Some headlines

The official Irish name for Dublin is Baile Átha Cliath or Áth Cliath, and the English name comes from the Irish words Dubh Linn meaning ‘black pool’. The city is near the midpoint of Ireland’s east coast at the mouth [...]]]> For the many who ask Google each month, the answer is… DUBLIN!

Some headlines

The official Irish name for Dublin is Baile Átha Cliath or Áth Cliath, and the English name comes from the Irish words Dubh Linn meaning ‘black pool’. The city is near the midpoint of Ireland’s east coast at the mouth of the River Liffey, and is at the centre of the Dublin Region. Originally a Viking settlement, it evolved into the Kingdom of Dublin and subsequently became the island’s primary city after the Norman invasion.

Situated in the province of Leinster, the city covers 44 square miles and the wider urban area 356 square miles. The population is approximately 1.66 million, however it’s predicted this might reduce for the first time since 1861 over the next few years. The CSO (Central Statistics Office) also predicts however that it will move upwards to 2.1 million by 2021.

European Capital of Sport in 2010
Approximately 50% of the capital’s inhabitants are under 25, and it was voted the friendlist European city in 2007 and again in 2009 (someone obviously forgot to include Cork in the vote!). It has been selected as the European Capital of Sport in 2010, and is host to the 4th largest stadium in the continent, Croke Park, which has a capacity of 82,500. Croke Park (Páirc an Chrócaigh) has been selected as the venue for the UEFA Cup Final in 2011.


European Capital of Science in 2012.
The University of Dublin is the oldest in Ireland (16th century) and its sole college, Trinity, was established by Royal Charter in 1592 and has 15,000 students. The National University of Ireland is also in Dublin, as is University College Dublin, the largest in Ireland with over 22,000 students.

Dublin City University (10,000 students) specialises in business, engineering, and science. Dublin Institute of Technology focusses on technical subjects as well as arts and humanities. The National College of Art and Design, and Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art Design and Technology, provide training and research in the art, design and media technology fields. The capital is also home to Dublin Business School, the National College of Ireland, and the Institute of European Affairs.

The city has been selected as the European Capital of Science in 2012.

Dublin Castle
On the site of a Danish Viking fortress in the 930′s, Dublin Castle was built between 1204 and 1230. Viking power was broken at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 when the Vikings and their allies were decisively defeated by an Irish army under the command of King Brian Boru (Brian Boru also died in the battle), and the castle was later constructed under the order of King John of England. Here’s the Dublin Castle website.

History
Dublin is also one of Europe’s oldest cities and has a fascinating history. You can find out much more at: Wikipedia, Chapters of Dublin and Dublin Uncovered.

Fly in
Dublin Airport is 10km north of the city. If you’re thinking of visiting you can get details about airlines and flight schedules at Dublin Airport.

Sail in
Dublin Ferry Port is 2 miles from the city centre, and Dun Laoghaire Ferry Port is six miles south of the city – 30 minutes by train to the centre. Five ferry companies operate up to sixteen sailings daily, connecting Dublin with Holyhead (Wales), Liverpool (UK) and Douglas (Isle of Man).
Dublin Ferry Port Tourist Information and Stena Line.

Places to stay
There’s plenty of Dublin hotels, B&Bs, guest houses and hostels to choose from so it’s well worth shopping around and comparing:


Places to see / things to do
Dublin is rich with tourist attractions and there are many websites to help you on your way. Here’s a few to point you in the right direction:

Dublin.ie   Visitdublin.com   Dublintourist.com   Dublinevents.com

And here’s some photos recently taken by Bernadette on an early morning walk in the city…

Daniel O'Connell

Buildings of gold

Inside the GPO

'Real vision is the ability to see the invisible'

All that glitters....!

O'Connell Bridge

Hopefully that’s enough to get you started, and if you’re on the way enjoy the visit!

PS: the “real capital of Ireland” is Cork, and the capital of Cork is Ballydehob! but i’ll come back to that another day

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Valerie Byrne “I am an artist who likes to make the world smile. I [...]]]> Some people acquire art as investment, others because its the in thing, but maybe the best way is simply to buy when you like what you see. Ireland has a great wealth of artistic talent and today it’s ‘Dublin Day…’

Valerie Byrne
“I am an artist who likes to make the world smile. I observe the odd things, the normal, the abnormal, the absurd, and the comical and create a world within a real world setting.”

James Callis
A selection of original Oil and Acrylic paintings many of them depicting the Irish landscape.

Roger Cummiskey
Roger is a Dublin Watercolourist, living between Ireland and southern Spain. He has developed a unique individual style and specializes in paintings that take their themes and titles from the wanderings and writings of James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Miguel de Cervantes and other Literary and Historical personalities.

Carla Daly
Carla Daly is an illustrator specializing in nursery arts and artwork for kids.

Peter Dee
Peter works mainly in oils, painting various subjects including landscapes, seascapes and still life compositions.

Joe Dunne
Delicate and precise portrait work.

Felim Egan
His abstract paintings are almost landscapes, with a magical quality that his neighbour, the poet Seamus Heaney, has aptly described “a balance of shifting brilliances”.

Jim Fitzpatrick
His ornate, colourful and intensely decorative Celtic artwork is now so well-known and unique that it is instantly recognisable.

