Dublin / Baile

[jvlm.123 0]

Inspired by threads such as "London" by ledge69, "Chicago Photo Gallery" by SC4Noobie, "Come and know Colombia" by aleko, and the many ".... Skyscrapers" threads, I have decided to make a thread dedicated to Ireland's capital city, Dublin. I will show photos/pictures/etc.. showing many different aspects of life in the city.

To start us off here is a small introduction to Dublin;

Population (2006):

City of Dublin: 505,739

Greater Dublin Area (GDA): 1,661,185

Name meaning:

"Dublin" - anglicism of the Irish name "Dubh Linn" (say "doob-linn"), meaning "black pool".

"Baile Átha Cliath" (say "ball-ya ah-ha clee-ah") - Irish for "Town of the Ford of the Reed Hurdles".

"Dublin" and "Baile Átha Cliath" are the two "official" names of the city, though "Dubh Linn" is also popularly used.

Economy:

GDP: €60 billion ($75.7 billion) annually.

GDP per capita: €36,120 ($45,515) annually.

The GDA contributes to 45% of total Irish GDP.

There are three stock exchanges in the city: the ISEQ, the INEX and the IEX.

Main industries: Pharmacuticals, trading, finance, commerce, internet trading, information technology, software development, retail.

Climate:

Mild (mild winters, warm summers), sunny and dry annually (rain is evenly distributed throughout). Weather extremes are rare.

January average temperature: 3ºC to 9ºC (37ºF to 48ºF)

July average temperature: 12ºC to 23ºC (54ºF to 74ºC)

Record high: 31.5ºC (88.7ºF)

Record low: -12.4ºC (9.68ºF)

Annual total rainfall: 711mm (this is actually less than Sydney, New York and even Dallas!)

Days with sunshine 310 a year (more than you thought, huh? )

Days with snow: 21 a year.

Days with thunder: 4 a year.

Days with hail: 9 a year.

Days with fog: 26 a year.

Days with over 5mm of rain: 45 a year.

Average daily humidity: 79%

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And now for a few general pictures of the city;

O'Connell Street (Sráid Uí Chonaill)

Dublin Skyline (Foirgneamh dar Baile Átha Cliath)

River Liffey and the Ha'Penny Bridge (An Life agus Droichead Leathphingin)

Temple Bar (Barra an Teampaill)

Grafton Street (Sráid Grafton)

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That's a general overview of the city. The next update will be of important historical buildings found in and around the city.

Also, for those interested in seeing the city live; there's a good webcam of central Dublin found here:

http://stream.netro.ca/allcladdagh

In the camera, landmarks such as Liberty Hall, Custom House, IFSC House, O'Connell Bridge, the Ha'Penny Bridge and more can be seen.

Feel free to ask any questions in this thread...

[Constantina 5]

Just to point out that I heard that Ireland was quite late with introducing widescreen television. But some other countries in Europe don't have widescreen yet. Widescreen TV began pretty much in the 90's.

Good photos.

[callagrafx 3]

ahhhh Temple Bar..Many was the time I became inebriated there. You missed one important Dublin Landmark though...."The Tart with the Cart", Molly Malone:

One of these days I'll dust off the 3d model I did of Molly that I did for Jeanne Rynhart (Mollys creator) and make a BAT out of it.

[ExiL3 10]

You have failed to mention that Dublin was founded by Viking (norwegian vikings mostly) settlers ... After we pillaged and burned that was... I guess, hehe sorry

take care,

[Camaron 1]

Nice pictures, I am part Irish myself, though I have never been to Ireland.

[Edude7 1]

I want to BAT that tower on O'Connell Street... What exactly is it's name? Great idea for a thread btw. I love Dublin/Baile Atha Cliath...

[PavSek 1]

Wow! Really nice. Awesome pics. I like this old architecture. Especially, i like the 3rd and last pic! There's a lot of people on Grafton Street Looking forward to more

[ilikehotdogsalot 308]

What a beautiful city! I love cities that are crowded too! I hope to see Dublin one day.

EDIT: I just did with that awesome webcam, Hehe xD.

It looks windy today!

[jvlm.123 0]

Thank you for all your comments!

@Constantina: Yep, you're right. Ireland didn't go fully "widescreen" until September last year. However, we recieve all the British channels which were in widescreen, so it came as no shock.

