The Irish Flag

If you're a foreigner in Ireland, you will have noticed that the Irish are quite proud of their flag, more than other countries :)  You have probably seem all types of merchandise with the Irish flag, haven't you?

As you know, the national flag is a tricolour of green, white and orange vertical stripes.

Why Orange?

The color orange is associated with Northern Irish Protestants because of William of Orange (William III), a King of England, Scotland and Ireland. 

Green for the Emerald Isle?

Green is the color for the Irish Catholics and the Republic of Ireland. Also, the green symbolises revolution. 

White for the peace between Protestants and Catholics

The white in the centre means a lasting truce between the 'Orange' and the 'Green', together in peace.

The current Irish flag was adopted as the national flag of Ireland since the independence from Britain on December 6, 1921.

Casino Marino

Not your usual Casino

The Casino at Marino, in North Dublin, is a Neo-Classical house built in the 1750s. The name 'Casino' means 'Little House' and comes from the Italian word 'casa' (house).

Seen from the outside, the house has the appearance of a single roomed building with a big door and large windows. This is an illusion, as the house actually contains 16 rooms on three floors.

Influenced by classical buildings in Italy and Greece, the Casino Marino can be visited at a reasonable price and there are also free tours on the first Wednesday of every month and also on cultural weeks.

You'll find more information about this lovely house on its official website.

Walk along the River Dodder

Starting at the Grand Canal and walking all along the River Dodder, you'll discover one of the nicest natural walks close to the city centre.

The River Dodder spreads much farther. However, we recommend the walk starting at the the end of the river in the Grand Canal and going by the river and through the Milltown and Bushy parks, as in the map above. You'll walk through Ballsbridge and Rathfarnham areas in Dublin.

Most of the path will allow you to walk or cycle by the river, crossing several bridges and picnic areas. You'll see lovely houses, swans, small waterfalls, several parks and even a fake rhino standing in the water.

There's some pictures below to give you a brief idea. Enjoy the beautiful Dublin!!

O’Connell Bridge

If you're living in Dublin, there's no need to introduce O'Connell Bridge. You probably cross it daily!

However, there are a few facts and oddities about this bridge that maybe you didn't know about :)

O’Connell Bridge was originally made of rope and could only carry one man and a donkey at a time. It was replaced with a wooden structure in 1801. There are obviously no pictures of the time! To get an idea, the original O'Connell Bridge must have been something similar to this rope bridge, would you be happy to cross this daily?

The current concrete bridge was built in 1863 and was first called “Carlisle Bridge”. Here's an old picture from Carlisle Bridge in 1870. 

O’Connell Bridge is the only traffic bridge in Europe, which is wider than it is long. If you don't believe it, just take a look at this aerial picture!

There are two O'Connell Bridges in Dublin. The second one is across the pond in Stephen's Green, on the left-hand picture.

The Temple Bar

This is probably the most popular area among the foreigners and tourists in Dublin! Would you like to know a few facts about Temple Bar? 

The historic name of the district was not Temple Bar but St. Andrews Parish. It was a suburb of medieval Dublin, located outside the city walls, but it fell into disuse because the land was exposed to attacks. The land was redeveloped again in the 1600s, to create gardens for the houses of wealthy English families.

There are two theories as to where Template Bar got its name from:
- Some sources agree that Temple Bar Street got its name from the Temple family, whose house and gardens were located there in the 17th century. 
- It's also said that the Temple Bar area had the first Jewish Temple in Ireland. The word 'bar' also means 'to ban, exclude or block' and in this case it refers to the refusal of Catholics to allow the Jewish to enter any premises in the neighbourhood.

As you can see, the origin of the Temple Bar may not be as cheerful as it is nowadays :)

Among some oddities, the Temple Bar was the centre of prostitution in Dublin in the 18th century. From the way some ladies dress in Temple Bar nowadays, you may think this has not changed that much! (kidding)

And in 1999, 'Stag' and 'Hen' parties were banned in the area due to drunken behaviour. As you can see this is not enforced anymore! Actually, Dublin is one of the most popular locations in Europe for these parties and lots of Irish and British travel to Dublin to celebrate theirs :)