Dublin, Old and New
A colonial city that became the capital of a nation
AFTER Cork and Blarney Castle, I headed for Dublin, the capital of the Irish Republic and, before independence and partition a hundred years ago, the traditional capital of all Ireland.
Like all of Ireland’s major cities, Dublin is on the coast. It sits at the mouth of a river called the Liffey.
Nobody knows for sure what the name Liffey means. It’s thought that the name may date all the way back to the stone age, to the days when people were erecting great monuments all over the British Isles, Ireland included.
I got to Dublin from Cork via Go Bus for only 14 Euros, and managed to stay for two nights for 50 Euros a night at the Garden Lane Backpacker Hostel.
The Garden Lane Hostel was just fifteen minutes walk from Christ Church Cathedral, in the oldest part of town. The bridge in this photo crosses Winetavern Street, a name that sounds very mediaeval!
