Swords in County Dublin, the county town of the local government area of Fingal, is a large suburban town on the east coast of Ireland, situated ten kilometres north of Dublin city centre. It is the eighth largest urban area in Ireland, with a population of 40,776 as of the 2022 census. The town was reputedly founded c. AD 560. Located on the Ward River, Swords features Swords Castle, a restored medieval castle, a holy well from which it takes its name, a round tower and a Norman tower. Facilities in the area include the Pavilions shopping centre, one of the largest in the Dublin region, a range of civic offices, some light industries, the main storage facility and archive of the National Museum of Ireland and several parks. Dublin Airport is located nearby.
Clockwise from top: Main Street, Swords; Ward River Valley Park; interior of Swords Pavilions
A middle class housing estate on the southern side of Swords
Swords Main Street lined with London Plane trees, August 2022
A Credit Union on North Street
County Dublin is a county in Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the province of Leinster. Until 1994, County Dublin was a single local government area; in that year, the county council was divided into three new administrative counties: Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin. The three administrative counties together with Dublin City proper form a NUTS III statistical region of Ireland. County Dublin remains a single administrative unit for the purposes of the courts and Dublin County combined with Dublin City forms the Judicial County of Dublin, including Dublin Circuit Court, the Dublin County Registrar and the Dublin Metropolitan District Court). Dublin also sees law enforcement and fire services administered county-wide.
Viking fleet landing at Dublin, 841
Prehistoric passage tomb at Tibradden
Burnt out buildings following the Sack of Balbriggan, September 1920
A bottlenose dolphin (tursiops truncatus) at Dalkey Island and a fallow deer (dama dama) in Phoenix Park