Where is Dublin 8 & why is it one of world's coolest places to live? (2024)

DUBLIN 8 has been named as one of the coolest places in the world to live in - and is ranked above parts of Sydney, Amsterdam and Shanghai.

Time Out magazine placed Dublin 8 as the 15th coolest place in the globe after Phibsboro was ranked 27th just last year.

The writers said the capital city's neighbourhood "captures the essence and charm of the Irish capital to a tee."

They added: "With much of the city being built up with cookie-cutter hotels and skyscrapers, this nook has retained much of its original architecture.

"The neighbourhood brims with vintage and bric-à-brac shops, street art, markets, homey cafés, and it’s also where you’ll find some of the city’s hottest foodie talent."

Here, we take a look at why Dublin 8 is a top place to live and what exciting things visitors can find there.

WHERE IS DUBLIN 8 AND WHAT IS ITS HISTORY?

Dublin 8 is located to the west of the capital's city centre, and is home to Phoenix Park with Dublin Zoo as well as the popular Guinness Storehouse just to name a few.

From the time of the Normans to the Tudor Conquest of Ireland in the 16th Century, much of the present day neighbourhood was as extensive sheep farm.

In 1662, the Great Duke of Ormonde erected a huge wall around a large chunk of it and renamed is as Phoenix Park, and in 1680 a retreat for war veterans on the site of the knight’s priory at Kilmainham. Known as the Royal Hospital, this since evolved into the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

But today's Dublin 8 is now bustling with quirky cafes, co*cktail bars and family friendly restaurants, with many known Irish stars moving to the area such as RTE presenter Kathryn Thomas.

In fact, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has also recently moved to the area with partner Dr Matthew Barrett, as the pair moved into a stunning €800,000 Victorian style house.

PHOENIX PARK

One of the best known attractions to Dublin 8 is Phoenix Park, which is home to Dublin Zoo as well as the Aras an Uachtarain and Victorian flower gardens.

The park is one of the largest enclosed public parks in any capital city in Europe, and was a massive royal hunting park in the 1660s.

A large herd of fallow deer still live in the park to this day, and the park first opened to the public in 1747.

Phoenix Park is now open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the main gates located at Parkgate Street and Castleknock Gate.

GUINNESS STOREHOUSE

Another popular tourist attraction in Dublin 8 is the Guinness Storehouse, which celebrates the history of Ireland's most iconic beer.

Located at St James's Gate Brewery, it first opened in 2000 and has received over 20 million visitors to date.

The Storehouse covers seven floors and surrounds a glass atrium shaped in the form of a pint of Guinness.

The seventh floor is home to the Gravity Bar, with views of Dublin as visitors can drink a pint of Guinness which is included in the price of admission.

IRISH MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

IMMA was established by the Government in 1990, and was officially opened to the public in May 1991 by former Taoiseach Charles Haughey.

It is built in the 17th century Royal Hospital Kilmainham, which previously served as a home for retired soldiers for almost 250 years.

The museum holds the Irish National Collection of modern and contemporary art, which consists of over 3,500 works by Irish and international artists alike.

Modeled after the Les Invalides museum in Paris, the IMMA is arranged around a courtyard, and the interior has long corridors running along a series of modest interlocking rooms.

MEMORIAL GARDENS

The Irish National War Memorial Gardens are located in Islandbridge.

They are dedicated to the memory of over 49,400 Irish soldiers who gave their lives in the first World War.

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Over 300,000 Irish people over all served in all armies from 1914 to 1918.

The Memorial Gardens also commemorate all the Irish men and women who at the time served, fought and died in Irish regiments of the Allied armies (British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, South African and US).