For example, Dublin has hard water well suited to making stout, such as Guinness ; while Pilsen has soft water well suited to making pale lager, such as Pilsner Urquell.

The term Greater Dublin Area, which might consist of some or all of the Dublin Region along with counties of Kildare, Meath and Wicklow, has no legal standing.

Although the area of Dublin Bay has been inhabited by humans since prehistoric times, the writings of Ptolemy ( the Egyptian astronomer and cartographer ) in about 140 AD provide possibly the earliest reference to a settlement there.

Since 1997, the landscape of Dublin has changed immensely.

Dublin has many landmarks and monuments dating back hundreds of years.

Dublin has more green spaces per square kilometre than any other European capital city, with 97 % of city residents living within 300 metres of a park area.

The Luas is a two-line light rail or tram network which has been operated in Dublin by Veolia Transport since 2004.

Dublin City Council began installing cycle lanes and tracks throughout the city in the 1990s, and the city has over of specific on-and off-road tracks for cyclists.

Dublinbikes is a self-service bicycle rental scheme which has been in operation in Dublin since 2009.

The National University of Ireland ( NUI ) has its seat in Dublin, which is also the location of the associated constituent university of University College Dublin ( UCD ), the largest university in Ireland with over 22, 000 students.

The Irish public administration and management training centre has its base in Dublin, the Institute of Public Administration provides a range of undergraduate and post graduate awards via the National University of Ireland and in some instances, Queen's University Belfast.

Since the late 1990s, Dublin has experienced a significant level of net immigration, with the greatest numbers coming from the European Union, especially the United Kingdom, Poland and Lithuania.

Dublin has a world famous literary history, having produced many prominent literary figures, including Nobel laureates William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw and Samuel Beckett.

Dublin has long been a city with a strong underground arts scene.

Dublin also has many acclaimed dramatic, musical and operatic companies, including Festival Productions, Lyric Opera Productions, The Pioneers Musical & Dramatic Society, The Glasnevin Musical Society, Second Age Theatre Company, Opera Theatre Company, and Opera Ireland.

Perhaps the most famous Dublin theatre company is the renowned Rathmines and Rathgar Musical Society, which has been in existence since 1913.

Dublin has a vibrant nightlife and is reputedly one of Europe's most youthful cities, with an estimate of 50 % of citizens being younger than 25.

Live music is popularly played on streets and at venues throughout Dublin in general, and the city has produced several musicians and groups of international success, including U2, one member of Westlife, The Dubliners, The Thrills, Horslips, Jedward, The Boomtown Rats, Boyzone, Ronan Keating, Thin Lizzy, Paddy Casey, Sinéad O ' Connor, The Script and My Bloody Valentine.

The O < sub > 2 </ sub > venue in the Dublin Docklands has played host to many world renowned performers.

Suburban Dublin has several modern retail centres, including Dundrum Town Centre, Blanchardstown Centre, The Square in Tallaght, Liffey Valley Shopping Centre in Clondalkin, Omni Shopping Centre in Santry, Nutgrove Shopping Centre in Rathfarnham, and Pavilions Shopping Centre in Swords.

The Dublin area has several race courses including Shelbourne Park and Leopardstown.

Australian Rules Football has had a presence in the city since 1999 and there are now three clubs in the Capital ; the Dublin Demons, the South Dublin Swans and the West Dublin Saints.

The group also carried out some attacks in the Republic of Ireland, the most deadly of which were the Dublin and Monaghan bombings which killed 33 civilians, the highest number of deaths in a single day during the conflict.

The highest point in Kildare is Cupidstown Hill on the border with Dublin, with the better known Hill of Allen in central Kildare.

The north eastern region of Kildare had the highest average per-capita income in Ireland outside County Dublin in 2003.

The highest point in Dublin is along Monadnock's northeast ridge, where the elevation reaches above sea level at the town line.

* UBS Prices and Earnings Report 2006: Dublin is 8th most expensive city but 3rd highest for net earnings Very thorough article on the time-based Big Mac index.

The DAA has a statutory responsibility to operate Dublin Airport to the highest international standards and to meet all relevant legislation, so to this regard the DAA has its own Airport Police Service which provide the Airport with its own dedicated police force.

This was its highest ever share of the vote in the Republic with over 70, 000 votes in the Dublin constituency being sufficient to have the party president, Proinsias De Rossa, elected to the European Parliament, where he took a seat with the communist Left Unity group.

The Church of Ireland's second highest cleric, the Archbishop of Dublin, originally served as the Chancellor of the Order.

There were 1, 754 entries for the 2012 contest, the highest number ever, 550 of which were selected for the Exhibition at the Royal Dublin Society.

Kippure, at, is the highest mountain in County Dublin.

In the 1991 – 92 season, he played a big part in helping Cambridge to their highest ever finishing position in the football league, by finishing in fifth place in the last ever season of the old Second Division, but when Cambridge failed to win promotion to the top flight via the play-offs Dublin was put up for sale.

Dublin played his final game on 4 May 2008, featuring in Norwich's 4 – 1 loss to Sheffield Wednesday in front of 36, 208 fans at Hillsborough – the highest Championship attendance that season.

In April 2005 the chain acquired the Ster Century chain from Aurora Entertainment ; this included the highest grossing cinema in the UK or Ireland at Liffey Valley Shopping Centre in Dublin, Ireland.

Howth Head is one of the dominant features of Dublin Bay, with a number of peaks, the highest of which is Black Linn.

Sunshine closed at the end of 1988 having achieved the highest ratings of any Dublin radio station to this day.

He was re-elected to the Council in 1985 as Alderman having topped the poll in Dublin Clontarf receiving the highest vote in the Country.

Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Augustus Smith VC ( Dublin 18 November 1826 – County Meath 22 July 1887 ) was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

George Forrest VC ( 1800 – 3 November 1859 ) was born St Michael's, Dublin and was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Patrick Graham VC ( 1837 – 3 June 1875 ) was born in St Michael's Parish, Dublin and was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Major General Robert Montresor Rogers VC CB ( born Dublin 4 September 1834 – 5 February 1895 ) was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

William Knox-Leet VC CB ( Dalkey, County Dublin 3 November 1833 – 29 June 1898 ), was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Lieutenant-Colonel James Henry Reynolds VC ( 3 February 1844 – 4 March 1932 ), born Kingstown ( Dún Laoghaire ), County Dublin, was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross for his actions at the Battle of Rorke's Drift, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

William George Nicholas Manley VC, CB ( 17 December 1831 – 16 November 1901 ) was born in Dublin and was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Englishman Bob Preston managed the team in their first ever season at the highest level of Irish football with the first game being a 3-1 defeat in the Shield at the Iveagh Grounds in Dublin against St. James Gate.