@callagrafx: From your comment, I can tell you're going to love a certain section I have planned; "Dublin statues and their nicknames" (one of which is your avatar ). I look forward to your BAT too.

@ExiL3: It's actually darker than that... It was founded as a centre for Viking slave trade...

@Camaron: Thank you.

@Edude7: It's the "Dublin Spire"; there's more information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spire_of_Dublin 

@PavSek: Thanks. You kinda started this whole set of photo gallery threads with "Warsaw Skyscrapers", so thank you!

@ilikehotdogsalot: Yeah, it's a pretty good camera!

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As promised, here are some of the city's important historical buildings:

Dublin Castle (Caiseal Baile Átha Cliath):

Dublin Castle was the seat of British rule in Ireland until 1922. Most of the building dates form the 18th century, though a castle had stood in that location since the 1100s. It is now a major tourist attraction.

Áras an Uachtaráin:

Áras an Uachtaráin is the official residence of the Uachtarán na hÉireann (President of Ireland), Mary McAleese. The house is located in Phoenix Park, one of the largest urban parks in the world. It was built around 1780.

Custom House (Teach Custaim):

Built in 1791 the Custom House was built, obviously, as a custom house for Dublin Port. The building was burnt to the ground in 1921, though restoration works were carried out in 1928 and again in the 1980s. It no longer serves as an actual "custom house", though retains the name.

Drimnagh Castle (Caiseal Droimneach):

Built by the Normans, Drimnagh Castle is the only remaining castle in Ireland with a flooded moat round it. It was built in the 12th century.

Collin's Barracks - National Museum of Ireland (Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann):

Collin's Barracks is a former military barracks, though now is home to collections of the National Museum of Ireland. The building was built in 1792.

General Post Office (Ard-Oifig an Phoist):

Probably one of the most famous buildings in Dublin, the GPO was the site of the unsuccessful, though important, Easter Rising rebellion in 1916. Today, it is the city's main post office; and contains the headquarters of An Post, the Irish postal service.

Kilmainham Gaol (Gaol Cill Mhaighneann):

A former prision, but now a museum, Kilmainham Gaol has played an important part in Irish history. Several leaders of Irish rebellions were imprisioned and executed here, most famously, the Easter Rising leaders in 1916.

Malahide Castle (Caiseal Mullach Íde):

Located in the suburb of Malahide, Malahide Castle was built sometime in the 12th century.

Howth Castle lies close to the suburb of Howth, in the north of the city. It is the location of the National Transport Museum of Ireland (Iarsmallan Náisiunta Iompair na hÉireann).

Christ Church Cathedral (Ardeaglais Chríost):

Built by Vikings during mediaeval times, Christ Church Cathedral is thought to be one of the oldest buildings in the city.

Leinster House (Teach Laighean):

Leinster House was built in 1745, and now acts as the parliament building for the Irish Government.

Four Courts (Na Ceithre Cúirteanna):

The centre of Ireland's judicial system, the Four Courts is the location of the Supreme Court, the High Court and the Central Court. It was built between 1796 and 1802. It lies on the River Liffey quayside.

Government Buildings (Foirgneamh Rialtais):

Commonly mistaken for Leinster House (the location of the Parliament), Government Buildings contains many of the key offices of the elected government in Ireland. Some of the more major offices in the building are; Department of the Taoiseach (Prime Minister), the Council Chamber, the Department of the Attorney General and the Department of Finance. It has served this purpose since 1922, and was built in 1904.

College Green (Faiche an Choláiste):

Once the Irish house of Parliament, College Green is now a branch of Bank of Ireland.

Dublin City Hall (Halla na Cathair):

Built between 1769 and 1779, Dublin City Hall stands next to Dublin Castle. Despite its name, most Dublin City Council staff are actually located in Wood Quay, though council meetings take place here.

Next up: Phoenix Park (Páirc an Fhionn-Uisce)

Again, as always, comments and questions are appreciated.

[Craig91 12]

I'd love some BAT's or a region download of Dublin

[_MostlyHarmless 17]

Not Dublin, but from Dingle (more if anyone is interested). Visited there this summer

[jvlm.123 0]

Thanks, again, for your comments!

