Features / things you probably didn't know
The little-known link between Bristol and Dublin
The Dublin roots of UK cities like Liverpool, Glasgow and London are well-documented and well-known, with their music, accents, pubs and street names deeply influenced by Irish capital.
But, thanks to a small piece of sheepskin parchment, Bristol has a little-known, thousand-year-old connection with the city 300 miles away.
A charter penned in 1171 grants Bristolians the right to live in Dublin – and it has never been officially repealed.
is needed now More than ever
It was written by King Henry II and enabled substantial migration of merchants, peasants and clergy to Ireland from the west country. The proclamation was a reward to the people of Bristol for their role in getting Henry across the Irish Sea and cementing, at the time, Dublin as an effective colony of the English monarchy.
The royal charter granting Bristolians the right to live in Dublin is now the oldest document held in the Dublin City Archives – photo: Dublin City Library & Archive
Eight hundred and fifty years on, Professor Brendan Smith, from the University of Bristol’s history department, enthused that the ties between Bristol and Dublin “deserve to be better known”.
Smith told Bristol24/7: “These links help people understand each other when they realise that they’ve got historic connections. They don’t have to agree with each other – but to understand that there’s elements of shared experience going back hundreds of years is a very good thing.”
He added: “It’s no coincidence that there are sometimes four flights a day between Bristol and Dublin. That’s a reflection of the size of the Irish migrant population in Bristol and its surrounding area.
“Another feature was that was that Bristol became the first place to receive Guinness directly from Dublin, a good claim to fame.”
Edmund Burke, an MP for Bristol between 1774 and 1780, is remembered via a statue by St Augustine’s Parade – photo: Betty Woolerton
Irish ambassador Adrian O’Neill, who visited recently Bristol to celebrate the charter’s anniversary, said: “This charter is an emblem of the fascinating historical ties between Dublin and Bristol.
“From the thriving medieval commercial and trade links through to the present day, the relationship between the two cities has long been marked by an economic, cultural and political dynamism, perhaps best epitomised in the figure of Edmund Burke, the Dublin-born Bristol MP, philosopher, and economist.”
Ireland’s Ambassador to the UK, Adrian O’Neill, visited Bristol on for an event highlighting the historical links and celebrating contemporary ties between the cities of Dublin and Bristol (From left to right: Professor David Dickson, Ambassador Adrian O’Neill, Lord Mayor Steve Smith, Professor Hugh Brady, Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin Joe Costello, Dr Erika Hanna, Professor Brendan Smith, Professor Steve Poole and Professor Martyn Powell) – photo: Bhagesh Sachania Photography
Main photo: Betty Woolerton
Read more: Remembering the Bristol men who fought and died for democracy in Europe
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