wealth and influence ended. While the population continued to grow over the next century, so did the level of poverty and the eagerness to be independent of English rule.

Struggle for Independence

In 1916, on a sunny day in April, armed Irish republicans demanded an independent Irish Republic in what came to be known as the Easter Rising. The rebels held out for a week until they were forced to surrender to the British. Through sailing a gunboat up the Liffey, artillery fire destroyed whole pieces of the city center, and 400 people were killed, with 1,500 injured. Half of the casualties were civilians.

More violence followed with the War of Independence from 1919-1921, an urban guerilla campaign taking place on the streets of Dublin. Brutal violence from both the police with the British army and the IRA (Irish Republic Army) resulted in a torn and troubled city.

A short reprieve followed after the signing of a truce in 1921, which created the Irish Free State, and left six northern counties as part of the United Kingdom. This led to the Civil War, where angry Irish nationals fought against those who had compromised with the British.

The fighting began in Dublin and ranged all over, again seeing heavy street warfare and destruction. Many of Dublin’s finest architecture was destroyed during the fighting, including the General Post Office and the Custom’s House.

Ireland remained neutral during World War II, allowing Dublin to escape the being bombed like northern Belfast. In the 1960s the city experienced a cultural downfall with the destruction of much Georgian architecture, and a generally decreasing economy.

The widespread discontent of the 70s and 80s, focused mostly on Northern Ireland, hit Dublin hard as well with several violent attacks. The largest one occurred on Talbot Street in 1974, where 33 civilians were killed and 300 injured. Violence continued sporadically through the decades, gradually giving way to more peaceful demonstrations in the 90s.

Dublin has been transformed in recent decades thanks to the boom of the “Celtic Tiger” economy. Buildings have sprung up everywhere, and the city has taken precautions to preserve such cultural sites as the Temple Bar area and other historical places. Also notable are the increase of liberal legislation that has challenged the traditionally conservative population, and the boom in tourism and world trade that the country has seen.