More about Dublin

More about Dublin

Dublin is the capital of Ireland, situated on the east coast of the country, with a population of just over one million people in the greater Dublin area. The city is the seat of government and commerce, is the home to three universities and a number of traditional industries, the most famous being the brewing of Guinness. Dublin is also a major port and is the hub of the national rail network.

The Vikings founded the city in the 9th century and over the years it has grown and developed. During the 1800’s parts of the city were laid out with elegant Georgian houses, squares and landmark buildings, many of which are still with us today. The city is well known for its literary tradition and the famous Book of Kells, an illuminated Celtic manuscript held in Trinity College.

The name Dublin is derived from the Gaelic words "Dubh Linn" meaning "dark pool" This relates to the confluence of the rivers Liffey and Poddle where Norseman established a fledging settlement in 841. In Gaelic the translation of Dublin is "Baile Atha Cliath" the town of the ford of the hurdles" and marks the point at which a bridge of hurdles was thrown down to make a crossing over the river Liffey.

Ballyfermot is a suburb of Dublin, situated the west approximately 5 – 6 miles from the city centre. The area has been developed since the 1940’s when many people moved out of the city into new housing built by Dublin Corporation, the municipal authority. The area now has between 20,000 – 25,000 inhabitants. Ballyfermot is a vibrant community with many associations and working groups. The current community public library has been in its present location since 1981. It has been to the forefront of community activity over the years. The library is home to a pre-school for local children, is the regular meeting place for numerous community groups, and is the home for a heritage research project indexing parish records in the Dublin area. Offices for a Money Advice Bureau and a Regional Office for Dublin Corporation are also located in the library. The library itself reaches out to the community with a programme of monthly lectures and exhibitions. It offers a very good community information service, a housebound service and an adult literacy support programme. There is also a good variety of book stock and audio-visual material for borrowing. Language learning facilities are available and in 1997 Ballyfermot became the first site in Europe for Microsoft’s Libraries on Line! project which allows the public free access to the Internet and multi-media software via 8 PC’s.

Ballyfermot is one of 30 branch and specialist services offered by the Dublin Corporation Public Libraries network in the city of Dublin. The specialist services include a Business Library, a Music Library and an Open Learning Centre. Services to the Prisons, Community and Youth Information, City Archives and the Civic Museum, the Mobile Libraries and a Children’s and Schools Library service all help to make up a comprehensive information network for the city. Further information about the services of Dublin Corporation Public Libraries can be found on the web site at http://www.iol.ie/resource/dublincitylibrary/

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