@CraigKingOfIreland: Wouldn't we all... I'd especially like one of the U2 Tower, which is in your sigature.

@northsider1983: Ah, An Daingean (it's no longer officially called "Dingle", as it is in an Gaeltacht)... A tourist's dream...

Anyway, as promised, here are some pictures of Dublin's Phoenix Park (Páirc an Fhionn-Uisce); the largest enclosed city park in Europe, and one of the largest in the world...

Here's a general map of Phoenix Park:

Area: 712 hectares (1,760 acres).

Surrounded by a wall 13km (8m) long.

Has over 300 different varieties of plants.

Is five times larger than Hyde Park in London and twice the size of Central Park in New York.

Contains the residence of the Irish President, Áras an Uachtaráin.

The name "Phoenix" is a corruption of the Irish "Fionn Uisce", meaning "Clear Water"; most likely a reference to the springs in the park.

Contains Dublin Zoo (Dublin Zoological Gardens); the third oldest zoo in the world (opened 1830).

There has been a herd of wild deer roaming the park since 1745.

Now, to pictures:

One of the many springs/lakes/ponds in the park.

The 27m (90ft) Papal Cross marks the spot where the late Pope John Paul II said mass to 1.3m people in 1979.

The 63m (204ft) Wellington Momument is the tallest obelisk in Europe, and second tallest in the world. It took 44 years to build, starting in 1817 and finishing in 1861.

One of the many walking routes in the park.

One of the many sports pitches in the park, in this case, a Gaelic Football field.

The Papal Cross at sunset. The deer can be seen to the left of the picture.

The park at night.

Wellington Monument in summer.

A fountain/pond in the park.

Part of Dublin Zoo.

The main road that runs through the park, Chesterfield Avenue.

The Phoenix Column/Monument, one of the main landmarks of the park.

Deer! In the middle of a city!

The American Ambasador's residence, although the actual Embassy is kilometres away; on the southside.

A gazebo in the park.

Áras an Uachtaráin, official residence of Irish president, Mary McAleese.

Okay, so that's it from Phoenix Park; next up, St. Stephen's Green / Grafton Street area!

As always, comments are appreciated.

[ilikehotdogsalot 308]

I am so moving to Berlin now.

[jvlm.123 0]

As, promised, here are photos of the St. Stephen's Green / Grafton Street area in Dublin City Centre.

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@ilikehotdogsalot:  Umm... Okay...

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Grafton Street (Sráid Grafton) is Dublin's main shopping street. 

It is pedestrianised and runs from St. Stephen's Green to College Green. 

It is one of Dublin's most famous streets and has many stores, restaurants, bars, cafés, etc. 

It is also a place where many buskers, including musicians, poets and mime artists perform to the crowds. 

It is one of the most espensive shopping steets in the world, and rents can cost upwards of €15,000 annually per squre metre in some cases.

It was feared that with the opening of Europe's largest shopping centre, "Dundrum Town Centre", that crowd numbers would be reduced; however, with the opening of the Luas (light rail) green line (linking the two shopping areas), pedestrian numbers have risen sharply.


Grafton Street is always busy. Some shops open 24 hours a day during the Christmas Shopping Season.


Many foreign stores (mostly British and American) also have a large presence on Grafton Street.


A normal Saturday on Grafton Street.


Probably Grafton Street's most famous café: Bewley's Oriental Café.


This is where Grafton Street and St. Stephen's Green meet.

St. Stephen's Green is probably Dublin's most-well known park (though it is a lot smaller than Phoenix Park); and is destined to become a transport hub in the near future (though it will remain as a park as well).

It is also the name of one of Dublin's best known shooping centres: St. Stephen's Green Shooping Centre.

It was enclosed as a park in 1663, and has remained so to this day.

The Luas light rail system's green line has it's northern terminus here. The planned METRO North line (subway/underground) system will also has it's southern terminus here. And another underground rail line (the 'Interconnector') will run through here. This means three public transport systems will meet here (four including the many bus routes).


St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre at night.


The Memorial Arch, one of the main entrances to (and exits from) the park.


The interior of St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre.


A fountain in the park.


Another part of the park.


The pond in the park.


Another shot of the Memorial Arch.


Crowds flock to the park in Summer.


Another part of the park.


The park and the Luas terminus, visible to the left.

