Dublin
North City
Dublin is both the largest city and
capital of Ireland. It is located near the midpoint
of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey
and at the centre of the Dublin Region. Founded as a
Viking settlement, the city has been Ireland's primary
city for most of the island's history since medieval
times. Today, it is an economic, administrative and
cultural centre for the island of Ireland and has one
of the fastest growing populations of any European capital
city.
The city has a world-famous literary
history, having produced many prominent literary figures,
including Nobel laureates William Butler Yeats, George
Bernard Shaw and Samuel Beckett. Other influential writers
and playwrights from Dublin include Oscar Wilde, Jonathan
Swift and the creator of Dracula, Bram Stoker. It is
arguably most famous, however, as the location of the
greatest works of James Joyce. Dubliners is a collection
of short stories by Joyce about incidents and characters
typical of residents of the city in the early part of
the 20th century. His most celebrated work, Ulysses,
is also set in Dublin and full of topical detail. Additional
widely celebrated writers from the city include J.M.
Synge, Seán O'Casey, Brendan Behan, Maeve Binchy,
and Roddy Doyle. Ireland's biggest libraries and literary
museums are found in Dublin, including the National
Print Museum of Ireland and National Library of Ireland.
There are several theatres within the
city centre, and various world famous actors have emerged
from the Dublin theatrical scene, including Noel Purcell,
Brendan Gleeson, Stephen Rea, Colin Farrell, Colm Meaney
and Gabriel Byrne. The best known theatres include the
Gaiety, the Abbey, the Olympia and the Gate. The Gaiety
specialises in musical and operatic productions, and
is popular for opening its doors after the evening theatre
production to host a variety of live music, dancing,
and films. The Abbey was founded in 1904 by a group
that included Yeats with the aim of promoting indigenous
literary talent. It went on to provide a breakthrough
for some of the city's most famous writers, such as
Synge, Yeats himself and George Bernard Shaw. The Gate
was founded in 1928 to promote European and American
Avante Guarde works. The largest theatre is the Mahony
Hall in The Helix at Dublin City University in Glasnevin.
Dublin is also the focal point for much
of Irish Art and the Irish artistic scene. The Book
of Kells, a world-famous manuscript produced by Celtic
Monks in A.D. 800 and an example of Insular art, is
on display in Trinity College. The Chester Beatty Library
houses the famous collection of manuscripts, miniature
paintings, prints, drawings, rare books and decorative
arts assembled by American mining millionaire (and honorary
Irish citizen) Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968).
The collections date from 2700 B.C. onwards and are
drawn from Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe.
Work by local artists is often put on public display
around St. Stephen's Green, the main public park in
the city centre. In addition large art galleries are
found across the city, including the Irish Museum of
Modern Art, the National Gallery, the Hugh Lane Municipal
Gallery, The City Arts Centre, The Douglas Hyde Gallery,
The Project Arts Centre and The Royal Hibernian Academy.
Three branches of the National Museum
of Ireland are located in Dublin: Archaeology in Kildare
Street, Decorative Arts and History in Collins Barracks
and Natural History in Merrion Street.
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