DK Travel : Dublin : History & Culture

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John Banville

The Literary Editor of the Irish Times , Banville (b.1945) is also a novelist – The Sea (2005) won the prestigious Booker Prize.
John McGahern

One of McGahern’s (b.1934) best novels is Amongst Women (1990).
Jonathan Swift

Swift (1667–1745) was born and educated in Dublin (see St Patrick’s Cathedral) and established a reputation as a wit through his satirical works. A Modest Proposal (1729), one of his most brilliant – if grim – satires, suggested feeding poor children to the rich. It is ironic that his work, Gulliver’s Travels (1726), is a children’s classic.
Kilmainham Gaol and Hospital

At the far west of the city, these two institutions could not be more different. The forbidding Kilmainham Gaol, with its grim history, was restored and opened as a museum in the 1960s; in contrast, the former hospital is a fine and beautiful building, restored in the 1980s and now home to the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
Language

The Irish language, spoken by about 1.5 million people today, comes directly from the ancient Celtic inhabitants.
Leinster House

Designed by Richard Cassels in 1745, Leinster House is notable for its two contrasting façades, one resembling a townhouse, the other a country abode. Built for the Earl of Kildare, since 1921 it has been the seat of Dáil Eireann , the Irish Parliament.
Marsh’s Library

Designed by Sir William Robinson of Kilmainham Hospital fame (see Kilmainham Gaol and Hospital) in 1705, this L-shaped library was built to house the collection of Archbishop Narcissus Marsh. The Gothic-style battlements and entrance date from the 19th century, but the oak bookcases, arranged in bays between the windows, are original.
Mary Robinson

Mary Robinson was elected the first woman president in 1990.
Michael Collins

Commander-in-Chief of the government forces in the Civil War, Collins (1890–1922) was shot dead in his native County Cork.
Musical Instruments

Uillean pipes, bodhráns (drums), tin whistles and other Celtic instruments remain at the heart of Irish folk music.