Cities are constantly evolving.
As the city changes, older buildings are taken down or repurposed and new ones are erected. Street levels rise as new buildings are built over top. They get bigger, or smaller, and sometimes even have their physical geography altered.
So can you trace the history of a city through its buildings? Yes, you can!
Despite the changes the city undergoes, it’s often possible to find traces of earlier eras – if you know where to look.
Keep reading to discover the history of Dublin – in 5 buildings!
Table of Contents
Medieval Dublin: Dublin Castle
In the 9th century, Vikings came up the River Liffey and docked at a place where the river meets the River Poddle; it was called Duiblinn – or “black pool” – and it’s where the name modern city of Dublin gets its name.
Can you still see this black pool? Sort of. The river’s edge has changed over the centuries, and the original black pool is now the garden at Dublin Castle.
The Vikings ruled Dublin for the next three centuries, although their power was largely reduced after their defeat by the Irish hero Brian Boru at the Battle of Clontarf, just outside of Dublin, in 1014.
But soon another invader would come and prove far more long-lasting than the Vikings. In 1171, the Normans, who had conquered England a century prior, successfully took Dublin.
The Normans liked to build castles to establish their authority in their newly conquered lands, and they did the same in Dublin, building Dublin Castle. It would remain the seat of British rule in Ireland until 1922. The castle today belongs to the Irish government and the inauguration of the President of Ireland is still held there.
While much of the castle was rebuilt in later centuries, a medieval tower and the medieval foundations (including the original gate) can be seen today.
16th century Dublin: Trinity College Dublin
Trinity College Dublin is Ireland’s oldest university; it was founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592. The purpose was to consolidate English rule in Ireland.
Built during the tensions caused by the Protestant Reformation, one way the college elevated the power of the English was to admit only Protestant students, who were more likely to be loyal to the crown. Catholics were barred from attending the university for another two hundred years and would suffer a series of increasingly restrictive laws over the next few centuries.
Nowadays, Trinity College Dublin has come to be regarded as one of the most prestigious universities in Ireland. Some of its past students include notable figures in Irish history, such as the statesman and philosopher Edmund Burke, writer Oscar Wilde, satirist Jonathan Swift, and political leader Eamon de Valera.
The university is also famous as the home of the Book of Kells, and for its library, especially its stunning Long Room, where, in addition to books, you can find artefacts of Irish history, including the Brian Boru Harp (the symbol of Ireland) and a copy of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic.
Georgian Dublin: Georgian doors
Ireland came under the brutal rule of Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century.
After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Dubin experienced a period of growth and economic property, becoming the “second city of the British Empire.”
Wealthy Anglo-Irish set about rebuilding their city in the latest fashion. While some important buildings such as Leinster House date from this period, perhaps the most striking, and beloved, are the colorful Georgian doors.
Though much of the Georgian architecture was destroyed or fell to ruin in the 20th century, viewed as a reminder of an age of oppression, they became popular among tourists starting in the 1970s after a poster of the doors attracted a lot of favorable attention.
But where do the doors get their distinctive colors? No one knows for sure, but my favorite story is that the doors were painted different colors to help drunken inhabitants find their own homes.
Famine Dublin: Jeanie Johnston
From 1845 to 1852, Ireland suffered the Great Famine, also known as the Irish Potato Famine. An estimated 1 million people died and the population of Ireland dropped by one-fifth to one-fourth thanks to death and emigration.
With most of the Irish population already living in deep poverty, many chose to leave Ireland for a better life elsewhere; many went to America. Ships such as the Jeanie Johnston took them to a new life across the ocean – if they survived the harrowing journey.
Today, you can learn about what life was like on a ship to the new world aboard a replica Jeanie Johnston. Nearby, you can also see the Famine Memorial, a tribute to the victims of the famine.
1916 Easter Rising: General Post Office
After about 700 years of English and British domination of Ireland, calls for self-governance, or home rule, began in Ireland in the 1870s. Alongside it were calls for full Irish independence.
By 1914, home rule was in sights, but this was not universally popular, with many Irish wishing to remain united with Britain.
The topic was a highly sensitive one in Ireland and there were bloody skirmishes as a result. But by far the most impactful rebellion against British rule occurred on Easter Monday 1916.
A group of rebels rose up in various locations throughout Dublin, making the General Post Office (known as the GPO) their headquarters. They issued the Proclamation of the Republic, in which they declared Ireland to be an independence nation. (You can see a copy of the proclamation in the library at Trinity College Dublin.) The rebels held out for a week before being overcome by British forces. You can still see bullet holes in the post office building resulting from the conflict.
The British swiftly executed the rebel leaders, including James Connolly. The brutal suppression reviled the Irish and sympathy for the cause of Irish independence grew exponentially.
Three years later, others took up the cause in what became known as the Irish War of Independence (1919 – 1921).
Finally, in 1922, just six years after the Easter Rising, Ireland gained its independence from Britain, with Dublin as its capital.
Want to check out more historic places in Dublin? Check out my picks for the 20 here!
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