Dublin - Neil Hegarty

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 recognisable 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. Neil Hegarty examines this legacy of Dublin's 'cultural capital' to bring the city, and its people, to vivid life. A rich story encompassing art, literature, architecture, politics and more, Dublin follows a general chronology, but the chapters are organised 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.