Dublin began as a Viking harbour, spent seven centuries as the seat of English and then British rule, and became the capital of an independent Ireland in 1922. Two medieval cathedrals and a castle sit within a few minutes' walk of each other, and almost every street has a writer attached to it. Here are the facts and stories behind the city.
10 anecdotes sur Dublin
- Un nom venu d’un étang noir : Dublin vient de l’irlandais Dubh Linn, l’étang noir, d’après un bassin sombre où la rivière Poddle rejoignait la Liffey. Les Vikings y fondèrent un établissement en 841.
- A Viking king's cathedral: Christ Church Cathedral was founded around 1030 by the Norse king Sitric Silkbeard. Its crypt is one of the largest medieval crypts in Britain and Ireland.
- Un chat et un rat figés en pleine course : la crypte de Christ Church expose les corps momifiés d’un chat et d’un rat qui auraient été retrouvés coincés dans un tuyau d’orgue. James Joyce les évoque dans Finnegans Wake.
- Gulliver's dean: St Patrick's Cathedral was founded in 1191. Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels, was its dean from 1713 until his death in 1745 and is buried inside, next to his companion Stella.
- Sept siècles de pouvoir : le roi Jean sans Terre ordonna la construction d’un château à Dublin en 1204. Le 16 janvier 1922, le château de Dublin fut remis à Michael Collins et au gouvernement provisoire du nouvel État irlandais.
- Justice with her back to the people: the statue of Justice above the castle's main gate faces into the castle yard, turning her back on the city, and unusually she wears no blindfold.
- A very long lease: in 1759 Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease on a small brewery at St James's Gate.
- A bridge named after its toll: the cast-iron Ha'penny Bridge opened in 1816. Its nickname comes from the halfpenny toll once charged to cross the Liffey.
- A spire where a pillar stood: the Spire on O'Connell Street, completed in 2003, is 120 metres tall. It stands on the site of Nelson's Pillar, which was blown up in 1966.
- Une ville d’écrivains : Dublin est devenue Ville de littérature de l’UNESCO en 2010. Chaque 16 juin, les passionnés fêtent le Bloomsday, le jour de 1904 où Joyce a situé son roman Ulysse.
La porte de la Réconciliation
In 1492 two powerful Irish families, the Butlers of Ormond and the FitzGeralds of Kildare, were feuding over who would hold the office of Lord Deputy. After a skirmish outside the city walls, the Butlers fled into the chapter house of St Patrick's Cathedral and barred the door. Gerald FitzGerald, Earl of Kildare, followed and called on them to come out and make peace, but they feared a trap. To prove his good faith, he had a hole cut in the door and pushed his arm through it, offering his hand. Instead they shook it, came out, and the families made peace. The battered old door now stands in the cathedral, and the story is the origin of the Irish expression to chance your arm.
Le château de Dublin en quelques mots
For about 700 years Dublin Castle was the centre of English and later British government in Ireland. Little of the medieval fortress survives above ground apart from the Record Tower; most of what you see is Georgian. Irish presidents are inaugurated in its St Patrick's Hall. Behind it, the Dubh Linn Garden lies roughly where the original black pool was, and the Chester Beatty library and museum stands in the castle grounds.
Que manger à Dublin
- Dublin coddle: a slow-cooked stew of sausages, bacon, potatoes and onions, the city's own comfort food.
- Irish stew : de l’agneau ou du mouton avec pommes de terre, oignons et carottes, servi dans de nombreux pubs autour des cathédrales.
- Guinness: the stout has been brewed at St James's Gate since 1759. The Gravity Bar at the top of the Guinness Storehouse has views across the city.
- Pain brun au bicarbonate : un pain dense et légèrement acidulé fait avec du babeurre et du bicarbonate au lieu de levure.
- Seafood chowder : une soupe crémeuse de poissons et fruits de mer de la mer d’Irlande, souvent servie avec du pain brun.
Bon à savoir avant de partir
- Pour voir le Livre de Kells au Trinity College, réservez un billet horaire à l’avance. La Old Library et sa Long Room doivent fermer pour restauration fin 2027.
- St Patrick's and Christ Church charge an entry fee for sightseeing. Services are free.
- Les cours du château de Dublin se traversent librement ; les State Apartments demandent un billet et peuvent fermer lors d’événements officiels.
- Pour une journée au bord de la mer, prenez le train DART vers le nord jusqu’à Howth et son sentier des falaises, ou vers le sud jusqu’à Dún Laoghaire et ses longues jetées.
Découvrir Dublin avec World City Trail
Our Dublin scavenger hunt turns these sights into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around three hours, with about 59 minutes of walking. Along the way you visit St Patrick's Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral and Dublin Castle.
À chaque étape, vous résolvez une énigme et écoutez une courte histoire, à votre rythme. Vous pouvez commencer quand vous voulez.
Jouer à la chasse au trésor de Dublin →
Faits vérifiés en octobre 2026.