About Dublin
Ireland is an island on the western edge of
Europe, with a population of 3.5 million people. The capital, Dublin, is on the eastern
coast and has a population of just over 1.25 million in the city and surrounding areas.
Agriculture as the primary industry has given way to electronics, high-tech manufacturing
and financial services.
Dublin Information
Since the celebration of its Millennium in 1988, Dublin has undergone an extensive redevelopment plan in areas of improved infrastructure and city renewal. The International Financial Services Centre has established Dublin as a major business capital, and the planned revitalisation of the river docklands plus the new light rail system will further enhance the city.
Dublin is an extremely popular tourist destination, with a great wealth of historic monuments, wonderful cathedrals and castles, classic Georgian buildings, plus theatres, cafes, restaurants and shopping areas worthy of a European capital. Its small size makes it easy to walk about the city centre, and the large number of parks and gardens (including the Phoenix Park, the largest city park in Europe) and its world-famous pubs adding to the relaxed atmosphere of life in Dublin. The Temple Bar district has become renowned as a "Latin Quarter", providing a central focus for the arts. With over 50% of the population under 30 years of age it is a very young and vibrant city, and was the European City of Culture in 1991. Dublin is a warm and friendly city, with the tradition of ‘A Hundred Thousand Welcomes’ for the visitor.
Dublin's unique literary heritage is well known: the city was birthplace of James Joyce, WB Yeats, Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde and Jonathan Swift among many others. Much of the city's cultural tourism centres on these writers and their lives. The city also has a rich scientific heritage, being home to William Rowan Hamilton, George Francis Fitzgerald, John Lighton Synge and Lochlainn O'Raifeartaigh. However many would claim that the literary and scientific achievements of those named above are far outweighed by the contribution to civilization of another Dubliner, Arthur Guinness...
Travel Dublin International Airport is situated approx. 12 km from the city centre. Passengers can travel from the airport directly to the city centre by taxi or by direct bus, Air Coach, which leaves the Arrivals Terminal, Dublin Airport every 20 mins. Air Coach stops at various points throught the city including Trinity College Dublin, the RDS (the conference venue) and at hotels to be used by conference delegates.
Language English is the predominant language in Ireland. Irish (Gaelic) is the first language in parts of the south, the west and the north-west and is used in daily life by many people throughout the country.
Currency and Banks The currency is the EURO and banking times are 10.00 - 16.00 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Banks are open until 17.00 on Thursday.
Tipping It is common to add a 10% tip to a bill in restaurants, except where service is included.
Electricity Sockets take 3 prong square-pin plugs. The electrical current in Ireland is 220 volts, 50 Hz.
Time Ireland is on Greenwich Mean Time which is one hour behind Central European Time and five hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.
Weather Dublin enjoys a temperate climate all year round. The average daytime temperature in July is around 20 degrees centigrade, with cooler evenings. The LOC will be greatly surprised if it does not rain at some time during the conference. See this URL for more details of the climate of Dublin and Ireland.
Links Visit these websites for more tourist information on Dublin. www.visitdublin.com www.dublintourist.com