Dublin, ancient Eblana, City (pop., 2011: city, 527,612; Greater Dublin, 1,273,069), capital of Ireland. Situated on the River Liffey, it was settled by Danish Vikings arriving by sea in the 9th century ce; they held it until it was taken by the Irish in the 11th century. Under English control in the 12th century, it was given a charter by Henry II, establishing it as a seat of government. It prospered in the 18th century as a centre of the cloth trade, and its harbour dates from that period. In the 19th and 20th centuries it was the site of occasional but abortive nationalist insurrections, including Robert Emmet’s rising in 1803, the 1867 Fenian rebellion, and the 1916 Easter Rising. It is the country’s chief port, centre of finance and commerce, and seat of culture. Educational and cultural institutions include the University of Dublin; the National Library and National Museum are housed on the grounds of Leinster House (1748), now the seat of the Oireachtas, the Irish parliament.
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