23 Facts About Dublin [You Will Want To Tell Your Friends!] 

Dublin is full of history, and culture and is much more than just alcohol and partying! Here are 23 fun facts about Dublin! I’ve called this the “Dublin, Ireland Facts”.

I’m Ger and I’m originally from Galway but I’ve lived in Dublin for a decent amount of time. 

There are many interesting facts about Ireland as a whole, in this article, you will find out about Dublin’s history facts and what Dublin is known for.

Brace yourself as some of these facts are interesting but for those inquisitive folks amongst us, don’t fret! I have you covered. Some of these facts are unusual and weird as well. 

23 Facts About Dublin

1. Origin Of The Name “Dublin”

2. Size, Weather, And Population

3. Home To The Widest Street In Europe

4. Bands That Dublin Gave Birth To

5. Guinness, The Brand, And 9,000-Year Lease

6. Arthur And Olivia Had 21 Children

7. Temple Bar Used To Be A Sandbank

8. Queen Elizabeth’s First Visit To Dublin Was In 2011

9. Gaelic Football And Hurling

10. The Oldest Pub In Ireland

11. Witch Burnings In Stephen’s Green

12. Glasnevin’s Watchtowers Scare Off Bodysnatchers

13. Largest Red-Light District In The British Isles

14. Home To The Largest Viking Cemetery (Outside Of Scandinavia)

15. Bullet Holes On O’Connell Street From 1916

16. Europe’s Largest City Park

17. Ireland’s Oldest Library

18. Record Of 130 Rivers In Dublin (And The Gorgeous Swans)

19. Famous Dubliners

20. The Book Of Kells

21. Dublin Mountains…Are Really Hills

22. No Catholic Cathedral In Dublin

23. One Fun Fact About Drinking…Just One!

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1. Origin Of The Name “Dublin”

Dublin is derived from the Irish language, “Dubh Linn” which means “black pool”. 

Located in Liffey, this pool was the tidal pool right behind Dublin Castle. Ireland’s fun facts for kids: In older scripts, the capital is spelled with a “bh” and a dot over the “b”. 

Here is a list of tours I have personally experienced and recommend (in order of preference): 

• Guinness Storehouse: Did you know more than a million go on this tour? You even get to enjoy a complimentary pint midway. Choose the self-guided tour to go at your pace.  You can book here.

• Cliffs of Moher, Kilmachuagh Abbey & Galway Day Tour: On a dark dim day, with the clouds hanging low and a slight drizzle, the Cliffs of Moher sure look like the backdrop from Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. You can book here.

• Northern Ireland (Including Giant’s Causeway) Tour: Experience the sheer size of this UNESCO-listed site, sign the Peace Wall, and even visit the Dunluce Castle which IS in GOT! You can book here.

• Book of Kells & Dublin Castle Tour: An express tour option. Start point at the infamous Trinity College, and spend the next hour learning about the capital’s culture and heritage. You can book here.

• Guinness & James Irish Whiskey Experience Tour: Another express tour option. A guided tour where the guide explains the ingredients used, and the distilling process, and of course, end the tour with some tastings! You can book here.

• Kilkenny, Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough, Sheep Dog Trials: Quite a pack tour, you will experience a tour of medieval Irish architecture and folklore. You can read more about these places here. You can book here. 

2. Size, Weather, And Population

The population is currently standing at 1.26 million people and there has been a 2.27% increase from the start of the pandemic – guess Dubliners have been keeping themselves busy, good on them! 

The size of Dublin is 117.8km². Dublin has more of a maritime type of climate. The lowest temperature is usually around January-February at about 6°C and the highest is around July-August at 20°C. So you now know when to rock out that hen-do party in Dublin! 

3. Home To The Widest Street In Europe

O’Connell Street. This is the widest (yet not the longest) street in, Dublin. 

It is 49m in width and altogether 500m in length. There is no way you can hear a friend from across the road, shouting your name (unless she REALLY tried!) – it is literally that massive.   

4. Bands That Dublin Gave Birth To

Oh good god, where do I start? From the infamous band, U2 with their smashing hits like “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” as “Where The Streets Have No Name” (yes this is a joke I heard when I was a teen – read it again LOL). 

There is Thin Lizzy, Sinead O’Conner, Boyzone, and Westlife. But I got to say (and no bias here – well maybe a wee smidge!), the ultimate band has to be The Dubliners and one of their absolute hits – The Wild Rover. 

Definitely, a fantastic pub song to end your night.

