Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built following the 1816 legislation that allowed the building of a major port to serve Dublin. It was known as Dunleary until it was renamed Kingstown in honour of King

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

's 1821 visit, and in 1920 was given its present name, the original Irish form of Dunleary. Over time, the town became a residential location, a seaside resort and the terminus of Ireland's first railway.

Toponymy

The town's name means "fort of Laoghaire". This refers to Lóegaire mac Néill (modern spelling: Laoghaire Mac Néill), a 5th century High King of Ireland, who chose the site as a sea base from which to carry out raids on Britain and

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

. Traces of fortifications from that time have been found on the coast, and some of the stone is kept in the Maritime Museum. The name is officially spelt Dún Laoghaire in modern Irish orthography; sometimes unofficially Dún Laoire. The old

anglicised Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

spelling Dunleary is also seen. This last is how the town's name is commonly pronounced.

History

Origins

Dún Laoghaire's origins are generally assumed to trace back to a fort that is believed to have stood there and mostly likely to have belonged to Lóegaire mac Néill. A 1686 map of Dublin Bay by

Greenvile Collins Greenvile Collins (1643 – c. 25 March 1694) (also spelt Greenvill or Greenville) was an officer of the Royal Navy and prominent hydrographer, who compiled ''Great Britain's Coasting Pilot'', the first survey of the country's coast undertaken by ...

gives the name as ''Dun Lerroy''. A later map from 1728 shows a small fishing village at the old harbour, marked as ''Dunlary'' or in other later maps as ''Dunleary''. The earlier village was around the area where the Purty Kitchen pub is now (sometimes mapped as "Old Dunleary"). It had a coffee house and a small cove, both of which are shown on a number of old maps, and it may have had a salt mine (Salthill is close by). At that time, the area was a craggy, rocky pastureland spotted with some granite quarries. By around 1800, some maps show a small centre of habitation along what is now Cumberland Street, close to the junction with York Road.

Harbour project

On the night of 18–19 November 1807, two troopships, the ''Prince of Wales'', and the ''Rochdale'', which had departed from Dublin, were driven on the rocks between Blackrock and Dún Laoghaire with the loss of over 400 lives. This disaster gave new impetus to an existing campaign for a harbour to be constructed near Dublin. By 1816, the legislation was passed authorising the construction of what is now called the "West Pier". The lines of the current town centre including George's Street and most adjoining streets are clearly shown on maps prepared for the development of the harbour, and in particular on a John Rennie plan of 1817, when construction of that town centre had barely commenced at the western end of George's Street. That street may originally have been laid out as a military road connecting the Dún Laoghaire Martello Towers—one at the Peoples Park, the other near the end of the West Pier—both of which have long disappeared. Whatever its origins, the street was clearly an engineer's design, being ruler-straight for all of its length (except the small western part which clearly pre-dates 1816). By the time the

Ordnance Survey Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was a ...

was completed around 1845, the maps show buildings on much of the street and adjacent streets.

Name

When

King George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten ye ...

came to visit the new port under construction in 1821, the name Dunleary was dropped in favour of "Kingstown"; the town returned to its former name in August 1920, in the lead-up to the creation of the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...

Railways

Ireland's first railway (costing £200,000) and covering the five and a half miles from Dublin (Westland Row) to Kingstown was opened on 17 December 1834, terminating at the old harbour of Dunleary which adjoins today's West Pier. Soon afterwards the railway was extended to Victoria wharf (later St. Michael's Wharf) of Dun Laoghaire harbour. Originally fares were sixpence (third class), eight pence (second class) and a shilling (first class). The journey took 15 minutes in 1837. The railway established Kingstown as a preferred suburb of

and led to the construction of residential terraces. Gresham Terrace (now demolished) consisted of eight houses which formed one side of Victoria Square, so named at the request of Princess Victoria. Much of Victoria Square has been built over by the Pavilion Theatre and apartments. By 1844 the Atmospheric Train (designed by Robert Mallet) connected Kingstown to Dalkey, leading to further development. The original station building was replaced in 1854 by a granite pavilion built in the

neo-classical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing st ...

by architect

John Skipton Mulvany John Skipton Mulvany (1813 – 10 May 1870) was a notable Irish architect. He was the fourth son of Thomas James Mulvany, one of the founder members, with his own brother John George, of the Royal Hibernian Academy.Langtry, Joe and Nikk ...

