27 Interesting Facts About Dublin

The splendid Irish capital, the city of Dublin, may not be as famous as London or Paris, but it attracts a huge number of tourists every year for a reason. Steeped in history, it is unique in many ways and quite different from other European capitals. The appearance of Dublin, heavy and slightly old-fashioned, is remarkably combined with the rugged Irish nature and modern technologies that abound on its streets.

Facts About Dublin

1. The city has just over 500,000 residents, which is about 25 times less than in Moscow.
2. The Irish pronounce the name of Dublin as “Duv-lin.”
3. Entry to all museums in Dublin is completely free for everyone, including foreigners.
4. The first recorded mention of Dublin dates back to 140 AD, making it the oldest settlement in Ireland.
5. Dublin is the most densely populated of all Irish cities.
6. Phoenix Park, located in Dublin, is the largest park in Europe and the second-largest in the world, surpassed only by Central Park in New York.
7. During rush hour, most of Dublin’s streets are clogged with cars, creating truly monstrous traffic jams.
8. Greenery is not just abundant here—it’s everywhere. Since residents prefer evergreen plants, Dublin appears covered in green even in winter.
9. Dublin is one of the six cities in the world designated as UNESCO literary cities. It has been home to writers such as Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, George Bernard Shaw, and many others.
10. Dublin is home to the famous Guinness Brewery, whose owners once created the world-renowned Guinness Book of Records.
11. Electrical wires are mostly buried underground here to avoid being an eyesore.
12. Within the city limits are the so-called Dublin Mountains, which are actually low hills. However, the locals call them mountains.
13. Dublin is home to the famous O’Connell Bridge. It is notable because, like the famous “Pythagorean trousers,” all its sides are equal—the length of the bridge is equal to its width.
14. The most widely spoken language in Dublin is English, which is understood by all or almost all residents. About a third of the population does not speak Irish at all.
15. Dubliners firmly believe that the remains of St. Valentine, the patron saint of lovers, rest in their church on the city’s central square.
16. Public transport here supposedly follows a schedule, which you can always check in an app, but in practice, the drivers often do not adhere to it.
17. Most buildings in Dublin are no more than two stories high.
18. Dublin consistently ranks among the top 10 most expensive European cities. Salaries here are high, but so is the cost of living.
19. The Liffey, the largest river in all of Ireland, divides Dublin into two almost equal parts.
20. The locals here still actively use paper mail, which, by the way, works flawlessly.
21. There are over a thousand pubs in Dublin, for which the city is famous. Some of these pubs are a hundred or even two hundred years old.
22. The name “Dublin” translates from Irish as “black water.” Indeed, the city is located in a swampy area.
23. There is a monument to the famous writer Oscar Wilde in Dublin.
24. In the Dublin Zoo, animals do not live in cages. They reside in zones separated from each other, but they live in a manner similar to the wild, as in a nature reserve.
25. The oldest maternity hospital in the world is considered to be the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, founded in 1745.
26. About 10 million pints of Guinness beer are sold daily in Dublin (1 pint is about 600 ml).
27. Utility services here are provided by different companies, and if you wish, you can always switch from one company to another, much like changing mobile operators.