Dublin's official date of establishment was in 988 A.D. although evidence of it's existence dates back to the second century in which it was named Eblana. Norman Vikings were the first settlers of the city, and many artefacts, old walls and buildings have been uncovered on the first site, Wood Quay, in the present City Centre.

The town was captured in the 9th century by the Danes. The rebellious Irish wrested control of Dublin from the Danes on a number of occasions during the next three centuries, notably in 1052,1075, and 1124. In 1171 the Danes were expelled by the Anglo-Normans, led by Henry II, king of England.

Until the middle of the 17th century, Dublin remained a small, walled medieval town. But in 1649 After the English Civil Wars the town was taken over by Oliver Cromwell, it had only 9,000 residents at this time and was in a state of shambles. By the end of the 17th century, however, a remarkable growth began with Protestant refugees from the European continent pouring into Dublin.

In the course of the next century, Dublin grew enormously in size and wealth and soon became the second city of the British Empire. This prosperity made Dublin an exciting city for the Protestant Ascendancy, members of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy who had denied basic civil rights to the native Roman Catholics.

In 1800 the Act of Union between England and Ireland abolished the Irish Parliament and drastically reduced Dublin's status. A long decline set in that only began to be reversed after Ireland became independent in 1922. This independence came about after the 1916 Rising and the subsequent War of Independence.

Dublin was the scene of some of the most severe fighting of the Irish rebellion of 1916 and of the revolution of 1919 to 1921, which resulted in the establishment of the Irish Free State.

After Independence Dublin became the political, economic, and cultural center of Ireland. The location of the Government of Ireland, Dail Eireann, assembles in Leinster House, Dublin. The Four Courts, seat of Ireland's judiciary, and the Custom House are excellent examples of Dublin's late 18th-century architecture. Both buildings were damaged heavily during the Civil War but have been restored.

South of the river is Dublin Castle, which was begun in 1204 and almost totally rebuilt in Georgian style in the 18th century. The castle was the seat of English authority in Ireland until 1922. Today it is the site of the inaugurations of Ireland's presidents. Near the castle are Christ Church and St. Patrick's, Dublin's two Protestant cathedrals. Both date from Dublin's earliest days as a Viking settlement.

They were extensively rebuilt by the Anglo-Norman invaders of the late 12th and early 13th centuries and were again rebuilt in the 19th century. Ireland's original Parliament House, now the Bank of Ireland in College Green, dates from the 18th century and is also in Georgian style.

Maritime trade has always been one of Dublin's most important activities. Dublin is Ireland's largest port and major exporter. It has also developed into the largest manufacturing city in Ireland, though the factories, aside from breweries and distilleries, are engaged primarily in light manufactures. The city's most famous business is the Guinness Brewery, founded in 1759 and one of Ireland's largest employers and exporters.

Economic planning efforts have attempted to locate manufacturing plants outside Dublin, and the city has had a dwindling share of manufacturing employment since the early 1960s. The manufacturing and exports of computer hardware and software have recently become a major business. Ireland is now the worlds leading exporter of these.

Dublin has an illustrious educational and cultural past. Trinity College, or University of Dublin, founded in 1591, has graduated authors Jonathan Swift, Oliver Goldsmith, and Oscar Wilde. Its library houses the 8th-century 'Book of Kells', the famous decorated gospel book made by Celtic Monks.

Dublin was also the location for the premiere of Handel's 'Messiah' in 1742. Famous literary figures to emerge from the city include Richard Brinsley Sheridan, John Millington Synge, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, William Butler Yeats and George Bernard. The city played a leading role in the revival of Irish language and literature of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This included the opening of the Abbey Theatre in 1904, dedicated to the revival of Irish drama. Museums in the city include the National Gallery of Ireland, The National History Museum and the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art.

North of the river and west of the city center is the Phoenix Park, nearly 2,000 acres(800 hectares) in size, with a zoo and a racetrack, it is renowned as the second largest enclosed park in the world, second only to Yellowstone in the U.S.A.