Why Dublin is a great student city

Any city with a university qualifies as a student city, but some go above and beyond to create an amazing study experience due to the number of students, the vast opportunities on offer and a rich culture. Dublin is one of those cities. 

With 120,000 students across four universities in a city of both urban and natural beauty, Dublin is one of the best student cities in the world. In fact, it ranks highly in the QS Best Student Cities rankings. 

Work opportunities 

 

 

From work experience placements to graduate jobs, Dublin has a lot to offer students professionally.  

The city plays host to many global businesses like the Bank of America, JP Morgan, PWC and Deloitte. The city is a hub for finance and tech with Google, Facebook and LinkedIn naming their Dublin branches at the Grand Canal Dock, ‘Silicon Docks’.  

These companies offer valuable internship opportunities for students and graduate employment after university. Trinity College’s business school is deeply connected with industries across Dublin and the rest of the world. There’s a strong relationship between the Trinity Enterprise Society and the innovation/start-up hub Dogpatch Labs, located in the CHQ building.  

Many international students can take advantage of Ireland’s post-study visa scheme for residency and full-time work in Ireland if they secure employment before graduating. 

 

Nightlife 

 

 

In a city that’s renowned for its pub culture, there’s never a night you can’t go out in Dublin. The Temple Bar area between Dame Street and the River Liffey is a great location to ease you into the city’s pubs.  

Pub goers should be conscious of tourist traps charging high prices in exchange for a ‘quintessential’ Irish feel. You can find the real deal for a lot cheaper elsewhere in Dublin. In fact, Dublin has over 700 pubs, most of which are in and around the city centre. 

For a student at Trinity College, pubs like the Pavilion (on campus), Doyles, Kennedy’s and Chaplins are musts. You’re bound to bump into familiar faces round here as their proximity to campus always attracts a student crowd.  

For those looking for a club night, both the north and south side of the river play host to every type of nightclub. Rave, EDM, and reggaeton are popular music genres around this part of town. You can also look to the Stephen’s Green area for clubs such as Xicos, Copper Face Jacks and D2. The Midnight Disco is a club night each month bringing various DJs together across the city.  

Dublin is a remarkably friendly city, so it’s easy to make new friends on a night out!  

 

Quality of life 

 

 

Dublin boasts the highest quality of life for a city in Ireland and the UK, according to the most recent Mercer report. The city proudly maintains its classic look among the high-rises, especially around the city centre's Georgian buildings.  

Large parks and green spaces mean there’s lots of places to get some fresh air in nature, and a commitment to retaining architecture of the city centre makes it a really interesting city to live in.  

Being a highly attractive city does mean that rental prices are expensive in Dublin. As a student, it can be hard to find a place to rent once you leave student accommodation.  

Lots of people cycle in Dublin and the Bleeper Bike app makes it easy to get around if you don’t have one of your own. You can ‘rent’ a bicycle for €1 euro per hour and park it anywhere within the city. 

 

Arts and culture 

 

 

‘The lands of saints and scholars’ is a nickname that Ireland has proudly adopted. Arts centres dot the landscape of Dublin and there is a strong tradition of Irish culture in its art and music.  

Try the National Gallery, Chester Beaty library, or the Copper House Gallery or one of the many smaller independent arts centres and studios. 

Within Trinity College, the stunning Long Room library contains various Irish artefacts spanning over 1,000 years. The ornate wooden interior and high level of preservation of the library are striking. Venturing 30 minutes out of the city, you can visit Newgrange Passage Tomb, a 5,000-year-old structure that lights up with the winter solstice.   

The Abbey, Olympia and Bord Gáis are all major theatres within Dublin’s city centre, welcoming plays, stand up and music. There’s also a comedy circuit, with the Craic Den Comedy club being a mainstay. You can read in more detail about this in my article on Dublin’s exam escapes. 

On the other side of the culture coin is Dublin's thriving multicultural population. The influx of international people to Ireland for work and study has brought new culture and different perspectives to the city. Erasmus students contribute greatly to the diversity in Dublin, too.  

 

The great outdoors 

 

 

Ireland's natural beauty is too broad to cover in a single article, but the seaside towns of Howth, Dún Laoghaire and Bray come to mind for summer days out, or a long walk sipping coffee in the colder months.  

If you’re looking for a scenic stroll, Phoenix Park should be top of the list. As one of the largest parks enclosed within a capital city, its many trails and attractions will keep an active Dubliner engaged all year round.  

Sandycove, Port Marnock and Killiney are beaches within easy access from the city centre. If an Atlantic dip isn’t your idea of fun, a walk along the River Liffey might be.  

The added benefit is that all these locations are within a half-hour radius of Dublin’s city centre on the bus, the DART (train) or the Luas (tram)! 

 

I’ve only scratched the surface of what makes Dublin such a vibrant and exciting city. Students will find something new on every street and from every person they meet. I’ve loved every minute of my time as a student in Dublin.