Paul Flynn
Pauls art is influenced by Irish landscape, culture, writers, storytellers, the people and all aspects of Irish life which in itself has a story to tell.

Katarzyna Gajewska
“My painting process is something between my dreams and documentation. My art is situated in the middle; not in the realistic and not in the abstract, in popular meaning.

I am looking for human simplicity and complexity in the same way.”

Guggi
Guggi has exhibited his minimalistic paintings, representations of bowls and vessels, in various galleries, including the Tony Shafrazi Gallery (New York), the Osborne Samuel Gallery (London) and the Solomon Gallery (Dublin).

Brendan Higgins
“I produce pop art style portraits with the aim of creating artwork that is accessible by everyone, absolutely unique, affordable in price and of the highest quality.”

Liz Kane
“I like abstract compositions for their ability to express abstract concepts in a playful way, while inviting the viewer to explore another view of what may or may not be, that which is understood as content.”

Alan Kenny
There is a great sense of both a spiritual as well as an aesthetic attitude in Alan’s work. Each painting, with its elegant yet potent calligraphic lines, flattened composition and exaggerated perspectives resonates a kind of chaotic, yet idyllic sense of fun and humour.

Graham Knuttel
Initially renowned for his large wooden mechanical structures, Graham Knuttel has more recently emerged as a painter with a rapidly growing international reputation.

Jonathan Knuttel
“I love the conflict between rushes of vibrant colour and bold, stark lines. Colour gives roundness to a surface, depth in the feeling of a surface. Colour is the rhythm, form and mood of a picture.”

Louis le Brocquy
“I sometimes think of the activity of painting as a kind of archaeology – an archaeology of the spirit.”

Gena Lynam
Her impressionistic seascapes, landscapes and flower studies are widely shown in major galleries in the West and South of Ireland and in Dublin. Her work is also held in many private collections around the world.

Tony Lynch
“Currently i am painting landscapes in oil, having just completed oil portraits, mainly of Irish traditional musicians.”

Anne Madden
Anne represented Ireland at the 1965 Paris Biennale. In 1999 she painted Empyrius on the vaulted ceiling of the International Contemporary Art Centre in France.

Louise Mansfield
Louise exhibits her work throughout Europe. Her most recent shows were solo shows in London and Dublin as well as being invited to the Biennale in Florence, Italy.

Anna Matykiewicz
Painting, drawing, stained glass, photography and visual art.

Brian McCarthy
The old master influence goes beyond his use of light and shadow – it’s as though his paintings are a synthesis whereby traditional techniques are fused with his own modern ideas.

Joe McGuinness
“If you happen to be in Dublin any Sunday afternoon, say hello to me there on Merrion Square where you will find me exhibiting my works.”

Simon Meyler
Always receptive to diverse artistic styles, he has explored every aspect with the aim of forging an innovative interpretation of everyday subjects, which has matured into a style that is uniquely his own.

Carmel Mooney
…her latest sculptures of “submerged” glass were exhibited at the the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland, Merrion Sq., Dublin.

John Morris
“My paintings are about light and the effects of light on objects such as figures, water, landscape; they are about minute colour changes.”

Laura Mulligan
Her expressive paintings are full of movement, and as a colourist she uses a vibrant and intense palette. She draws her inspiration from the desire to commit to canvas the essence of a mood, a feeling, or a fleeting moment, and from the wild landscapes of Ireland and other countries, such as Morocco, France and Mexico.

Roisin O’Shea
Róisín O’Shea is an internationally published water-colour artist. Her work is reproduced in many forms including fine art prints, calendars, books, greetings cards, placemats and collector’s plates.

David Quinn
David exhibits with the Taylor Galleries, Kildare Street, Dublin.

James Quinn
He works with Acrylic on canvas, mixed media, and also with digital imagery. The work is probably best classified by the era in which it is produced rather than attributing a ‘style’ to it.

“Rasher” – Mark Kavanagh
After attracting interest with several self-mounted shows, he held a successful one-man show in Dublin which led to newspaper profiles, and an appearance on the Late Late Show. Since then he has established himself as one of the most interesting painters of his generation.

Owen Rohu
Owen exhibits with galleries in Dublin, Clifden, Cork and Westport. His paintings are held privately in Ireland, Australia and the U.S.A

Paul Ryan
” My intention is not to try and imitate but evoke and reflect, to portray an idea of the coastal landscape being an idealised space leaving room for an emotional response.”

Vivienne St Clair
“Painting can be many things. For me painting is about observing and learning. I paint the things I love, usually driven by the beauty of what is before me.”

Conor Walton
Conor Walton was born in Dublin in 1970 and studied in the National College of Art and Design, from which he graduated in 1993 with a Joint Honours Degree in the History of Art and Fine Art (Painting).

Karen Wilson
“The subject of my paintings are varied and include landscapes, poppies, roses and more recently lilies, nearly taking the subject to abstraction. My medium is mainly oil or acrylic in an impasto style on block canvas. I paint from life and follow the seasons to source my inspiration.”

…and if your mind wants to wander further you should also check out the bad art gallery and their ‘RHA UNSELECTED SHOW’ running from May 14 – June 4th 2009!

Nothing suits the rarefied world of fine art like a breath of fresh air, and it’s blowing right now along Francis Street in Dublin – the Sunday Business Post.