Dún Laoghaire ( anglicised spelling Dunleary, the original Irish spelling is now almost always used in preference to the anglicised forms) is an Irish suburban seaside town and major port of entry from the United Kingdom.
It is situated some 12 km (7 mi) south of Dublin city centre and it is the administrative centre of the county of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown with a population of 194,038 (2006 census).
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Trivia
- There is a memorial for the sunken Leinster in the form of a seafront obelisk at the harbour.
- Dún Laoghaire features at least one surviving "cabman's shelter", originally built for the drivers of horse-drawn taxis.
- There is ongoing controversy about the future of the Dun Laoghaire Baths and neighbouring Victorian seafront attractions.
- Dún Laoghaire's one full-service hotel, the Royal Marine, closed for reconstruction in 2005, and reopened in 2007. Smaller hotels exist near the seafront.
- The Dún Laoghaire area is home to three third-level education establishments, Senior College in the town centre, Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology and Dun Laoghaire College of Further Education in Cumberland Street, formerly known as "Dun Laoghaire Community College".
- Dún Laoghaire is home to the head office of Ireland's largest supermarket operator, Tesco Ireland, in a curious office building on stilts on the roof of the main shopping centre. Tesco stores anchor both major shopping centres in the town.
- Dún Laoghaire has seen several of its secondary schools close in the past two decades, due to population shifts to outlying areas. Two schools which closed are, notably, Christian Brothers Eblana Avenue founded in 1856 and closed in 1992, and the Dominican Convent girls school which closed a year earlier, in 1991.
- Two main buildings used in community and social events are the Boylan Community Centre, located in Sussex Street, and also the Dun Laoghaire Scout's Den, located in Patrick Street.
- A very useful community information service is located in the tower building of St Michael's Church on Marine Road.
- Residents of Dún Laoghaire can find a wealth of reading material in the town public library located on Library Road near the end of George's Street in the direction of Dublin (as opposed to direction Sandycove), then find a nice relaxing bench to read in the Public Park, known as the People's Park located at the opposite end of George's Street to the Public Library.
