Dublin: A View from the Ground

Dublin is one of only a handful of cities that holds international appeal and influence—a fact made more unique because its fame is based almost exclusively on cultural output. Dublin may not have an instantly recognizable building or landmark, but ask a listener to come up with images of Dublin and the results flood in: Molly Malone, a cold pint of Guinness, a late-night pub session. Dublin follows a general chronology, but the chapters are organized around themes—crime and punishment, power and rebellion, urban calamity (fire, flood, disease), the sacred and the profane—that occur and recur throughout the city's history. Larger historical trends—the effects of the city's Penal Laws, the establishment of a Catholic middle class, the dizzying pace of change in the wake of the Celtic Tiger's economic reforms—are seen through the experiences of leaders and pioneers, as well as that of ordinary citizens, to create one of the most wide-ranging and nuanced portraits of Dublin ever published.