. The building, which has high ceilings and arched windows, has been in use as a restaurant since 2007. The Atmospheric Train ceased in 1854 but was replaced by the extension of the railway, which was subsequently extended to the ferry port of Rosslare. The opening of the railway from Dublin saw Kingstown become a

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwa ...

seaside resort A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the Germa ...

. Capitalising on this, a small establishment named Hayes Hotel was purchased by railway engineer

William Dargan William Dargan (28 February 1799 – 7 February 1867) was arguably the most important Irish engineer of the 19th century and certainly the most important figure in railway construction. Dargan designed and built Ireland's first railway lin ...

and on the same site enlarged and incorporated into the new Royal Marine Hotel in 1863.

1890 to 1916

Fountain, People's Park, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland - geograph

In 1890, the Kingstown Town Commissioners established the People's Park on the site of a depleted quarry. By 1900, the centre of the town was congested and steps were taken to widen the street. These steps included the demolition of shop frontages on George's Street from Patrick Street to Mulgrave Street, and their replacement by new frontages stepped back about 5 yards (4.5m). Shops on the corner of Marine Road and George's Street were also demolished. The British 59th (2nd North Midland) Division disembarked at Kingstown in April 1916 and marched up the road to Dublin, to participate in the response to the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with t ...

. Adjacent to the

Carlisle Pier Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the Cit ...

and overlooked by the National Maritime Museum of Ireland, there is an anchor, recovered from the wreck of the mailboat which was torpedoed over the Kish Bank in 1918, with the loss of over 500 lives.

Since 1921

The main road to Dublin, through Monkstown village and Blackrock, was the sole road connection to the city of Dublin until 1932. In that year, the Eucharistic Congress brought thousands of visitors to Dublin, and plans indicated that most of them would come through Dún Laoghaire. The road was considered inadequate, and a new coast road was created by connecting some short segments of road and closing some gardens. This road is now Seapoint Avenue. An agreement with the local residents to restore the area to the pre-Congress condition was never fulfilled. Dún Laoghaire was hit by stray German bombs during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, with a couple of them landing near the People's Park at Rosmeen Gardens. Damage from the bombs was limited to buildings.

Features

Harbour

The harbour, one of the largest in the country, is notable for its two granite piers. The East Pier is particularly popular with walkers, and was featured in the 1996 film ''

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and ...

'', where

Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed 7th on '' Th ...

(as Collins) and two of his co-stars are seen walking along a seaside

promenade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cl ...

, which is actually the Dún Laoghaire East Pier. A band is seen playing on a bandstand in this film scene, and this is the actual bandstand on the East Pier. The bandstand was restored to its original condition in 2010 by the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company. It took 42 years to construct the harbour, from 1817 to 1859. Initially it was thought that one pier (east pier) of 3,500 feet would be sufficient to provide shelter to shipping. It wasn't until the first pier was in use that the authorities realised the need for protection from winds from the west and north west. The West Pier was commenced in 1820 and was constructed with a length of 4,950 feet. The mouth of the harbour is 850 feet wide. The piers were built of perfectly square blocks (50 cubic feet) of Runcorn sandstone from foundation level up to 14 feet high. From six feet below low water level to coping level, the piers are built of Dalkey granite. The piers are 310 feet wide at foundation level, and 53 feet wide at the summit. An obelisk standing on four granite balls located near the old ferry port terminal at the harbour commemorates the departure of King George IV and the renaming of the place as Kingstown. Lighthouse Dun Loaghaire

A lighthouse was at the end of the East Pier, while the new headquarters of the Commissioners of Irish Lights (the General Lighthouse Authority for Ireland) is on Harbour Road.

Other coastal features

South of the harbour is Scotsman's Bay, where there was a Victorian seaside amusement area, with walks, shelters and baths. The walks and shelters are largely intact. Dún Laoghaire Baths have been derelict for many years, but were repainted in bright colours in 2012. Plans for restoration of this area are much debated, and some of the more ambitious ideas have been highly controversial.

