Regional Geography: Irish Core Region: The Dublin Region
The Dublin region
Core region
Densely populated, 1.3 million people
Urban area
Physical processes
Climate
Cool temperate oceanic/maritime
Warmer and drier than the Western region
Temperatures 16˚C in the summer and between 5 and 6˚C in the winter
800 mm of rainfall annually
Rainfall is lower than elsewhere in the country
Rain shadow effect: most precipitation is lost before the Atlantic depressions reach the Dublin region
Daylight: the region receives 4 hours sunshine per day
Growing season is approximately 270 days
Crops planted in the Dublin region ripen earlier than crops elsewhere
Coastal location: frost has less of an effect on the area in spring
Soils
Soil type is mainly brown earths
A deep fertile soil that is easily cultivated
High humus content derived from the plant litter of deciduous forests that once covered the region
Alluvial deposits laid down by the local rivers are highly productive
In the northern section of the region, marine, light, sandy soils are free draining and ideal for market gardening/horticulture
Blanket bogs are found in the Dublin Mountains
Relief and drainage
Lowland area that is undulating towards the north and west
Has good drainage as the main rock type is limestone, a permeable sedimentary rock which allows water to drain freely
Rivers, e.g. River Liffey, Tolka and Dodder
Primary economic activities
Agriculture
Physical factors
Lowland nature
Farming is highly mechanised and intensive, e.g. the region produces 11 per cent of the national wheat crop and 15 per cent of the national potato crop
Deep, fertile soils
High yields of tillage crops, e.g. wheat and barley
Human factors
Age profile of farmers is lower than in the West
Region does not suffer from outward migration
Farmers are well educated – use a market-orientated and scientific approach
Farmers specialise in market gardening – migrant workers from nearby Dublin city are used for labour
Economic factors
Dublin region is highly productive and commercial even though the area only has about 1,500 farms, a little over 1 per cent of the national total
Highly urbanised
Farm incomes are 40 per cent higher than the national average
Malting barley is used for the brewing and distilling industry
Protein-rich barley is used for animal feed
Farming output is high due to demands of a nearby large and wealthy urban market
Due to close proximity to Dublin city, transport costs for agricultural products are low
Fishing
Main fishing port in the Dublin region is Howth; it is the third largest port in Ireland with a value of €10.7 million in 2014
Dublin Bay prawns make up 40 per cent of the total shellfish exported from Ireland
Fishing in the Dublin region is declining
Overfishing: in the 1960s, 35 per cent of fish landed in Ireland were caught in Dublin ports; 3 per cent in 2000
Aquaculture is limited
Irish Sea is more polluted than the Atlantic Ocean
Secondary economic activities
Manufacturing activities
Physical factors
25 per cent of Ireland’s manufacturing industries and 40 per cent of people employed in the manufacturing sector are in this region
Nodal point: a focus of routeways, rail and air networks in Ireland
Economic factors
EU and worldwide markets
Direct governmental involvement during the 1990s resulted in 60 per cent of all new industry developed in Dublin region
Low rate of corporation tax of 12.5 per cent for new industries
Modern infrastructure, state-of-the-art telecommunication links and easily accessible industrial estates
IFSC
Human factors
Abundant well-educated workforce
80 per cent of Ireland’s colleges are located in the region
Low age profile as 45 per cent of population are under 25 years of age
Industrial output per worker is higher in the Dublin region as are manufacturing wages, which are 10 per cent higher than the national average
As the people of the Dublin region are wealthier than other areas this attracts producers of luxury-based goods
Location of industry
Traditional brewing and distilling, e.g. Guinness, and printing, e.g. Irish Independent
Modern growth industries of internet technology, e.g. Google, and pharmaceutical, e.g. Pfizer
Traditionally located within the city limits because of close proximity to the port and a good supply of local manual labour
Newer industries have tended to locate on the outskirts of Dublin city in close proximity to the M50 as it is easily accessible
Close to a large labour pool in the satellite towns
More spacious sites available
Example: Wyeth/Pfizer Biopharmaceutical in Clondalkin
95 per cent of people employed in the plant have third-level qualifications
Employs over 1,000 people
Invested over €640 million in Science Foundation Ireland
Manufacturing is also now widely dispersed
Five of the world’s top 10 software companies located here
Dublin region is highly dependent on foreign investment with over 800 of its companies from overseas and 350 of those US-based companies
An issue that is worrying the Irish government
