By Stephen O’ Connor
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These are different times of the city of Dublin I will be
talking about with you today:
Celtic Times
(250 BC –
1169)
Viking Times
(865 AD –
1066)
Medieval
Times (1066 –
1485)
Tudor/Stuart
Times (1485 –
1714)
Georgian
Times (1714 –
1837)
Victorian
Times (1837 1901)
Modern Times
(1901 – 2000’s)
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 The name Baile Atha Cliath means “ford of the
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hurdles" because Celtic people crossed the River
Liffey on a bridge made of branches and hurdles.
The first people settled in Dublin over 5000 years
ago.
The north side of the River Liffey was all farmland
where people lived in huts with their animals.
The Celts never lived in one place and left behind
burial grounds. They gathered here to worship their
Gods because they were pagans and didn't believe in
one God. Today you can visit a Celtic burial ground
in Coolock and Glasnevin.
St. Patrick came to Ireland in the 5th century AD and
spread christianity. Monks then wrote the Book of
Kells by the 6th century AD. Its in Trinity College
today.
We celebrate St. Patrick on the 17th of March every
year with a parade!
CELTIC
TIMES
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 In the 9th century Vikings from Scandinavia came up the River Liffey
with 60 longboats.
 They lived on the banks of the River Liffey and built houses made of
mud and wood called wattle.
 They brought blacksmiths, warriors, tradesmen, shipbuilders, artists
and craftsmen who brought the coin to Ireland.
 FACT: They kept coins in their armpits using wax.
 They started Dublin on the road to becoming, a large port for buying &
selling from Iceland to Russia.
 They also brought silk and spices to Irish markets and were the first to
wear trousers .
 In 1014, the Irish King Brian Boru defeated the Vikings at the battle of
Clontarf - Many Vikings married Irish people and their descendants
are still here today.
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 In 1166, the Irish King Dermot MacMurrough
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sent for The Norman English to defeat the
Leinster leader Strongbow.
The Normans then took over all of Ireland.
The Normans were great builders and built a
stone wall around Dublin, the first stone
bridge across the Liffey, and Dublin Castle.
Guilds were formed by traders & craftsmen to
help control trade and to support each other.
In 1283, Christchurch went up in flames.
In 1348, the Black Death came to Dublin
carried by rats, the victims bodies were
collected at night bought to a place in Dublin
still known as Black Pitts.
Dublin's population dropped by half.
MEDIEVAL
TIMES
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 After the Black Death crisis, in 1489 King Henry VII
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ordered a clean up of Dublin streets to stop disease
spreading.
By the 15th century, the Irish had won back most of
Ireland.
Dublin (also known as the “Pale”), was still loyal to
Henry VIII and his son Edward VI, they then set up
the Protestant Church causing a divide in the city.
Dublin was still a busy port for wealthy merchants
who built three-storey houses to live in.
In 1560 Elizabeth I built three public clocks in
Dublin.
In 1592 Dublin's first university was built (Trinity
College).
In 1601 Elizabeth’s army defeated Hugh O Neill’s
rebel Irish army.
Oliver Cromwell’s reign caused Irish Catholics to go
into hiding and go to church in secret within the city.
TUDOR/
STUART
TIMES
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 More bridges were built over the Liffey.
The city had grown outside the medieval
walls.
 The Parliament House, Custom House &
Four Courts were built along with the
Ha’Penny Bridge (1816).
 The city was beautiful, it had many
things to do but in 1798 there was a
rebellion led by Wolfetone.
 Dublin was a dangerous place to live
because there were fights between
Catholic & Protestant gangs.
GEORGIAN
TIMES
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 The Great Famine
 It began in 1845 – 1848.
 Potato blight spread disease.
 In 1847, 9000 people were fed per day in soup
VICTORIAN
TIMES
kitchens.
 A house suited for one family was over
crowded with people.
 Dublin continued to improve with railways
and better sewage systems. The first train
ran in 1834.
 Middle class people had jobs like lawyers,
doctors, merchants or bankers but the
people in slums worked in poor conditioned
factories.
 Croke Park was built in 1884 for Irish games.
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 Irish Rebel British Rule:
 In Easter, 1916, a group led by Patrick Pearse took over the
GPO and other key buildings.
 The British won and shot the 16 rebels in Kilmainham
Gaol, which led to a bigger rebellion.
 In 1921, Michael Collins signed a treaty that split Ireland in
two.
MODERN
TIMES
 In the 1930’s, slums became the new suburbs.
 Dublin was neutral in World War II.
 In the 1940’s, electricity was in many homes and cinemas
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were built in the city.
In the 1950’s people went to Britain & America for work.
The 1960’s, brought RTE, Supermarkets & Rock n’ Roll.
Nelsons Pillar was blown up in 1966 and was replaced with
the Spire in 2003.
In 1974 there was the Dublin Bombings, killing 23 people.
In 1986 Ireland suffered under a terrible recession.
From 1995 – 2007 there was a financial boom called the
Celtic Tiger and Ireland was very wealthy.
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I used a book called ‘Children’s History of Dublin’ and
got all my information from this.
I found the Victorian Era the most interesting because of
what I learnt about the Famine.
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