Parks and community facilities

A traditional Victorian-style park, the People's Park, is at the eastern end of George's Street, and including still-functioning tea rooms. Community facilities include the Boylan Community Centre, the Dún Laoghaire Scout Den, and a community information service in the tower building of St Michael's Church. A large modern library, the Lexicon, which contains the county library headquarters, was built by the harbour in recent years. The Pavilion Gardens, previously located at the centre of Dun Laoghaire, was a decorative garden to which the public paid an admission fee. Within the gardens were tea rooms and a ballroom which, after a fire, was replaced by a cinema. It is now the site of the Pavilion theatre and a number of other businesses. Dún Laoghaire promenade

Rescue services

An inshore and offshore lifeboat operated by the RNLI are based in Dún Laoghaire Harbour. The offshore boat is normally moored adjoining the Carlisle Pier. The inshore boat is stored in a stone shed at the base of the East Pier. Until recently lifeboat crews were called to duty using a maroon launched from the shore base.

Historical features

At least one traditional "cabman's shelter" survives – these were small buildings built for the drivers of horse-drawn taxis.

Transport

Public transport

Dún Laoghaire is connected to central Dublin by the

DART Dart or DART may refer to: * Dart, the equipment in the game of darts Arts, entertainment and media * Dart (comics), an Image Comics superhero * Dart, a character from ''G.I. Joe'' * Dart, a ''Thomas & Friends'' railway engine character * Da ...

services, the South Eastern Commuter line and the mainline rail service that runs from Dublin to Rosslare. The town is also served by several bus routes which are the 7/A/B/D/N, 45A/B, 46A, 59, 63/A, 75/A and 111 operated by

Dublin Bus Dublin Bus ( ga, Bus Átha Cliath) is a State-owned bus operator providing services in Dublin. By far the largest bus operator in the city, it carried 138 million passengers in 2019. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. ...

and Go-Ahead Ireland. The

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

is beside the terminus of the 63/A, 75/A and the 46A, the most frequent and heavily used bus route in Dublin. The 746 bus route from the station terminus to

Dublin Airport Dublin Airport ( Irish: ''Aerfort Bhaile Átha Cliath'') is an international airport serving Dublin, Ireland. It is operated by DAA (formerly Dublin Airport Authority). The airport is located in Collinstown, north of Dublin, and south o ...

was discontinued in October 2010. Sandycove and Glasthule and Salthill and Monkstown also serve the area. An Aircoach service links the area with Dublin Airport 24 hours a day with stops at County Hall and the Royal Marine Hotel. Route 703 travels from Killiney to Dublin Airport via Dalkey, Glasthule, Dún Laoghaire, Monkstown, Blackrock, Booterstown, Tara Towers hotel, Strand Road and The Point (3Arena).

Rail history

The Dublin and Kingstown Railway, constructed and opened in 1834, was the first-ever railway in Ireland and was built to standard gauge. Extension southward was by the standard gauge

Dalkey Atmospheric Railway The Dalkey Atmospheric Railway (unofficial opening 19 August 1843, official opening 29 March 1844 – 12 April 1854) was an extension of the Dublin and Kingstown Railway (D&KR) to Atmospheric Road in Dalkey, Co. Dublin, Ireland. It used par ...

publicly opened in 1844 which was the first railway to have practical and commercial application of pneumatic power. In the 1850s, the

Dublin and Wicklow Railway The Dublin and South Eastern Railway (DSER), often referred to as the Slow and Easy, was an Irish gauge () railway in Ireland from 1846 to 1925. It carried 4,626,226 passengers in 1911. It was the fourth largest railway operation in Ireland oper ...

took over both lines, converting both to Irish gauge and the latter to

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...

haulage whilst extending further south to Bray, Wicklow. Successor companies operating the railway were: Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford Railway;

Dublin and South Eastern Railway The Dublin and South Eastern Railway (DSER), often referred to as the Slow and Easy, was an Irish gauge () railway in Ireland from 1846 to 1925. It carried 4,626,226 passengers in 1911. It was the fourth largest railway operation in Ireland oper ...