5. Guinness, The Brand, And 9,000-Year Lease

Interesting facts about Dublin, it is the home to the best liquid black gold on this planet belongs to Dublin – specifically St James Gate which was originally leased to Arthur Guinness at £45 per year for a 9,000-lease.

 Can you imagine only paying that for your house, let alone a rented room?

The brand has become a household brand in most nations, where it is brewed in 50 counties and available in 120 countries.  This brand was established in 1759. Go on a tour to visit the Guinness Store House. You can book here.

6. Arthur And Olivia Had 21 Children

Arthur Guinness married Olivia Whitmore, an heiress, and they both had 21 children together, out of which only 10 made it to childhood. 

This is a tragic story but given the illnesses at that time, this was a common story. Bless your heart, Olivia! 

7. Temple Bar Used To Be A Sandbank

Temple Bar was originally known as “Temple Barr”. Barr is a raised estuary sandbank often used for walking on.

 Over the 18th century, the story goes that this was the place to be seen if you were out on a wild drunken night out, together with a sex worker. 

8. Queen Elizabeth’s First Visit To Dublin Was In 2011

In 2011, Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh made a 4-day state visit to Ireland, she stayed in Dublin Castle and gave a rather emotional speech – a part of it in the Irish language.

She paid homage to the known divide between both nations. 

In particular, she said one line which touched the hearts of many: “With the benefit of historical hindsight, we can all see things which we wish would have been done differently, or not at all.” 

For the full video of the speech, click here YouTube – RTE News Channel 

9. Gaelic Football And Hurling

There are a few differences between Gaelic football and hurling, namely, the main actors (after the players, I mean). 

Gaelic football uses a ball, whereas hurling players use a stick (called a hurley) to hit the ball (called a sliotar). 

I was surprised to learn that hurling dates back to 3000-4000 years.

 Both sports are incredibly popular in Dublin and other parts of Ireland. If you would like to know about places to watch it live, check out my article 17 Things to do near Dublin Airport.

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10. The Oldest Pub In Ireland

Awarded the Guinness Book of Records as Ireland’s Oldest Pub, Seán’s Bar is located in Athlone, inside a castle dating back to 900AD. 

History speaks about Luian Mac Luighdeach (pronounced loo-wey-dea-ch) built an inn and was a guide for travelers. 

Over time, a settlement grew around this inn and today this inn is known as Seán’s Bar.

11. Witch Burnings In Stephen’s Green

One of the some sinister history facts about Dublin.

Up until 1663, Stephen’s Green which was named after a church called St Stephen’s in that vicinity in the thirteenth century, served as the main area for public executions of witch burnings. 

12. Glasnevin’s Watchtowers Scare Off Bodysnatchers

Around the 18th and 19th centuries, there was a spike in demand for cadavers for trainee surgeons and doctors to understand the human anatomy. 

As such, there was a trade-in body-snatching. These men were known as “resurrection men” or “sack-’em-ups”. 

The Glasnevin watchtowers were built in the 1700s to keep an eye out for these snatchers and to caution them that someone is looking while they steal a body.

13. Largest Red-light District In The British Isles

Less than a square kilometer in area, sex workers working in Monto, the largest red-light district was known to be the largest in the British Isles at that time. 

Today, nothing survives, not even the original street name. 

If you happen to wander down Seán McDermott Street, this was one of the streets, previously called Gloucester Street, which made up the Monto district. 

14. Home To The Largest Viking Cemetery (Outside Of Scandinavia)

One of an interesting facts about Dublin, Kilmainham-Islandbridge has the largest burials of Vikings, some still with their swords and spearheads in the graves. 

These graves date back to 841AD. Close to 59 graves have been found, and to date, the human remains are still being found. 

15. Bulletholes On O’Connell Street From 1916

The year was 1916 and it was during the Easter Rising when the Irish republicans went into battle with the British, for independence. 

A man named Daniel O’Connell (also known as the Liberator) was wanted In 1916. He was the political leader of Ireland’s Roman Catholic majority for pretty much the beginning half of the 19th century. His work led to the Catholic Emancipation of 1829.

It was a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. 

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16. Europe’s Largest City Park

The largest city park in Europe is Phoenix Park, which as you can spot from the photo – looks amazing from a drone-shot angle. 

About 3km from the city center, it is an 11km parameter wall comprising 1,750 acres of land. 

Here you can find the Dublin Zoo and some Instagrammable shots as well. 

