Dublin (city, Ireland) capital, county borough, and seaport of Ireland, county town of county Dublin, in Leinster Province. Dublin has experienced amazing change and even economic success in the past decade. The Republic of Ireland's capital, and its largest and most cosmopolitan city, Dublin makes a fine introduction to the country. It's a curious and colourful city of fine Georgian buildings, tangible literary history and extremely welcoming pubs, all on a scale that's very human. The city is bisected by the River Liffey, and is bounded to the north and south by hills. Most of the sights of interest are located south of the Liffey, which unlike most city rivers is a rural-looking stream with real fish living in it. The area to the north of the Liffey may be more run down than the south, but, according to Roddy Doyle, it's got more soul.

Dublin airport is 10km (6mi) north of the centre and public transport options between the airport and city consist of two bus services or taxis. The Airlink Express Coach, operated by the Dublin Bus company, runs to/from Busaras (the central bus station) every 20-30 minutes. The journey takes about half an hour. Alternatively, there are the slower buses, Nos 41 and 41A, which make a number of useful stops on the way to the city and terminate near O'Connell St. The trip can take up to one hour, but they are cheaper, operate longer hours and run more frequently than the express bus. Taxis are subject to all sorts of additional charges for baggage, extra passengers and 'unsocial hours'. A taxi between the airport and the centre usually costs about US$15. There's a supplementary charge of 80p (US$1) from the airport to the city, but this charge does not apply from the city to the airport. Make sure the meter is switched on, as some Dublin airport taxi drivers can be as unscrupulous as some of their counterparts elsewhere in the world.

No longer a `dirty old town', Dublin has swung into the new millennium with confidence. And while you don't have to travel too far from the city centre to find slums and run-down neighbourhoods, the recent economic upturn is creating better opportunities for the people of Dublin. Along with the Georgian architecture, the most striking aspect of Dublin is the huge number of young people. For a city that has survived for over a millennium, vibrancy, youth and the craic (good times) still set a solid rhythm.