Hit with many job losses: in 2009 alone 30,000 job losses in the Dublin region, 40 per cent of national total
Recent years 71 per cent of all foreign investment in the region, growth rate 6.1 per cent
Tertiary economic activities
Tourism
The region is the main point of entry for visitors to the country
Benefited from the removal of Shannon as a stopover point
27 per cent of Irish visitors stay in region
Tourism earns €1 billion for the region annually
In 2015 over 5.45 million tourists visited Dublin
90 per cent of all scheduled air flights to Ireland land at Dublin airport
A year-round business
Governmental involvement
Easily accessible for visitors because of the many modes of public transport
Dublin City Council’s involvement, pedestrianised streets
Well-developed accommodation
Fáilte Ireland has a very successful €15 million marketing strategy for the Dublin region
A city break location, attracting 1.2 million people visiting the Guinness Storehouse
Transport
Most efficient transport system in the country
Governmental investment under the NDP
Dublin port processes 50 per cent of Irish trade
Dublin airport is the largest in the country and a major employer; it handled 20.17 million passengers in 2013
Well-developed public transport system with Dublin Bus, DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) and the Luas light rail system
Suffers badly from traffic congestion
90 per cent of all commercial transport is by road
In 1997 during peak times, traffic speed had been reduced in the city to 14 km per hour
Introduced the Transport 21 scheme
In 2006 construction of Dublin Port Tunnel
Upgrade the M50
Create seven new Luas lines
Expansion of the DART lines to double its capacity
Expansion of Quality Bus Corridors
Further expansion of city in sustainable way
Government need to introduce a policy of higher density housing along public transport routes
This is in line with the European model of cities
Urban infill is also a policy that could be investigated
Human processes
Population dynamics
Between 2002–2006 Dublin city population grew by 5.6 per cent, population 1.3 million people
Does not suffer from a brain drain
Influx of migrants during the Celtic Tiger era
Increase in the number of younger working women, population could rise by a further 26 per cent because they are of childbearing age
Educational attainment not evenly spread, inner city areas below the national average
Multicultural city, some parts of the city regenerated, some parts have formed ghettos
Urban/rural development
Contains 30 per cent of the Irish population
Limited by topography of the region
People commuting from dormitory towns
City shaped like a doughnut, emphasis on urban rejuvenation projects, e.g. Dublin Docklands
To prevent urban sprawl new towns, e.g. Tallaght built along with green belts
2005 Adamstown developed in West Dublin, higher density building based on European model of cities
Decentralisation and the building of gateways and hubs was not a success as people did not want to relocate
The growth of Dublin city
Expanded rapidly since the 1950s
Zone of influence is now a large proportion of the eastern half of the country
Dominant primate city
Founded by the Vikings in the ninth century
Low-lying land at the mouth of Dublin Bay
Bridging point
Centre of trade and administration
Focus of road and rail networks
Combined population of Dublin city, Wicklow, Kildare and Meath is 1.8 million
In 1971, Dublin City had 35.7 per cent of the population and this is likely to increase to almost 46 per cent of the national population by 2020 if current trends continue
Leader in economic performance
Average economic output per worker is 108 per cent higher than the national average
Centre of Irish Government and the headquarters of many private companies
City has expanded due to influx of foreign migrants and rural to urban migration
Wide variety of educational and healthcare services
Excellent communications systems
Modern telecommunication services
1970s uncontrolled expansion of the city
Planners designed and created new towns on Dublin’s rural-urban fringe, e.g. Blanchardstown
People continually leaving the city to live within commutable distance as house prices in the city are still up to €100,000 more expensive than in the rest of the country
People move to Kildare, Meath and Wicklow and commute to the city for work
Massive traffic congestion
Workers live as far away as Carlow (90 km) from the city centre
Newly dispersed Dublin city: three new county councils – Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin – were created
Dublin Corporation is responsible for issues such as water, sewage and other public services
Irish Government – National Spatial Strategy (NSS) to combat the growth of Dublin by establishing gateways, e.g. Galway and hubs, e.g. Kilkenny
The NSS will encourage:
Vacant land in the city to be listed and redeveloped
Existing housing to be utilised
Old warehouses are regenerated for business use
Older people to be moved to smaller houses to make larger houses more available to families