The area around Dublin Castle was first settled in prehistoric times, and it was from here that the city grew. Dublin gets its name from the dark pool (Dubh Linn) that formed where the Liffey and the Poddle – a river that once ran through the site of Dublin Castle – met. Archaeological excavations on the banks of the Liffey reveal that the Vikings established a trading settlement here around AD 841.

Following Strongbow’s invasion of Dublin in 1170, a medieval city began to emerge, and the Anglo-Normans built strong defensive walls around the castle. Other conspicuous reminders of the Anglo-Normans are the grand Christ Church Cathedral and Ireland’s largest church, St Patrick’s Cathedral. When the city expanded to the north and east during the Georgian era, the narrow cobbled streets of Temple Bar became a quarter of skilled craftsmen and merchants. Today, this area is well established on the tourist trail, and is home to a variety of alternative shops and cafés.