17. Ireland’s Oldest Library

Remember the feeling of getting a code number for a book from the librarian and going through the aisle in search of it? 

In today’s techy world, this feels like a lost piece of the puzzle – a life puzzle perhaps? Ooof, I digress (and got too serious there! Eeeps!). 

Located adjacent to St Patrick’s Cathedral, Marsh’s Library was first opened to the public in 1707 and it was the first public library in Ireland. 

Fun fact about Dublin, Ireland, Marsh’s Library is one of the few 18th-century buildings still used for its original purpose.

18. Record Of 130 Rivers In Dublin (And The Gorgeous Swans)

Can you believe there are 130 rivers in the entire county of Dublin? 130 rivers?! 

Even after living here for most of my life, I have still not managed to even explore ⅓ of them! You can explore most of them through the hikes around Dublin.

19. Famous Dubliners

There are a few famous Dubliners who are at different parts of this globe, and some of whom have passed as well. 

The famous playwright, Oscar Wilde who was famous for his masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest. Luke Kelly who sang Raglan Road. 

Oh, this needs a few more lines! I can’t possibly stop at Luke! 

The amazing man behind Agnes Brown from Mrs. Brown’s Boys – have you not watched this? You absolutely must! “Stuff the turkey’s ass with holly, fa la la la la, la la la” is just one of the best one-liners. 

20. The Book of Kells

Located in Trinity College Dublin, The Book of Kells is a 9th-century manuscript documenting the four Gospels of the life of Jesus Christ. 

Regardless of your belief system, this is an amazing piece of history to experience. 

While you are at it, check out the most beautiful library which houses 200,000 of Trinity College’s oldest books. 

21. Dublin Mountains…are really hills

I went around in search of this dramatic mountain, I even packed a whole mini-buffet for myself as I hiked in anticipation for this grandiose man-made structure. 

When I first came to know of this fact about Dublin, it was definitely a face-palm moment as I had forked out some serious moolah for this “hike”.

I was stunned to see – it isn’t a mountain but rather categorized as a “classic dramatic hill” LOL! Check out this article for actual HIKES!

22. No Catholic Cathedral in Dublin

I found this quite strange – there is no Catholic cathedral in Dublin, despite it being the major religion in Ireland. 

There hasn’t been one since the Protestant Reformation, which was a movement against the Catholic Church about the Pope’s authority.

23. One fun fact about drinking…just one!

Are you ready for a fact that is about to blow your mind? There are 10 million…yes you heard that right…10 MILLION pints of Guinness are produced daily. DAILY! 

I converted that to liters – 4.73 million liters. That is almost double an Olympic-sized swimming pool! 

FAQs On Facts About Dublin

What Is An Interesting Fact About Dublin?

One interesting fact about Dublin is Hitler’s half-brother once worked in The Shelbourne Hotel. He then met a girl and eloped to London and married a year later. 

What Is Dublin Famous For?

Here are some things Dublin is famous for

• Pub Culture
• Guinness
• Georgian Architecture
• Unesco City of Literature
• High standard of Accomodation in hotels and backpackers. For example, Zanzibar Serviced Apartments is a place I’ve booked before. It is 400m from City Hall. You can book Zanzibar Serviced Apartments here.

What Are 5 Interesting Facts About Ireland?

Here are 5 interesting facts about Ireland: 

• Guinness is brewers at the Guinness Brewery at St James’ Gate which has a 9000-year lease and doesn’t expire until 10759
• Every day, 1 of every 2 pints consumed in Dublin is Guinness 
• Dublin is home to 750 pubs
• The name ‘Dublin’ is from Irish Gaelic ‘Dubh linn’ which means “Black Pool”
• Dublin’s current population is 1.45million people of which ⅓ are under 25 years of age

How Did Dublin Get Its Name?

Dublin got it’s name from Irish Gaelic ‘Dubh linn’ which means “Black Pool”. Located in Liffey, this pool was the tidal pool right behind Dublin Castle.

Dublin city was founded about 2,000 years ago! It has undoubtedly come a long way since its start. From culture to traditions to having a worldwide brand to its incredible music, Dublin keeps digging deep into its authenticity and surprising the world. 

I made sure to break up this article into sections catered to every reader, I’ll be honest – my favorite part was the spooky and unusual facts section. 

Now you have facts about Dublin. These are the facts that will stick in our brains and we’ll remember them on a rainy Tuesday afternoon at work! Lol. 

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23 Facts About Dublin [You Will Want To Tell Your Friends!]