; Great Southern Railways; CIÉ; and Iarnród Éireann. An extension to

for the boats operated from 1859 until 1980. The railway was subsequently extended to the south to Wexford, Rosslare Harbour and

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

. Northwards in 1890 the line was extended to Connolly station connecting to other railways. Electrification arrived in 1984, and the electrified suburban service was branded as

. There are also

and Go-Ahead Ireland (since September 2018) services that operate near the station as well as around Dún Laoghaire.

Ferry

From the 19th century, the town was the principal passenger port for ferries between Ireland and Britain, with a frequent service to Holyhead in

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

, Wales. Among the ships which operated this route were "Banshee", "Llewellyn", "Ulster", "Munster", "Leinster", "Connaught", " MV Cambria", " MV Hibernia", " Princess Maud", "Holyhead Ferry 1", "St. Columba" and "Stena Cambria". At the beginning of the 21st century the route, operated by

Stena Line Stena Line is a Swedish shipping line company and one of the largest ferry operators in the world. It services Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden. Stena Line is a major u ...

's Stena Explorer ran three times daily in each direction, but competition from low-cost airlines and increasing fuel costs resulted in the service being reduced to once-daily in 2008, and becoming a seasonal (summer-only plus Christmas/New Year) from 2010. From early 2015 Stena Line concentrated their Holyhead routes on Dublin Port, and withdrew the service to Dún Laoghaire.

Pedestrianisation

In the early 2000s, Lower George's Street underwent

pedestrianisation Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...

, placing a ban on all general traffic with the exception of bus routes toward central Dublin. Bus routes coming along this road into Dún Laoghaire were re-routed along the seafront. This restriction was reversed in late 2008. Dún Laoghaire Business Association later (unsuccessfully) called for local parking charges to be reduced to one euro per hour (to compete with Dundrum Shopping Centre which then charged two euro for three hours).

Sports

Boating

Regattas have taken place in Kingstown since at least 1837. Dún Laoghaire harbour is home to a number of yacht clubs of which Dublin Bay Sailing Club incorporating the Royal Alfred yacht Club is the largest. it organises racing for dinghies and keelboats on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from April to September. Other clubs include the Dún Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club with premises on the West Pier, the Irish National Sailing School & Irish National Sailing Club based at the foot of the West Pier, the Sailing in Dublin Club with premises in the Coal Harbour, the

Royal Irish Yacht Club The Royal Irish Yacht Club is a yacht club located in Dún Laoghaire Harbour, County Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Republic of Ireland. The club was founded in 1831, with the Marquess of Anglesey, who commanded the cavalry at the Battle of Waterloo ...

between the Commissioners for Irish Lights and the marina entrance, the Royal St George Yacht Club ( built 1842) opposite the Pavilion Centre,

National Yacht Club The National Yacht Club is a yacht club located in Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, Ireland. The club was founded in 1871 as the Kingstown Royal Harbour Boat Club An active club prior to 1870 operated on the site. It is likely that it was a co ...

(built 1870) closest to the East Pier and the Irish Youth Sailing Club located on the East Pier. The area to the north of the West Pier at Salthill Beach once saw windsurfing activity over the twelve months of the year. St Michael's Rowing Club, one of the longest-established members of the East Coast Rowing Council, has its roots in Dún Laoghaire harbour since the hobblers of the 18th and 19th centuries. The club itself has existed since the early 1920s and still resides in the Coal Harbour boatyard today. Members can regularly be seen rowing their traditional, clinker-built skiffs around the harbour and Scotsman's Bay throughout the year. The Water Wag Club was founded in Kingstown in 1887 to "Establish a class of sailing punt with centreboard all rigged and built the same so that an even harbour race can be had with a light rowing and generally useful boat". This was the first time in yachting history that all the boats in a race should be identical, and that the winner would be the man with the greatest skill. This concept of 'One-design' has become the norm worldwide and has been adopted for all Olympic sailing events and for most World Championships in sailing. The Water Wag club prospers some 134 years later, and 'Wags' can be seen sailing in Dún Laoghaire harbour on Wednesday evenings from late April to mid-September every year.

Marina

The 820-berth marina is the largest in the country, and opened in 2001 following resistance for over 15 years by a group led by the late

John de Courcy Ireland John Evan de Courcy Ireland (19 October 1911 – 4 April 2006) was an Irish maritime historian and political activist. Biography de Courcy Ireland was born at Lucknow, India, son of British Army major de Courcy Ireland and Gabrielle (née Byr ...

