Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region

1. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • SECTION (1): CONTRASTING IRISH REGIONS II: • THE DUBLIN REGION

2. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • PHYSICAL PROCESSES Climate • Cool temperate oceanic/maritime • Warmer and drier than the Western Region • Temperatures: 16ºC in the summer and between 5 and 6ºC in the winter • Rainfall: 800 mm of rainfall annually • Rainfall is lower than elsewhere in country

3. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • PHYSICAL PROCESSES Climate (continued) • Rain shadow effect: most precipitation is lost before the Atlantic depressions reach the Dublin region • Daylight: the region receives 4 hrs 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

4. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • PHYSICAL PROCESSES 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

5. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • PHYSICAL PROCESSES 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

6. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • PRIMARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES Agriculture • 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 • 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

7. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • PRIMARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES Agriculture (continued) • Deep, fertile soils • High yields of tillage crops e.g. wheat and barley • 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

8. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • PRIMARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES Agriculture (continued) • 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 • Farms are constantly under threat from urban sprawl – encouraging farming in the area to be intensive and profitable

9. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • PRIMARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES Fishing • Main fishing port in the Dublin region is Howth; it is the third largest port in Ireland with a value of €5 million • 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

10. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • SECONDARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES Manufacturing Activities • 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 • EU and worldwide markets • Direct governmental involvement during the 1990s resulted in 60 per cent of all new industry developed in Dublin region

11. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • SECONDARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES Manufacturing Activities (continued) • Low rate of corporate tax of 12.5 per cent for new industries • Modern infrastructure, state-of-the-art telecommunication links and easily accessible industrial estates • Abundant well-educated workforce • 80 per cent of Ireland’s colleges are located in the region

12. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • SECONDARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES Manufacturing Activities (continued) • 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 the largest financial services sector in the country is in the IFSC in Dublin: businesses can avail of its financial management and business development advice services

13. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • SECONDARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES B. 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

14. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • SECONDARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES 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

15. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • SECONDARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES • 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 2005 alone 43 per cent of the 21,500 job losses nationally were in the Dublin region

16. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • 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 2008 over 4 million tourists visited Dublin • 90 per cent of all scheduled air flights to Ireland land at Dublin airport • A year round business

17. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • TERTIARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES Tourism (continued) • Governmental involvement • Easily accessible for visitors because of the many modes of public transport • Dublin City Council’s involvement • Well-developed accommodation • Faílte Ireland has a very successful marketing strategy for the Dublin region • A city break location, third most popular city break destination in 2003

18. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • 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 20.9 million passengers in 2009 • Well developed public transport system with Dublin Bus, DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) and the LUAS light rail system • Suffers badly from traffic congestion

19. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • TRANSPORT (continued) • 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

20. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • TRANSPORT (continued) • Expansion of the DART lines to double its capacity • Expansion of QBCs • A fivefold increase in taxi numbers • 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

21. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • 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

22. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • THE GROWTH OF DUBLIN CITY (continued) • Combined population of Dublin City, Wicklow, Kildare and Meath is 1.6 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

23. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • THE GROWTH OF DUBLIN CITY (continued) • 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

24. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • THE GROWTH OF DUBLIN CITY (continued) • 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 • 2007 a new town to the west developed – Adamstown • 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

25. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • THE GROWTH OF DUBLIN CITY (continued) • Newly dispersed Dublin City: three new county councils – Dun Laoghaire, Fingal and South Dublin county councils – 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 • Encourage development in the gateway and hub locations in the Dublin region

26. Chapter 24: The Dynamics of Irish Regions II: The Dublin Region • THE GROWTH OF DUBLIN CITY (continued) • The NSS will encourage that: • vacant land in the city will be listed and redeveloped • existing housing is utilised • old warehouses are regenerated for business use • older people are moved to smaller houses to make larger houses more available to families