The Anatomy of Dublin

Dublin is a healthy city; vibrant, busy and beautiful.

It lives well and the heart of Dublin is, like most living things, right in the centre.

The heart is O’Connell Street and it pounds constantly, flooding the city through a network of arteries with a life-supporting supply of blood.

O’Connell Street never stops beating; if it did the city would slowly and sadly die.

Purifying Dublin’s blood supply is St Stephen’s Green, acting as the city’s lungs. The Green oasis in the centre of the busy city is lush with trees, spring flowers and open, grassy fields. Dubliners rely on its tranquillity to breathe and its ability to restore calm with regular visits. In contrast to the active street life, St Stephen’s Green is a vital organ in Dublin’s anatomy.

Extensions of the tranquil respite provided by St Stephen’s Green flow through the city via a network of canals which radiate over the metropolitan area like veins.

[Pictured: respite in the park!]

Free-flowing, clear ribbons of water carrying small barges and boats wind through the city in picturesque scenes of lochs and weirs.  Grassy banks along the canals complete the picture and the small bridges which jump over them ensure the water’s flow, assisted by small cascades.

The canals are fed by the city’s aorta, known to most as the River Liffey – a wide, active waterway, typical of so many European cities. Life on the river is as active as on the streets, its lined on both banks with well-populated pubs, shops and bars. With no less than 10 bridges crossing the river within the city’s limits, the views up and down rival the face of any postcard.

The bridges create a skeleton which holds the city together and allows passage for traffic to flow freely from north to south. Each bridge has its own personality and history but they work together in a cohesive network of practicality and aesthetics.

[Pictured: the Canals of Canals of Dublin]

To find Dublin’s soul, a visit to St Patrick’s Cathedral is imperative. Centuries old and reputedly the site where St Patrick himself baptised converts to Christianity, the cathedral is a dominating piece of architecture with its spires rising high above the city skyline. But it’s more than that. For many, St Patrick’s, epitomises Dublin and all things Irish. Its history and mystique is a thing to be shared by visitors from all over the world. For some, its a pilgrimage.

Dublin’s face, of course, is the face of every Dubliner. Collectively, they reflect the love of life with which Ireland keeps its body fit. They reflect the city’s care-free, but proud existence and light up when engaged in conversation or song.

Other vital organs in Dublin’s fair city work in harmony within its body.

The liver, however, gets a solid pounding, with The Guinness Storehouse, [Pictured left] one of the most enigmatic buildings in Dublin is an institution in itself.

Having brewed the black beauty for hundreds of years it is now a magnet to lovers of the stuff worldwide.

Daily, thousands of visitors pass through the brewery to be rewarded at the end of a comprehensive tour with a pint – as ubiquitous in all of Ireland as the shamrock.

Whether Dublin plays hard, works hard or rests well, it is a fine specimen of what a city should be.  It’s fit and healthy with all its organs working harmoniously.  Its DNA is distinctive and has extended its composition to countries far and near.

Dublin’s got a great body!

A Report by Kevin Moloney, international travel writer and Travel Mole correspondent – on location in Ireland – brought to you by Emirates, Aer Lingus, Driveaway Holidays and Tourism Ireland.