That's it from this part of the city; next up, I will look at recent development in Dublin (and there is a lot!)

[Revol 0]

Great thread! I am from Dublin too, and there are so many wonderful buildings in this city. I hope someday somebody will BAT them!

[vlad755 0]

I lived in Malahide and worked in Dublin during the summer of 2000.  Ireland is great country- from the people, history and culture –everything was absolutely wonderful.  My wife and I brought back a "souvenir", Ethan, my oldest son, who is now five years old –if you get my drift (no, this is like Angelina Jolie or Madonna –he is all ours!)

 

We also really enjoyed Waterford, where they make all the crystal- really cool factory tour that I highly recommend.  We also had a blast in some B& B’s in the Southwestern part of Ireland –county Claire I think it was near Ennis –excellent food beautiful scenery- just a wonderful place.

 

I can remember having the best lamb stew of my life at some small town somewhere along the Ring of Kerry.  I hope someday to go back and show Ethan where he was, uh, “created” but also just to enjoy Ireland again.  Who knew that Ireland was so romantic?

 

While we, of course, hung out many a hour at Temple Bar, we will always have a special place in our hearts for “Smith’s” in Malahide –which was our adopted watering hole/dinner place/pub/evening gathering spot, etc.  They would have live music every night of the week.

 

BTW- great picture of Malahide castle.  We went on the tour and thought it was really neat!

[drshadow 0]

would be nice to see some bats from the Dublin. its a lovely city.

[Edude7 1]

Baile Atha Cliath has some diverse architecture and styles. yet they all link in with one another, which is something bigger cities don't seem to be able to reconcile in their developments. I didn't know there was a new light rail in Dublin (from the looks of it I believe it is modelled on the Nottingham version), or that there is going to be a subway put into the city!!! That was the biggest news of all. Sydney still doesn't really have a subway system , yet it certainly has the geological qualities and the need for it.

This thread keeps getting better and better. I am working on the spire, but am being held up by work and other commitments. I'll keep you all posted

[jvlm.123 0]

Thanks for all the comments, everyone.

As promised, here's some pictures of past, current and  future development in the city.

Dublin, like all of Ireland, was one of the poorest places in Europe up until the early 1990s. However, in this time; the country's economy grew enormously at a rate not seen in many countries for decades. Ireland is now the fourth richest country per capita in the world, and Dublin is one of the richest cities in the world. This is clearly evident in the development in the city; the skyline is dominated by cranes (similar to Chinese or Arabian cities). This construction boom can be explained by a fast growing (still growing) economy and high population growth. However, a lot of this development was outward, not upward; due to Dublin City Council's strict planning laws on height (although these have been loosened in recent years), and in October 2006, the EEA (European Environmental Agency) cited Dublin as one of the worst-case senarios of urban sprawl. This is true, Dublin has already expanded into surrounding counties and suburbs sprawl for very long distances. 











Anyway, here is some of the specific development that has been going on in the city itself:


The 'Point Village'; one of the biggest redevelopment projects. It will transform run-down industrial docks into what you see above. As part of the project, the following things will be built:
1. The 120m/35-storey 'Watch Tower' skyscraper (300 apartments/500m² of office space and a rooftop bar).
2. Expansion of the 'Point Depot' into a 15,000 seater arena (similar to the 'Globe Arena' in Stockholm). It will be one of the biggest stages in Europe.
3. Terminus for the new 'C' line of the Luas light-rail system (1.5km long / 4 stops).
4. A 23,000m² shopping centre.
5. A 250-room 4-star hotel.
6. The 'U2 Experience', an exhibition on Dublin's most famous band (like the Beatles Museum in Liverpool).
7. A 12-screen cinema.
8. 13,000m² of offices.
9. 3-floor underground car park; capacity for 1,200 vehicles.

The 'Point Village' will be complete by 2009 at a cost of €800,000,000; and will employ around 2,000 people.

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The 'U2 Tower', a 120m skyscraper will be on the opposite side of the River Liffey to the 'Watch Tower' above, together, these two towers will form a 'maritime gateway' to the city. The name comes from the fact that U2's original recording studios once lay here, and their new ones will occupy the top two floors of the tower.

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The 117m (134m incl. spire) 'Heuston Gate' skyscraper is also to be built. The name derives from the fact it is across the road from one of Dublin's main train stations, Heuston Station.

