E X T E N S I O N DUBLIN Trinity College. Dublin is the Republic of Ireland s capital, it is located on the wide plain overlooked by the legendary Wicklow Mountains and facing a broad bay that leads into the Irish Sea. The city has a population of a million people which is about a third of the total population of the country. Dublin is the centre of government, commerce and industry and it also has a busy seaport. The original small settlement was named Ath Cliath, which means a ford1 of hurdles2 or the hurdle ford and was located near the mouth of the River Poddle on piles of stones. It was with the coming of the Vikings in 841 that Dublin began as a town. Dublin is a city for walkers, talkers and a city where the people are as worth watching3 as the architecture. Some streets in the centre are only for pedestrians among which the finest is Grafton Street where both the inhabitants and tourists can enjoy big department stores along with small craft shops. Moreover, on Saturday afternoon, the place is full of talented buskers4 who entertain the crowd of walkers. Music is never too far away in Dublin. One of the most attractive features of Dublin nightlife is the music and singing pubs. In fact, many pubs have live shows with musicians playing traditional Irish music. Visitors will find that Dublin is a place of great cultural and historical interest. Many important writers were born here and the city was often described in their literary works. Among the most famous Dubliners we can remember: Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde,William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw and Samuel Beckett. However no city has been more criticised by her writers. Jonathan Swift felt himself dropped in wretched5 Dublin . It was called the blind and 1. ford: a place in a river where the water is not very deep and may be crossed. 2. hurdle: difficulties. 3. worth watching: interesting to watch. 4. busker: person who sings or plays music in the streets. 5. wretched: unhappy. 90