Dublin Ireland Best European Capital City

Dublin, Ireland is the capital of the Republic of Ireland. It is situated at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin Region. It is the largest city in Ireland and also the economic, administrative and cultural hub of the country. Initially founded as a Viking settlement, the city is also a nice place to stay in as is evident from the European-wide survey by BBC in 2003 which showed Ireland as the best European capital city to live in, and Ireland the most content country in Europe.

According to Greek astronomer and cartographer Ptolemy, it was in A.D 140, that the earliest human settlement was found in what is now known as Dublin, Ireland. He called the settlement Eblana Civitas. It was later around the first century BC that the settlement 'Dubh Linn can be traced back to. The town was established by the Norse in about 841 after the Norman invasion of Ireland. It soon became a seat of power until Ireland got its independence.

Dublin, Ireland has a rich heritage of literary history, having produced many world-renowned literary figures like William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift and Bram Stoker-the creator of Dracula among others. The city has also given birth to famous actors like Noel Purcell, Brendan Gleeson, Stephen Rea, Colin Farrell and Gabriel Byrne. It also hosts several theatres like the Gaiety, the Abbey, the Olympia and the Gate. The fourth largest stadium of Europe namely the Croke Park is located in Dublin. It is also home to the headquarters of almost all of Irelands sport organizations.

With its three universities including the oldest university of Ireland called the University of Dublin and several other higher education organizations, it can be called as the centre of education in Ireland. Dublin, Ireland has also been at the centre of Irelands stupendous economic growth over the last 15 years. With soaring living standards as well as high cost of living, the city is today the worlds 16th most expensive city.

Traditionally, brewing has been the most prosperous industry of Dublin, Ireland. However, of late, a large number of global pharmaceutical, information and communications technology companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, PayPal, Yahoo! and Pfizer has set up their operational bases within the city. Banking, finance and commerce have also prospered in the country with international firms like Citibank, Commerzbank having set their headquarters in the city. Construction is also a booming industry of the country now and large projects like Dublin Docklands, Spencer Dock and others are on the rise. The climate of Dublin is of temperate type with cool summers and mild winters. It does not record as high rainfall as the West of Ireland and has fewer showers than London as well. It is also not prone to natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis. Dublin Ireland