Dublin: The Making of a Capital City

by David Dickson

Dublin has experienced great―and often astonishing―change in its 1,400 year history. It has been the largest urban center on a deeply contested island since towns first appeared west of the Irish Sea. There have been other contested cities in the European and Mediterranean world, but almost no European capital city, David Dickson maintains, has seen sharper discontinuities and reversals in its history―and these have left their mark on Dublin and its inhabitants. Dublin occupies a unique place in Irish history and the Irish imagination. To chronicle its vast and varied history is to tell the story of Ireland.

David Dickson’s magisterial history brings Dublin vividly to life beginning with its medieval incarnation and progressing through the neoclassical eighteenth century, when for some it was the “Naples of the North,” to the Easter Rising that convulsed a war-weary city in 1916, to the bloody civil war that followed the handover of power by Britain, to the urban renewal efforts at the end of the millennium. He illuminates the fate of Dubliners through the centuries―clergymen and officials, merchants and land speculators, publishers and writers, and countless others―who have been shaped by, and who have helped to shape, their city. He reassesses 120 years of Anglo-Irish Union, during which Dublin remained a place where rival creeds and politics struggled for supremacy. A book as rich and diverse as its subject, Dublin reveals the intriguing story behind the making of a capital city.

Genres: Ireland, History, Irish Literature, Cities, Nonfiction

736 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2014

Reviews

[Geoffrey Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thorough and detailed account of the city of Dublin from its Viking origins to the year 2000. It explores the social, political, economic and cultural forces that have shaped the Irish capital, and helped me to appreciate the city I have enjoyed during my three visits there. I had a greater understanding of the Protestant influence on the city, the links to other cities along the British coast, and the divisions between the capital and other regions in Ireland.
There is a lot to absorb in this well-researched account. One shortcoming was the absence of a good map of the city. I kept referring to my tourist guide map to help me trace the evolution of the city as new sections were opened for development, both north of the Liffey, and eastward from Dublin Castle. A map concerning the earliest development of the railroads would also have helped the reader find his or her way around.
David Dickson’s “Dublin” is a solid explanation of the history of this city, and the tensions that have so often troubled it. We hope that these troubles are now in the realm of the history books, and not a topic for the nightly news.

[T P Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magnificent, magisterial history of Dublin covering two millennia. It's particularly strong on the middle ages and the evolution of Dublin from then until now. It's a compelling read for anyone who lives in and is familiar with Dublin. It is not as strong on recent history but that may await a second edition in 10/15 years time. The Lilliput edition is beautifully produced the production values enhanced my reading.

[Donal Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeply ambitious - at times, one of the finest books on Dublin. Sometimes, you can tell it's not a subject to Dicksons strength but when he's writing on things he knows well nobody comes near.