Ferries to Dublin
Dublin Dublin is the capital and leading port of Ireland and sprawls around the arc of Dublin Bay, with the River Liffey splitting the city into two parts. With cathedrals, pub crawls, art galleries, antique stores, stadiums, monuments, and a unique sense of vibrancy, Dublin makes a great holiday destination. History Dublin officially was established in 988AD although there is evidence there was settlement dating back to the second century when it was called Eblana. The Norman Vikings were probably the first settlers and many ancient archeological artefacts have been unearthed such as old stone walls, buildings and the first Wood Quay which is currently in the present City Centre. The town was captured by the Danes during the 9th Century but the restless Irish wrestled away the control from the Danes several times over the next several hundred years and finally the Danes were removed by the Anglo-Normans led by King Henry of England in 1171. Dublin remained a small medieval town with a population of only 9,000 until the dramatic events of the English Civil War in 1649 when Oliver Cromwell took over the town and reduced the town to a shambles. By the end of the 17th Century a transformation took place as Dublin began to prosper with the Protestant refugee’s from the European continent who began to pour into Dublin. With this continuous flow of migrant workers and entrepreneurial skills Dublin began to grow into a merchant town and city and grew immensely in size and in wealth and soon became the second city of the British Empire. In 1800 the Act of the Union abolished the Irish Parliament and a decline followed until the Irish secured their Independence from the English rule in 1922 following the Irish Uprising in 1916. Dublin has always been a maritime port and now Irelands largest port with its closely packed factories and distilleries and breweries combined with light manufacturing Dublin is probably best known as the home of Guinness Brewery [The Black Stuff] which was founded in 1759 and one of Irelands largest employers and exporters and still located in the back streets of Dublin. What to See & Do in Dublin