, the maritime historian. A 240-berth extension, involving an investment of €3 million, was approved in June 2006 by

An Bord Pleanála (; meaning "The Planning Board"; ABP) is an independent, statutory, quasi-judicial body that decides on appeals from planning decisions made by local authorities in the Republic of Ireland. As of 2007, An Bord Pleanála directly decided majo ...

; the project was completed in April 2007. The marina was the first in Ireland to be awarded a 5 Gold Anchor rating.

Horse racing

Horse racing was undertaken annually in the 1830s for the entertainment of the residents. The location for these events was at the top of York Road where several houses have names such as 'Racefield'. These events no longer take place.

Golf

The town had a golf club from 1909 to 2007, but its members agreed to sell the course to housing developers and move to Ballyman Road, near Enniskerry in

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by ...

. The golf club was on a site now occupied by Honeypark and Cualanor.

Education

The Dún Laoghaire area is home to three third-level education establishments; Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT), Dun Laoghaire Further Education Institute (DFEi) formerly called Dún Laoghaire College of Further Education (DCFE) on Cumberland Street in Dun Laoghaire town, and Sallynoggin College of Further Education (SCFE). Primary schools in the Dún Laoghaire area include Dominican Primary School Dún Laoghaire, Holy Family National School in Monkstown Farm; and Monkstown Educate Together National School (METNS) on Kill Avenue, Dún Laoghaire. Another nearby primary school is Harold National School, Glasthule founded in 1872. A number of secondary schools around Dún Laoghaire closed in the 1990s. These school closures included CBS Eblana Avenue, founded in 1856 and closed in 1992 (although the fee-paying school

C.B.C. Monkstown Christian Brothers College, Monkstown Park (or CBC Monkstown Park) is a private fee-paying Catholic school and Independent Junior school, founded in 1856 in Monkstown, Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, Ireland. The college arrived at Monkstown Pa ...

which relocated from Eblana continues to this day); the Dominican Convent girls' school, which closed a year earlier in 1991; Dun Laoghaire Community College (previously Dun Laoghaire Tech) which changed to a Further Education Institute in 1996 and to Dun Laoghaire Further Education Institute (DFEi) since then. Presentation Brothers in Glasthule, founded in 1902, was closed in 2007.

Shopping and business

Dún Laoghaire has one main shopping street, George's Street, as well as two shopping centres: the Dún Laoghaire Shopping Centre and Bloomfields, the former dating from 1977. Recent years have seen some commercial development of the land around the George's Street area, including, notably, the old Pavilion Cinema and Theatre site opposite the County Hall. There is a regular antique fair held bi-monthly, on Sundays in the Royal Marine Hotel, near the harbour, and a weekly farmers market held in the People's Park on Sundays. There has been plenty of new investment in the area recently, and the Dún Laoghaire Shopping Centre will be subject to renovation by its owners Coltard, starting from 2016. The town has a wide range of eating places and public houses, as well as more than one hundred other retail businesses. The town is home to the head office of Ireland's largest supermarket operator,

Tesco Ireland Tesco Ireland is the Irish subsidiary of supermarket group Tesco. Tesco Ireland was formed by Tesco plc's 1997 purchase of the Irish retailing operations of Associated British Foods, namely Powers' Supermarkets Limited and its subsidiaries, tra ...

, whose stores previously anchored both major shopping centres in the town. But the one in Dún Laoghaire Shopping Centre which had been in operation since 1977, closed in May 2011 leaving only the one in Bloomfields. The Tesco store in Dún Laoghaire Shopping Centre has subsequently been replaced by SuperValu. Dún Laoghaire also holds other company headquarters, such as those of Bord Iascaigh Mhara and

Lionbridge Lionbridge Technologies, Inc is an American company that provides translation and localization services. Based in Waltham, Massachusetts, the company has operations in 26 countries. History Lionbridge was founded in 1996. In 2005, they acquired ...

Ireland. There is an active Business Association and Chamber of Commerce. In 2018, developer Philip Gannon axed a project to convert the former ferry terminal at Dún Laoghaire into a €20 million digital hub that had been projected to bring in 1,000 jobs and 50 companies. Gannon accused Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company of failing to secure the rights to lease the ferry terminal, despite advertising it for lease.

