“Action to match our speech.” This is the motto of County Dublin. County Dublin. It is more than just a geographical area. It is a place steeped in history. I will tell you a story about West County Dublin.
West County Dublin’s story begins in the 1190s. County Dublin was established then. It holds Ireland’s capital city. That is Dublin. County Dublin sits on Ireland’s east coast. It resides within the province of Leinster.
Before 1994, County Dublin was one local government area. Dublin city was excluded. In 1994, the county council split into three new administrative counties. They were Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Fingal, and South Dublin. These three counties plus Dublin City form a NUTS III statistical region. Its code is IE061.
However, County Dublin still exists for the courts. The Dublin County Sheriff covers it. The Dublin City Sheriff’s bailiwick is separate. Dublin County combines with Dublin City. Together, they form the Judicial County of Dublin. This includes Dublin Circuit Court and Dublin Metropolitan District Court. Law enforcement covers the whole county. The Garda Dublin metropolitan division does this. Also, Dublin Fire Brigade serves county-wide.
Dublin is Ireland’s most populous county. In 2022, its population was 1,458,154. That’s about 28% of the Republic of Ireland’s total population. Dublin city is the capital. It is the largest city in the Republic of Ireland. Dublin is also the largest city on the island of Ireland.
Roughly 9 out of every 10 people in County Dublin live within Dublin city. They also live in its suburbs. Some towns are separate from the city. Rush, Donabate, and Balbriggan are examples. They sit in the far north of the county. Swords is separated by a green belt around Dublin Airport. Yet, it’s a suburban commuter town and a growing small city.
Dublin is the third smallest county by land area. Meath borders it to the west and north. Kildare lies to the west. Wicklow is to the south. The Irish Sea is to the east. The southern part of the county is dominated by the Dublin Mountains. They rise to about 760 metres. These mountains have valleys, reservoirs, and forests.
The county’s east coast has bays and inlets. Rogerstown Estuary and Broadmeadow Estuary are there. Baldoyle Bay and Dublin Bay are prominent too. The northern section is now Fingal. It varies greatly. Densely populated suburban towns contrast with flat, fertile plains. These plains are major horticultural and agricultural hubs.
Dublin is Ireland’s oldest county. Following the Norman invasion in the late 1100s, it was the first part of the island to be shired. While no longer a local government area, Dublin retains a strong identity. It is referred to as a region and county interchangeably. This happens even at government body level.
The name “Dublin” comes from the city of Dublin. That is an anglicisation of the Old Norse name Dyflin. Vikings founded the city in the 9th century AD. They created the Kingdom of Dublin. Before the Vikings, there was a Christian ecclesiastical site. It was known as Duiblinn. Dyflin took its name from Duiblinn.
Duiblinn comes from the Middle Irish word Du(i)blind. That means “Blackpool.” It refers to a dark tidal pool. This pool was where the River Poddle met the Liffey behind Dublin Castle. The hinterland of Dublin in the Norse period was called Dyflinnar skiði. That meant ‘Dublinshire’.
Besides Dyflin, there was a Gaelic settlement. It was called Áth Cliath. That meant “ford of hurdles.” It was near present-day Father Mathew Bridge. Baile Átha Cliath means “town of the hurdled ford.” Áth Cliath refers to a fording point on the river. As with Duiblinn, an early Christian monastery stood at Áth Cliath. Today, the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church occupies that site.
Dublin was the first county in Ireland to be shired after the Norman Conquest. That was in the late 12th century. The Normans took the Kingdom of Dublin from its Norse-Gael rulers. They used the name as the basis for the county’s official Anglo-Norman name. However, in Modern Irish, the region was named after the Gaelic settlement of Baile Átha Cliath. Sometimes it was simply called Áth Cliath.
Dublin is one of four counties in Ireland. It has different name origins for both Irish and English. Wexford, Waterford, and Wicklow are the others. Their English names also come from Old Norse. West County Dublin, a place of ancient origins. Its modern identity continues to evolve. It shapes Ireland’s story.