Dublin
Dublin is the capital city of the Republic Of Ireland with a population of 505,739, and with a population of the Greater Dublin Region standing at 1,661,185 as of the 2006 census. Dublin is the largest city in the Republic of Ireland.
Dublin's Irish name is Baile Atha Cliath which translates to 'Town of the Hurdle Ford' and the city lies on the River Liffey, though its 'English' name also has Gaelic origins: Dubh Linn, or 'dark pool'.
Dublin was founded by a Viking captain, Thorgisl, who came south from the Viking base base on the River Shannon during 939-42 and built a "loughport". He called it Dubh Linn. The traditional date for the founding of the settlement is 941.
During the twentieth century Dublin saw serious violence during the Easter Rising of 1916, the Anglo-Irish War of Independence between 1919 and 1921, and the Irish Civil War of 1922-23. The city was also bombed in error by the Luftwaffe on 31 May 1941.