Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for Dublin

Dublin.-- maritime co., Leinster, Ireland; is bounded N. by co. Meath, E. by the Irish Sea, S. by co. Wicklow, and W. by cos. Kildare and Meath; greatest length, N. and S., 32 miles; greatest breadth, E. and W., 18 miles; average breadth, 12 miles; coast-line, 42 miles; area, 226,895 ac. (372 water), or 1.1 per cent, of the total area of Ireland; pop. 418,910, of whom 76.5 per cent. are Roman Catholics, 19.3 Episcopalians, 1.9 Presbyterians, and 0.9 Methodists. Along the coast, which is irregular and generally of great beauty, are Dublin Bay, Howth Head, Lambay island, Ireland's Eye, and other islets. There are a few eminences in the N., and near the S. border the Wicklow mountains rise to an alt. of upwards of 2000 ft.; but the surface on the whole is flat and very luxuriant. The soil consists of rich clay and gravel; limestone is plentiful in the N., and granite occurs among the mountains. The Liffey is the only important river. The principal crops are wheat, barley, oats, and potatoes; but much of the surface is under pasture of remarkable verdure. (For agricultural statistics, see Appendix.) The fisheries, coast and inland, form an important industry. The co. comprises 9 bars.-- Balrothery (East and West), Castleknock, Coolock, Dublin, Nethercross, Newcastle, Rathdown, and Uppercross; 76 pars., and parts of 10 others; and the parl. and man. bor. of Dublin (4 members, and Dublin University 2 members). For parl. purposes it is divided into 2 divisions, viz., North and South, 1 member for each div.


(John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "maritime county"   (ADL Feature Type: "countries, 2nd order divisions")
Administrative units: Dublin IrlC
Place: County Dublin

Go to the linked place page for a location map, and for access to other historical writing about the place. Pages for linked administrative units may contain historical statistics and information on boundaries.