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Dun Laoghaire

The present town of Dún Laoghaire dates from the 1820s.
An earlier Dunleary village was located around the area where "The Purty Kitchen" pub is now located.
Both a Victorian and modern town, it is the capital of the county and seat of local government. It gets its name from a High King of Ireland "Laoghaire" who's sea fort "Dún" was located here some 1,500 years ago.

Dún Laoghaire harbour was built between 1817 and 1842 with granite quarried from the nearby village of Dalkey, now Irelands answer to Hollywood as it is home to many international stars. The harbour remains one of the finest and largest artificial harbours in the world and has linked Ireland and Britian for almost two hundred years.

Today
Dún Laoghaire truely has something for everyone, with its thriving commercial centre, shops, restaurants, and cafes, pubs, shopping centres, cinemas and theatre, is nestled in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains offering visitors a choice of wonderful coastal and inland views - it is no surprise that we at Connaught House see many returning guests.

Dún Laoghaire has an incredibly wide range of shops - from small family businesses to large fashon boutiques.
You can find them in either of our modern shopping centres, throughout the legnth of our pedestrianised main street, or even in our "Farmer's Market", held every Sunday in the Peoples Park.

Should you feel the need for a more extreme shopping experience, you can visit Dundrum Town Centre, Ireland's largest shopping centre, with over 160 shops - only a 30 minute commute away.

Culture

Dún Laoghaire has associations with many leading cultural figures, most notably James Joyce and Samuel Beckett.

Joyce stayed with Oliver St. John Gogarty in a Martello Tower in nearby Sandycove which he later immortalised in the opening chapter of Ulysses.
Samuel Beckett came from nearby Foxrock and is said to have experienced an artistic epiphany, alluded to in his play Krapp's Last Tape, while sitting on the end of one of Dún Laoghaire's piers.
A bronze plaque marks the spot.

Dún Laoghaire is home to the Festival Of World Cultures, which offers a kaleidoscopic programme of concerts and club nights, fairs and markets, dance and street events, workshops and a gigantic feast of global arts and cultures. It is one of the largest music festivals in Ireland attracting over a quarter of a million visitors to the town over a weekend in August.

A new purpose built theatre, The Pavilion, opened its doors in 2000. Built on the site of the 1903 'Kingstown Pavilion', it serves as the Municipal Theatre for Dún Laoghaire, and is a host venue for a number of important festivals including the International Puppet Festival, and, recently, the Dublin Theatre Festival.

Bars & Night Life  

Dún Laoghaire boasts 11 bars and 4 night clubs, mostly centred along the main street Georges Street Upper. They include “traditional Irish bars” with "The Local" being McKenna's.

The Forty Foot, is a deep sea water inlet hidden amidst the rugged rock coast beside Sandycove harbour just south of Dún Laoghaire. For at least 250 years, it has been a place where peoplecome to swim in the Irish Sea all the year round, with many having a traditional Christmas Morning swim. Until recent years, the Forty Foot was exclusivelys a Gentlemens swimming area, but today the Sandycove Bather's Association welcome's all.

Fameous visitors have been;
James Joyce
Pierce Brosnan
Bono
Bob Geldof

Dun Laoghaire Marina

The 500-berth marina is the largest in the country, and opened in 2001 following resistance for over 15 years by a group led by the late John de Courcy Ireland, a maritime historian. A 240-berth extension, involving an investment of €3 million, was approved in June 2006 by An Bord Pleanála; the project was completed in April 2007. 

St Michael's Hospital

This is a teaching hospital, affiliated to University College Dublin, committed to patient focused care. We are part of the St. Vincent’s Healthcare Group and education and research are major components of our philosophy. St. Michael’s Hospital is located in Dun Laoghaire since 1876 and today provides a comprehensive healthcare service to the local community and also to a much broader catchment area consisting of a large part of South County Dublin and County Wicklow.