Dublin 4
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Of all Dublin postal districts, Dublin 4 is probably the best known postcode of Dublin. It consists of several affluent suburbs, Sandymount, Ballsbridge and Donnybrook and some less well off areas such as Ringsend. The headquarters of the national broadcaster RTÉ, the RDS, University College Dublin and Lansdowne Road stadium are all located in Dublin 4. Most foreign embassies to Ireland are located in Dublin 4[citation needed]. The Dublin 4 area is fixed by the Irish postal authorities.
[edit] The 'Dublin 4' Stereotype
Stereotypical Dublin 4 pronunciation renders words such as 'alright' as 'awlroysh', 'car' as 'corr', DART as 'dort', and 'like' as 'loik'[citation needed]. The accent is not limited to Dublin 4, and is spoken in all of the many areas of Dublin and the surrounding counties, yet the Dublin 4 area is commonly regarded as the centre or hub of the now famous accent. The 'D4' accent, not the actual area, whether rightly or wrongly has been directly affiliated with the 'jock' subculture of private school education and privileged upbringings, with associated West Briton leanings.
The Sunday Tribune newspaper features a column written by Paul Howard under the byline Ross O'Carroll-Kelly. This describes a fictional jock who apparently personifies the Dublin 4 stereotype[citation needed], though he lives in Foxrock, which is in Dublin 18. Paul Howard's writings, deliberately exaggarated and overblown to create humour, personify the common stereotype of the 'D4' in the confidence that those generally stigmatised by him have the intelligence and sense of humour to occasionally self-deprecate. However, many people, either missing or ignoring the satire, have chosen to take Ross O'Carroll-Kelly as a role-model. Like other common stereotypes, such as the Skanger, the Culchie, or the Bogger, many will not fit into the mould yet are willing to accept the humour of such stigmatisations, thus explaining the widespread popularity of Paul Howard's books.
Although Dublin 4 has a reputation of being a place of power and wealth, it includes Ringsend and Irishtown, both traditionally considered working-class areas. The once profound social class divisions between the affluent and working-class areas of Dublin 4 have been alleviated somewhat in the last ten tears, with numerous new developments along Ringsend and Irishtown, such as the new Gasworks complex slowly adding to the prosperity of these areas.
