Dublin

Dublin city centre has a radius of approximately three miles. Beyond the centre lie the suburbs and each has its own distinct flavour and characteristics.

To the east of the centre is the Irish Sea and along the coast, a series of coastal towns sprinkle the shoreline. Blackrock, Sandymount, Dun Laoighaire and Dalkey are just some of them. As real estate here is at a premium, these are considered quite swanky parts of town. The coastline here is as quaint as any, lined with multi-coloured old world three-storey townhouses and pebbled beaches. The locals hit the beach all year round. It’s a big tradition to go for a dip on Christmas Day (December 25) whatever the weather.

All along the coastline to the north and south, real estate and residents retain an air of snobbery. Ironically, once you go inland, it is the south side of the city which is known for its posh inhabitants – except along the coast where the north-siders happily display their greater wealth in towns like Howth and Donnabate. Golf clubs and sailing clubs abound here.

Traditionally the north-side of Dublin has been poorly developed and is home to the poor of Dublin. It the sixties, it was on the north-side that the government chose to relocate the inhabitants of Dublin’s inner city council flats and terraced houses to high rises in areas such as Artane and Ballymun. As part of Dublin’s regeneration these flats are now been knocked down and replaced by more ‘elegant’ housing estates but the residents that remain are a pretty tough bunch. These are not places you want to get lost in at night on your own. Stir clear unless you know where you are going.

The south-side of Dublin is the posh side. Affluent towns include Stillorgan, Foxrock, Booterstown and Mount Merrion. Here the houses are gated and the ladies lunch. The men drive Mercs and the kids go to boarding school. It’s pretty much a closed shop to anyone who does not belong. People here have a distinct accent – faux posh – and Dublin people refer to this whole area as D4. D4 is actually Donnybrook where the national broadcasting station, RTE, is located and the D4 accent is also the one traditionally used by the broadcaster to bestow an air of civility on the nation. To the untrained ear, it sounds slightly English, slightly American with a slither of Irish expressions thrown in for good measure. To the trained ear, it sounds like a load of tosspots trying to be something they are not i.e. culturally rich.

The west side of Dublin is the new part of town. Here is where the greatest number of Dublin’s new Celtic Tigers have taken up residence. In the last ten years, this zone between Dublin city centre and the Kildare border has mushroomed, swallowing up vast tracks of green landscape with unimaginative housing estates, literally hundreds of them, accommodating thousands and thousands of people. The upshot is lots of young couples in Ireland now own their own homes. The downside is there is nothing to see here unless you have a worrying fascination with semi-detached houses.

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