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The 64m 'Tara Street Station Tower' is also going to be built over one of the city's busiest stations, Tara Street Station.

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Spencer Dock, highlighted above, will be the Point Village's neighbour. It will contain around 300,000m² of office space, a 5-star 250-bedroom hotel, the new 'National Conference Centre', will house 2,000 people and also contain 1 hectare of parkland. The 'C' line of the Luas light rail system will run trhough here. It will also involve the construction of a new Calatrava-designed bridge.

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Lansdowne Road Stadium 2006:


Lansdowne Road Stadium 2009:


Ireland's main soccer and rugby stadium is being redelveloped. The 'new' Lansdowne Road Stadium will have a capacity of 50,000 and be built to a very high standard. However, it is/will not the largest stadium in Ireland, or even Dublin for that matter. The 82,500-capacity Croke Park is, and it too has went through a redevelopment from this:


(1993)

To this:

(2005)

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Another major project in the 90s was the building of the IFSC (International Financial Services Centre) and redevelopment of the area around it, the centre of the city's financial district. Here are some pictures of the area before the redevelopment:















And here's the same area now:





























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A recent development in Dublin was the opening of the Dundrum Town Centre shopping centre (mall) in the suburb of Dundrum. When it is fully completed (it's still being built), it will be the largest in Europe. It was actually a 'redevelopment' of an earlier shopping centre build in 1971, and was the second oldest in the country.


A part of the 'Town Square' in the centre. This part has mostly restaurants and bars, McDonald's and TGI Friday's can be seen.


An inside section of the centre.


One of the entrances to the centre.


A part of the 'Town Square' in the centre. In the shopping centre there are a lot of shops, restaurants, bars, hairdressers and barbers, banks, a cinema, a theatre (auditorium), a creche (day care) and even a medical clinic. I think they're also beginning to build apartments and some other stuff... It's not even finished yet (the old centre is still standing, and will also be demolished and replaced)!

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One of the biggest redevelopment projects planned is this:


Dublin Port, 2006.


Dublin Port, 2026?

However, this is not a definate plan. Some of the skyscrapers above are actually from other cities, but it gives an idea of what it could look like. The plan involves moving the port 10km north of the city.

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That's all the building development I can think of, anyway, there really is a lot more. Up next, I will look at the transport networks in the city.

[Revol 0]

Great pictures, and a very nice insight into how Dublin is changing This city has changed so much in the past 10 years it's unbelievable.

The transport networks should be an interesting read lol

[Deathtoall 28]

Ireland such a beatiful country.

The second last time i went there was '98, then around 2001?, sometime just after they finished the Luas line. It was quite a shock seeing some of Dublin's first "skyscrapers". I travel to Ireland every 4 years or so to see my relatives.  Nice to see some of Dublin in 2006. 

What about some of the other re-developments like Dundrum's new shopping mall. A sign of the times eh?

Thanks.

[Craig91 12]

Will this be updated again jvlm.123? I really enjoyed this thread so far and there's a lot more development projects in Dublin.

[ExiL3 10]

some of those pictures reminds me a lot of Oslo...

Looks great, i would like to travel to Ireland some time, it isn't really that far away either

[Mike the Mayor 51]

Dublin looks like a lovely place. I have not been but people have told me how elegant it is. Both modern and old look beautiful. I wish to go there someday and I ook forward to more pics.

[josefmayor 8]

I'm in Dublin right now visiting! We're going on a city tour tommarow

[younghappy 308]

I live up North near Coleraine.

Flip, I never knew I had such a gem of a city sitting on my door step.   I really have to go there sometime.  It seems like a pretty happening place.

[josefmayor 8]

Originally posted by: younghappy I live up North near Coleraine.

Flip, I never knew I had such a gem of a city sitting on my door step.   I really have to go there sometime.  It seems like a pretty happening place.quote>

Dublin is incredible, I loved it, I want to go back so bad!!!

[yellowguy88 1]

Great Page.. shame it was not continued.. love to see some dublin buildings being BAT's..

[BuggUla 405]

I have not been to Dublin since its millennium, but it ROCKS and I enjoyed it immensely. (I sneaked into the Millennium Day parade and have a pic of me waving one of the banners)