# Please explain North v South Dublin, to an outsider **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 5, 2021, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-north-v-south-dublin-to-an-outsider/929736 "2021-01-05T19:40:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-north-v-south-dublin-to-an-outsider/929736/1 "2021-01-05T19:40:01Z")
We watched a House Hunters International today, and the guy was born and raised in South Dublin. He seemed to have this viceral reaction to even the idea of living on the North side. But they never explained what it was. I guess to Dubliners it’s as obvious as the sky, but we have no idea. The Norht side looked nice (and they ended up buying the house on the north side anyway). Can anyone explain it in simple terms, to an American? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-north-v-south-dublin-to-an-outsider/929736/2 "2021-01-05T20:23:54Z")
" Today, with the [River Liffey](https://theculturetrip.com/europe/ireland/articles/spotlight-who-was-father-pat-noise/) acting as the dividing line, the two regions colloquially known as [Northside Dublin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northside,_Dublin) and [Southside Dublin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southside,_Dublin) are primarily differentiated according to economics – the north is generally considered underprivileged, the south overprivileged." > **[What's With Dublin's North-South Divide?](https://theculturetrip.com/europe/ireland/articles/whats-with-dublins-north-south-divide/)** > > Find out where the Dublin North-South divide originated and how it has become a central part of the culture of the city. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-north-v-south-dublin-to-an-outsider/929736/3 "2021-01-05T20:25:14Z")
Same thing going on in Chicago, between North and South siders. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-north-v-south-dublin-to-an-outsider/929736/4 "2021-01-05T20:55:01Z")
The concept i have no trouble with. Chicago, yeah, even Milwaukee and the soudsiders der hey that I get. But what the distinctions are in Dublin, and which was which, or which were the “good” onees, that I didn’t. The article (and the included video!) really helped. Thanks to the video, now I know I don’t like either side. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-north-v-south-dublin-to-an-outsider/929736/5 "2021-01-05T23:33:46Z")
As a southside Dubliner born and raised, I thought that video was hilarious! ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-north-v-south-dublin-to-an-outsider/929736/6 "2021-01-05T23:42:11Z")
I should probably mention that the “southside” and “northside” stereotypes presented in the video, while they have some basis in reality, don’t actually map very well to the actual geographical north and south side. Any southsider who says he wouldn’t live on the north side is either joking or stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-north-v-south-dublin-to-an-outsider/929736/7 "2021-01-06T02:21:18Z")
I love how the dope can answer any question! ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-north-v-south-dublin-to-an-outsider/929736/8 "2021-01-06T04:18:44Z")
The stereotype, as already noted, is that the Northside is relatively deprived, the Southside relatively affluent. The reality, as might be expected, is that both Northside and Southside have more and less affluent areas. Nevertheless the social divide is real, but for geographical rather than economic reasons. Dublin is a highly centralised city, with commerce, culture, etc concentrated in a relatively small city centre and a hub-and-spoke public transport system linking the residential suburbs with the city centre. The result is that if you grow up in Dublin, attending a convenient school, etc, you become familiar with your own neighbourhood, the surrounding neighbourhoods and the city centre, but not at all with more distant neighbourhoods. In particular you have few social connections in, and little or no reason to spend time in, the other side of the city. So you can reach adulthood and whatever lies beyond the city centre will still be largely unknown to you - unknown both in the sense that you have no idea what lies there and couldn’t find your way around, and in the sense that you have no friends or social connections who live there.