Regional Geography - Core
The Dublin Region
The Dublin region is made up of Dublin city and county. It is the Republic's smallest but most populous region. It is an urban region. Only a small part of Dublin still retains its rural character.
Physical processes in the Dublin Region
The Dublin region has a lowland(0m-200m above sea level) landscape with the exception of the Dublin Mountains to the south. The Rivers Liffey and Tolka are the main rivers of the region. The coast is generally low-lying and characterised by features of deposition such as beaches and spits. In the Killiney area to the South, the coast rises to form a coast of erosion with cliffs and related landforms.
Climate: The Climate of the Dublin region is similar to that of Ireland as a whole i.e. Cool Temperatre Oceanic (Maritime Climate).
Apart from the Dublin Mts., Dublin receives less rainfall than the West of Ireland because Atlantic depressions have lost much of their moisture when they reach the east coast.
Dublin receives an average of 4 hours of sunshine per day, annual temperature range is from 5 C in January to 16 C in Summer. The growing season (farming) is about 270 days in length.
Primary Economic Activities in Dublin
Agriculture
County Dublin has about 1,500 farms, a very small proportion of the 132,000 farms in the Republic.
Nevertheless, the farms of Co. Dublin are very productive. They produce 11% of the national wheat crop and 15% of the national potato crop.
Well-drained brown earth soils and the lowland landscape of the region are suitable for tillage.
The farming area north of the city specialises in market gardening.(Vegetables and salad crops). The reasons for this specialisation include the following:
The proximity of areas such as Lusk, Rush and Swords to the sea greatly reduce the risk of frost in spring time
The lower rainfall and longer hours of sunshine than on the western seaboard reduces the risk of potato blight
This factors also aid the soil that is suitable for tillage and crop cultivation. A large urbanmarket of 1.2 million people exists nearby. The high land values in the region demand that farming be as intensive as possible.
Physical, economic and human factors interact in farming the region. Lowland farms with fertile soils, farmers who are prepared to invest in technology such as greenhouses, and a large wealthy market combine to make north Co. Dublin a very productive agricultural region.
Fishing
Fishing in the villages of Howth and Skerries are important fishing ports in the region. Fish from the Irish Sea is brought ashore for the Dublin market. The Irish sea fishing grounds have been overfished for several decades and the long term future of the fishing Industry is uncertain.
Secondary Economic Activities
Patterns in manufacturing activities
Manufacturing is very strong in the Dublin region. The Dublin region is the location of a quarter of all the manufacturing plants of the state. It is therefore the most important manufacturing region in the entire state.
The range of manufacturing is very wide. Traditional sectors such as brewing and distilling, food processing and clothing are located in the region. However, the star performers in recent years are in growth industries such as healthcare, computers and related fields in Internet Technology and electronics.
Manufacturing employs some 70,000 people in the region. Manufacturing is also characterised by big Industrial plants employing larger numbers of workers, high output per worker and higher wages than the national average:
The reasons why Dublin has a strong manufacturing sector are:
Dublin Port - this is the premier port of the state - it is the point of entry for many resource materials required in manufacturing processes.
The Dublin region and its hinterland provide an affluent market for consumer industries that include processed foods and beverages, fashion and daily and weekly publications.
Dublin is the centre of Ireland's road and rail networks. Road and Rail connections to the different provinces give Dublin manufacturers access to a countrywide market.
Dublin has the largest airport in the state with European and worldwide connections. The proximity of the airport to the city is a big advantage for the business community.
The Greater Dublin area has a large pool of skilled labour that meets the needs of Industry. Many people live in large towns in Navan or Naas and work in Dublin.
Third-level educational centres release thousand of graduates annually to the jobs market who are qualified in the sciences, business, marketing and electronics.
2008 HL Q6 (b)
(B) Ireland
Examine the development of primary economic activities in an Irish region that you have studied.