Province of Leinster

County Dublin

Known as The Dubs. Dublin has no single settled nickname the way the others do, and none appears in the standard reference. The Dubs is what people say, and the Pale is what the county was for four centuries. The origin is not settled.

Did you know? Dublin takes its name from Duiblinn, the 'black pool' where the Vikings moored their longships — it still exists, hidden beneath the Dublin Castle gardens.

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Through the ages — who held Dublin

8,000 BC – 4,001 BC Mesolithic hunter-gatherers The First Irish

4,000 BC – 2,501 BC Neolithic farming communities The Tomb Builders

2,500 BC – 501 BC Bronze Age Ireland The Age of Gold & Bronze

500 BC – AD 99 Iron Age Ireland The Iron Age

AD 100 – AD 399 Eblani Ptolemy's Ireland

AD 400 – AD 794 Mide (Kingdom of Meath) The Five Fifths Patrick & the Rise of the Uí Néill Saints & Scholars

AD 795 – 1168 Norse Kingdom of Dublin The Viking Storm Norse Cities & the Rise of Brian Kings with Opposition

1169 – 1333 Anglo-Norman Lordship of Ireland The Norman Invasion High Tide of the Colony

1334 – 1541 The English Pale The Gaelic Resurgence The Kildare Ascendancy

1542 – 1607 Kingdom of Ireland (Tudor crown) The Tudor Conquest

1608 – 1640 Kingdom of Ireland The Plantation of Ulster

1641 – 1652 English Parliament garrisons Confederate Ireland & Cromwell

1653 – 1800 Kingdom of Ireland Ascendancy Ireland

1801 – 1915 United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland The Act of Union An Gorta Mór — The Great Famine Land & Liberty

1916 – 1921 Irish Republic (declared, contested) The Revolution

1922 – 1936 Irish Free State Partition — Free State & Northern Ireland

1937 – 1948 Ireland (Éire) Éire

1949 – 2026 Republic of Ireland The Republic & the Troubles Peace & the New Ireland

Clans & surnames of Dublin

Byrne Ó Broin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Bran, 'raven'” Casey Ó Cathasaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Cathasach, 'vigilant in war'” Díaz — (Spanish name; Diaz in English) Spanish — the New Irish · “'son of Diego' — a patronymic from the Visigothic period; El Cid himself was Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, son of Diego” Doyle Ó Dubhghaill Norse-Gaelic · “descendant of Dubhghall, 'dark foreigner' — a Viking” Fitzsimons Mac Síomóin Norman · “son of Simon” McCormack Mac Cormaic Gaelic sept · “son of Cormac, 'charioteer'” Plunkett Pluincéid Norman · “possibly from blanchet, 'little fair one'” Sherlock Scurlóg Norman-English · “'fair-locked' — bright-haired” Wallace de Bhailís Norman-Welsh · “le waleis — 'the Welshman, the foreigner'”

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On the ground in Dublin

Aideen's Grave · dolmen
Brennanstown Portal Tomb · dolmen
Clondalkin · round tower · complete · 27.5 m
Kilgobbin Cross · high cross
Kiltiernan Tomb · dolmen
Lusk · round tower · complete to cornice · 26.6 m
Mount Venus · tomb
Rathmichael · round tower · incomplete · 1.9 m
St James' Church, Dublin (Church of Ireland) · holy well
St. Fintan's Cemetery, Sutton · holy well
Swords · round tower · complete · 26 m
7 castles · Ashtown Castle, Baggotrath Castle, Drimnagh Castle, Dublin Castle, Killiney Castle and more

Every pin is placed by its documented coordinates. All the monuments of Ireland →

Quick answers

What is the Irish name for County Dublin?

Baile Átha Cliath. Dublin is one of the 12 counties of Leinster (Cúige Laighean).

Who ruled County Dublin in the Middle Ages?

Around 1014 it was held by Norse Kingdom of Dublin; by 1450, The English Pale. The full era-by-era chronology is on this page.

What surnames come from County Dublin?

Names historically associated with Dublin include Byrne, Casey, Díaz, Doyle, Fitzsimons, McCormack, Plunkett, Sherlock, among others.

Trace your ancestors in Dublin

Free, from the holding institutions. How to begin: the six-step guide → · Spotted an error on this page? Suggest a correction.