Health

Early residents moved to Dun Laoghaire for the purity of its air compared with Dublin city. Dún Laoghaire is home to St Michael's Hospital as well as a number of private clinics, therapists and general practitioners.

Culture

Dún Laoghaire has associations with many leading cultural figures, most notably

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the Modernism, modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important ...

and Samuel Beckett. In the second chapter of '' Ulysses'', Joyce refers to Kingstown Pier as a "disappointed bridge," and in the opening chapter is based on his stay with Oliver St John Gogarty at a Martello tower located in nearby Sandycove. This tower, known as the

James Joyce Tower The James Joyce Tower and Museum is a Martello tower in Sandycove, Dublin, where James Joyce spent six nights in 1904. The opening scenes of his 1922 novel '' Ulysses'' take place here, and the tower is a place of pilgrimage for Joyce enthusi ...

, now contains a small museum. Samuel Beckett came from nearby Foxrock and is said to have experienced an artistic epiphany, alluded to in his play '' Krapp's Last Tape'', while sitting on the end of one of Dún Laoghaire's piers. A bronze plaque marks the spot. The baritone Frederick Ranalow, who performed close to 1,500 performances in '' The Beggar's Opera'', was born in Kingstown, although he moved to England at an early age. The black equestrian and circus owner Pablo Fanque, immortalised in

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' song '' Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!'', performed here for one week during a long engagement in Dublin, in 1850. In August 1991, Seattle grunge band

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colomb ...

played at the Top Hat. Dún Laoghaire was previously home to the Festival of World Cultures, a three-day festival dedicated to music from all corners of the globe. It was one of the largest music festivals in Ireland attracting over a quarter of a million visitors to the town over a weekend in August. For nine years (2001–2010), the festival was a huge success, but Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council decided to stop hosting the festival after its large losses in 2010. A new purpose-built theatre, the Pavilion Theatre, opened its doors in 2000. Built on the site of the 1903 Kingstown Pavilion, it serves as the municipal theatre for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, and is a host venue for a number of important festivals, including the International Puppet Festival, and, recently, the Dublin Theatre Festival. St Michael's Church is home to the longest-running series of organ concerts in Ireland, featuring the 1974 organ by

Rieger Orgelbau Rieger Orgelbau is an Austrian firm of organ builders, known generally as Rieger. The firm was founded by Franz Rieger. From 1873 it was known as Rieger & Söhne, and from 1879 as Gebrüder Rieger, after his sons took over. At the end of World War ...

which is the only organ of its type in Ireland. The

National Maritime Museum of Ireland The National Maritime Museum of Ireland ( ga, Músaem Mhuirí Náisiúnta na hÉireann) opened in 1978 in the former Mariners' Church in Moran Park, located between the seafront and the centre of Dún Laoghaire town, southeast of Dublin city. ...

is housed in Mariners' Church, which formerly served the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

. It is directly inland from the East Pier. The building has been completely renovated and reopened. Beside the maritime museum is the

DLR Lexicon DLR Lexicon, branded as dlr LexIcon, is a building in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, housing the main public library and cultural centre of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council (DLR CC). It has attracted controversy, with opponents critical of i ...

, the central library and

cultural centre A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run. Asia * Ce ...

of DLR County Council. It opened in 2014, replacing the Carnegie library opened in 1912 on Library Road. Costing an estimated €36.6 million, the new building attracted much criticism prior to its opening on account of its size and design. Off Library Road is the Dominican Oratory of the Sacred Heart, a small oratory described as a "gem of Celtic Renaissance art". It was designed by John J. Robinson, architect of Robinson and Keefe Architects and decorated by Sr. Lynch for members of the former Dominican Convent which existed on the site of the Tesco-anchored "Bloomfield" Shopping Centre. A 20ft-high, eight-tonne sculpture by Irish sculptor Michael Warren entitled 'Gateway' existed close to the Pavilion retail and theatre complex in the centre of Dún Laoghaire from 2002 to 2009. Made from

corten steel Weathering steel, often referred to by the genericised trademark COR-TEN steel and sometimes written without the hyphen as corten steel, is a group of steel alloys which were developed to eliminate the need for painting, and form a stable rus ...

