Small town?
Heidi | March 9, 2007According to Wikipedia, Dublin has a population of 1.7 million. So, I thought that I’d never run into people I knew. Wrong. I actually bump into people on a pretty regular basis. One day, I saw one of my friends as she was on the way to the theatre. On another day, I ran into one of my coworkers twice in two different parts of the city centre but we were both shopping. I also periodically see a former coworker who now works in the city centre. We pass each other as she walks to the train and I walk away from the train heading home. I have seen clients out and about a few times.
I have now seen a coworker’s fiance twice. Each time, I recognized his face but couldn’t place him (I’ve only met him once). The first time, I was getting on the train and he was getting off the same train. He immediately knew my name and we had a brief interchange. I knew that I knew him but just couldn’t remember from where. Today, he was getting off one train and I was waiting for a different train. I was distracted and but when I saw him, I recognized him and he said hi. I was a bit thrown off because I was trying to figure out what was up with the train I needed and I am always thrown when I see people I know. When talking to my coworker today, she told me that her fiance texted her telling her about the interaction and to tell me who he was! I was slightly embarrassed. Oh well.
Anyway, what is my point? For a largeish city, Dublin is really a small town. Everyone goes to city centre still for shopping or going out and there is always a chance that you will bump into someone that you know. Dublin is a big enough city yet it has this down home, friendliness to it.
Oh yeah? What about running into a fellow American I had a class with nearly 5 years ago?
Then again, this was at the National Archives…odds are if you end up working on any sort of Irish history you have to be there at one point or another, but still. It does give you a pretty good jolt.
Great post, Heidi. You might re-check the population figures though. I just wiki-ed Dublin and they give a Dublin region population of 1.1 million, which is consistent with the latest census numbers on http://www.cso.ie. Hope that doesn’t come across as nitpicking. I was just surprised by the number you gave ‘cuz I’d always heard that Dublin was around a million people. (And at “1.7 million,” you might as well round up to 2 mil!)
Numbers aside, Dublin definitely has a smaller town feel, especially compared to London, which I think has a population of 10-12 million, depending on what areas you include. And I much prefer living in Dublin, for the very reasons you discuss in your post!
whats a cow orker?
I’m not a city dweller by choice but of all the cities where I’ve had to live and work Dublin has something which others simply haven’t. After I had been there for a year it was impossible to go into the city centre at the weekend [anytime of day] and not meet, or at least see, someone you knew or who knew you. After London, Birmingham, Nanchang, Dublin was like a breath of fresh air; almost like living in a small town where everyone knows everyone else. It may not be quite as slick as some other European places but it is still on a human scale which makes it possible to get to know it well. It is big enough to be interesting but not too big to be overwhelming.
Brandon, as with any figures, it depends on what you count as in Dublin. I got my original figure off Wikepedia from their Ireland page. As you may have noticed on the Dublin page, the 1.7 (really 1.66) million is the Greater Dublin area which appears to include Kildare and Wicklow. So, I stand by my figures.
Besides, it doesn’t really matter exactly what the population is. I have lived in another city that is a bit under the population of Dublin (that one was 75,000) and I didn’t run into people that I know. It is more the feel of the city given its size that matters.
walk past any bus stop in Dublin at 5 pm or 6pm and i will promise you will meet somebody you know. well it works for me every time.
isn’t it partly because dublin is so darn walkable?
you see fewer people you know here in minneapolis-st. paul beause everyone’s in their cars.
LJH, I am not sure why it is. I don’t think it is just the walkable thing. When I went to “the U,” I rarely ran into people I knew and that is a much smaller area. Granted, it is a commuter campus but even when I lived on campus I didn’t see people that I knew in the area (campus, Dinkytown, or the University ave area).
The people I run into here are generally shopping. I think it is still the old way of doing your business “in town.” People still do so many things in the city centre. However, one of my work mates has said that she runs into clients all the time (she lives in the area we serve).
wow, you went to the U? forget the small town theme, it’s a darn small world.
Yep, I went there. 93-97. Oops, now I am giving away an approximate age… It is a great campus and school. One of my friends’ kids is thinking about going there as well. More for the parties but I liked that you could major in anything you wanted and create your own if they didn’t already have it. I didn’t create my own major but had thought about it.
Okay, Heidi. On looking at the Wiki article again, I see where you got those numbers. (Greater Dublin Area vs. Dublin Region.) My bad.
It brings up another question in my mind, though. If Dublin continues to grow away from the city centre and out to the suburbs like Co. Kildare and Wicklow, will it detract from the small town feel and decrease the likelihood of seeing people you know? Typically, as cities grow, people move to the suburbs and in some cases, city centres become irrelevant or neglected. Given Dublin culture, I have a hard time seeing that happen. But it does make you wonder what impact population growth will have.