Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire (pronounced "Dunleary" or "Doonlairah") is a small seaside town 7 miles south of Dublin, and the busiest port in the whole of Ireland. The town was officially known as Kingstown before Irish independence in 1922.It is named after its founder, Laoghaire, a 5th century High King of Ireland. He chose Dún Laoghaire as a seafort to enable him to carry out raids on Britain and France. Dún is an Irish word meaning "fort". King Laoghaire is famous for having allowed Saint Patrick to travel the country and preach Christianity.
The National Maritime Museum of Ireland is based in Dún Laoghaire; in the harbour, there are also the James Joyce Tower and the East Pier.
Dún Laoghaire is connected to central Dublin by the DART suburban railway, and a frequent bus service, and has a ferry connection to Holyhead in Anglesey, Wales, on the world's largest jet-engine propelled ferry.
Dún Laoghaire harbour is home to four yacht clubs. From North (West Pier) to South (East Pier) they are:
- The Dún Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC),
- The National Yacht Club (NYC),
- The Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC), and
- The Royal St. George Yacht Club (RStGYC).
Official Dún Laoghaire yacht club sites:
http://www.dmyc.ie http://www.nyc.ie http://www.riyc.ie http://www.rsgyc.ie
