Dublin | Ireland

 

This beautiful postcard was sent by Jana from Ireland via Postcrossing [CZ-1407509]. It shows some colourful front doors in Dublin. Dublin (Irish: Baile Átha Cliath) is the capital of and largest city in Ireland. Dublin is located in the province of Leinster on the east coast of Ireland, at the mouth of the River Liffey and bordered on the South by the Wicklow Mountains.

There is archaeological debate regarding precisely where Dublin was established by Celtic-speaking people in the 7th century. Later expanded as a Viking settlement, the Kingdom of Dublin became Ireland's principal city following the Norman invasion. The city expanded rapidly from the 17th century and was briefly the second largest city in the British Empire before the Acts of Union in 1800. Following the partition of Ireland in 1922, Dublin became the capital of the Irish Free State, later renamed Ireland.

As of 2010, Dublin was listed by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) as a global city, with a ranking of "Alpha-", which places it amongst the top thirty cities in the world. It is a historical and contemporary centre for education, the arts, administration, economy and industry.