Dublin is a fantastic city full of history and tradition and where everyone is friendly and solicitous. Legend has it that if you open a map in the middle of the street, a Dubliner will appear asking if you need help.
Dublin had a history marked by the presence of the Vikings. Approximately in the middle of the ninth century the Vikings arrived and founded a small commercial region on the banks of the river Liffey, giving the name of Dubh Linn that means Black Lake, a term that later gave the name to the city as we know it today.
Here are a few curiosities about some of the most emblematic places and Dublin sights that are definitely worth visiting:
Trinity College
Dublin’s Trinity College is one of the most famous and the oldest active university in the world. For his classrooms have gone significant figures of Literature like Bram Stoker (Dracula), Jonathan Swift (the trips of Gulliver) or Oscar Wilde (the portrait of Dorian Gray).
It is in the library of Trinity College that we can find the famous book of Kells. This is a manuscript containing the four New Testament Gospels. Created by Celtic monks it dates from around 800 AD.
Temple Bar
Pubs, these are the most popular meeting centres around the country. Good beer, great atmosphere, and live music … What more could you want? It is estimated that in Dublin alone there are almost seven hundred licensed pubs open.
One of the most famous bars in Dublin, the Temple Bar, owes its name to the district in which it is located and not the other way around.
The name of this famous pub comes from the times when this area was a port, and the docks (barr, in the Gaelic language) were run by the Temple family.
And speaking of famous pubs, located in Glencullen, in the mountains of Dublin, Johnnie Fox’s holds the title of being Ireland’s highest pub.
Ha’Penny Bridge
The Ha’Penny Bridge is a very famous bridge in Dublin, the origin of its name is very curious. The literal translation is half a penny, which is what the boatman asked if you wanted to move from one side to the other of the river before the bridge, was built.
As a last curiosity about this bridge, I would like to tell you that the last repair it suffered was from the company that built the Titanic.
Another famous bridge, the O’Connell Bridge has the singularity of being the only bridge open to traffic in Europe that is wider than long.
Phoenix Park
Dublin is home to Phoenix Park, the largest urban park in Europe. It has an area of just over seven kilometres and in it are the zoo of Dublin or the residence of the President of the Republic of Ireland, among other attractions.
Croke Park Stadium
In this city, you can find one of the largest stadiums in Europe, Croke Park with the capacity of 82,300 seated people and the most popular and followed sports in this country are Hurling and Gaelic football.
Other curiosities
The doors of many houses are quite colourful, but do you know why? It is said that with the death of Prince Albert in 1861, Queen Victoria would have been so sad that she demanded that all the houses should have a black flag as mourning. However, as a form of protest, an Irishman decided to do the opposite and painted the door of his house with a strong colour. The act was eventually copied by more people.
But there is also a second legend behind the coloured doors: as men usually returned home drunk, painting the door of a different colour made it easier for them to recognise their residence on their return!