, the sculpture had been the subject of controversy from the beginning occupying a prominent position at the bottom of Marine Road. It was removed in 2009 and placed in storage pending the completion of redevelopment works in the area, but was never re-instated. In 2015 the sculpture was returned to the artist in exchange for an alternative work entitled 'Angel Negro'.

Tourism

Much of the town's early growth came from visitors from Dublin, and today there is one large hotel named the Royal Marine, along with several small hotels, and a number of bed-and-breakfasts. The Royal Marine Hotel first opened in 1865 and has since hosted several heads of state, monarchs and celebrities, including Frank Sinatra, Laurel & Hardy and

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is conside ...

. During

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

's last visit to Ireland in April 1900, she had a 16-course breakfast in the hotel upon disembarkation at Kingstown pier. The hotel was purchased by the 'Neville Hotels' group in 2003 and refurbished in 2007. The hotel bar was rechristened as 'Laurel's Bar' around this time.

Outdoor activities

Walking the East Pier of Dún Laoghaire Harbour is the most popular tourism activity in Dún Laoghaire. The west pier is longer but the surface of the pier is less suitable for walking. In July 2013, the first-ever tourism office opened in Dún Laoghaire. Kayaking, kite surfing, paddle boarding and sailing are available, along with facilities for biking and rock climbing.

Dublin Bay Cruises

Dublin Bay Cruises Aoibhín Garrihy, Ailbhe Garrihy and Doireann Garrihy are Irish social media influencers, having played different roles in the entertainment industry. Aoibhín is an actress, having played Neasa Dillon in RTÉ One's ''Fair City'' from 2010 to ...

sail twice a day from Dún Laoghaire to

Howth Howth ( ; ; non, Hǫfuð) is an affluent peninsular village and outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and include ...

. The scenic trip takes about 75 minutes.

Cruise ship visits

In 2011, Dún Laoghaire Harbour published a master plan, which focused on developing Dún Laoghaire as a tourist destination. Specifically, the plan revolved around promoting Dún Laoghaire Harbour as a prime location for both ferries and cruise ships. Since then, many cruise ships have stopped in Dún Laoghaire, usually between the months of May and July. The first ship to arrive was the Cunard liner on 16 May, and P&O's arrived on 9 July. The ''Queen Mary 2'' was the 7th largest cruise ship in the world at the time, with a maximum passenger capacity of about 3,000. Other large vessels to visit Dun Laoghaire include the ''

QE2 ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' (''QE2'') is a retired British ocean liner converted into a floating hotel. Originally built for the Cunard Line, the ship, named as the second ship named ''Queen Elizabeth'', was operated by Cunard as both a transatlantic ...

'' and the aircraft carrier .

People

:''See ''

Local government and politics

Under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, the township of Kingstown became an

urban district Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (his ...

in 1899. It was renamed Dún Laoghaire in 1920. The urban district of Dún Laoghaire was abolished in 1930, with its area becoming the core of the borough of Dún Laoghaire. The borough was abolished in 1994, on the establishment of the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown.; Until 2013, Dún Laoghaire remained the only town in Ireland to have its own Vocational Education Committee. The area is governed by

Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Dhún Laoghaire–Ráth an Dúin) is the authority responsible for local government in the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. It is one of three local authorities th ...

which is based at County Hall and is responsible for the provision of local services and amenities. For elections to the council, the town is part of the Dún Laoghaire local electoral area which elects six councillors. For elections to Dáil Éireann the town is part of the Dún Laoghaire constituency which is currently represented by four TDs: one each from

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christia ...

Fine Gael Fine Gael (, ; English: "Family (or Tribe) of the Irish") is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil É ...

, the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...

and People Before Profit/Solidarity.

Town twinning

Dún Laoghaire has a town twinning relationship with the following cities. : Brest :

Izumo Izumo (出雲) may refer to: Locations * Izumo Province, an old province of Japan * Izumo, Shimane, a city located in Shimane Prefecture ** Izumo Airport * Izumo-taisha, one of Japan's most ancient and important Shinto shrines Ships * ''Izumo'' ...