The Irish standard., 1915-11-20
Dublin.

Dublin.
A glance at the Annals of 1reland's
Capital will convince the Dublin citi-
zen of today that he has just reasons
for feeling proud of this grand old
city of ours. Like the true capital of
country, the city on the Liffey has
ever led the nation in learning, culture,
patriotism and high endeavor. Many
of the greatest names on Ireland's roll
Of fame first saw light within the
stored precincts of Dublin, and the
magnificent cathedrals, churches, and
public buildings, as we'll as the honor
able place that Dublin occupies in the
history Of the arts, we'll testifies to the
high culture of its people. Many, If
not all, of the great patriotic move
ments in Ireland, have had their origin
in Dublin. Various writer's, both ma
tive and foreign, have extolled the
beauties of our city, and its history
has been told by dozen historians.
1t is not until the settlement of the
Danes in $40 A. D. that we find any
references of Importance relating to
Dublin in our Irish Annals For over
forty years previously those terrible
vikings had constantly raided the Irish
coasts, and finally they decided to es-
tablish colony at the mouth of the
River Liffey on the site of the Kettle
settlement, which was known as Bale
atha- Cliath. The great Danish his
torian, Calus Magnus, has a curious
and interesting account of the capture
of Dublin by his countrymen. 1t ap-
Pears that the invaders, having shared
a large number of swallows, fastened
lighted sponges under their wings, and
setting them free these dropped on the
matched roofs of the houses, which
quickly ignited and in short time the
whole settlement was in flames. In
S97 the Danes were expelled from Dub.
lin by the King of Leinstert, but this
victory was temporary, for in 919 the
Danes returned in great force and
cleared out the Irish as far as Con-
fey, near Leixlip. Many attempts
were made to re-capture Dublin dur
ing the ensuing years, but it was not
until Good Friday, 1914, that Danish
power in Dublin received it's final de.
feat. After the battle of Clontarf,
Dublin began to experience the influ.
ence of that Kettle civilization which
had persisted in those parts of Ireland
not under the rule of the heather in.
vader. The Danish merchants and ar.
tisans who remained in Dublin en-
braced the Christian Faith, and in
1OSS, Sitric, son of Aulaf, Earl of Dub.
lin. granted certain lands tn Donatus,
the first Bishop of Dublin, for the erec-
ton OF church. This edilice occu-
pied the site whereon the present
Christ Church stands. The Cistercian
Monastery of st. Mary's Abbey was
founded about this period, and in 1852
Dublir had become such an important
center that it was raised to the dig
nifty of an archbisnop's See by a de-
cree of the Synod held in Ke,ls during
that year.
The story of the coming of the Nor
mans under Strongbow and Fitz-
stephen belongs more to the general
history of Ireland than to that of Dub
lin. In the early summer of ITO It'd
ings were conveyed to Dermot Mac
Morrogh and his Norman allies that
Dublin was in revolt, and they with all
possible haste marched through the
Wicklow glens and over the mountains
to punish the inhabitants. The ap.
pearance Of the foemen on the south.
ern boundaries of the city took the
garrison by surprise, and Archbishop
Laurence O'Toole was deputed to ask
a truce in order that terms of surren-
der might be arranged, and Dublin
spared the ordeal of the forcible en-
try of a victorious soldiery and its
consequent misery. During the ne.
gotiation strong force, under the lead.
ership of Raymond Fitzgerald and
Miles de Cogan, launched a fierce at
tack upon the garrison, and in a short
time the city was in possession of the
Normans. Thus ended forever Kettle
rule in Dublin.
The first English monarch to visit
Ireland was Henry II, and he signal.
lied his stay in Dublin by granting the
city to the "goodmen" of Bristol. Dub
lin now settled down to a period Of
comparative peace, and the Bristol ad-
venturers who came over brought q
great Increase of trade, and conse.
quent prosperity to the capital. In
1909 the famous episode occurred at
Cullenswood, which is known as
BLACK Monday" This was probably
the cause of the building of the cita.
del or castle of Dublin, which was
completed about 1920. In 1851 the
first coinage was struck in Dublin.
The coins bore a kings head inside
a triangle, which is said to be rude
representation Of an Irish harp. The
first record of civic improvement is re.
corded in 1908, when the city water
supply was provided. In 1916 Robert