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Dublin postal districts, explained

by Dublin Favourites

Every area page on Dublin Favourites is built on the city's postal districts. If you did not grow up here, they are not obvious. This is the short version.

The rule of thumb

Dublin's postal districts were introduced in 1917 and numbered outward from the General Post Office. Odd numbers are north of the Liffey, even numbers are south. Dublin 1 is the north inner city around O'Connell Street; Dublin 2 is the south inner city around Grafton Street and St Stephen's Green. From there the numbers spiral out: Dublin 3 is Clontarf and Fairview, Dublin 4 is Ballsbridge and Sandymount, Dublin 5 is Raheny and Artane, Dublin 6 is Ranelagh and Rathmines, and so on out to Dublin 24, which is Tallaght.

The one exception everybody asks about is Dublin 6W. It was carved out of Dublin 6 in 1985 to cover Terenure, Templeogue and Kimmage, and the residents of Dublin 6 objected strongly enough to a renumbering that the new district got a letter instead of a number.

What each district holds

  • Dublin 1: O'Connell Street, Parnell Square, Capel Street, the IFSC and the north docklands.
  • Dublin 2: Grafton Street, St Stephen's Green, Temple Bar, Camden Street, the Georgian squares.
  • Dublin 3: Clontarf, Fairview, Marino, East Wall.
  • Dublin 4: Ballsbridge, Donnybrook, Sandymount, Ringsend, Grand Canal Dock.
  • Dublin 5: Raheny, Artane, Killester, Harmonstown.
  • Dublin 6: Ranelagh, Rathmines, Rathgar, Dartry, Milltown.
  • Dublin 6W: Terenure, Templeogue, Kimmage, Harold's Cross (part).
  • Dublin 7: Stoneybatter, Smithfield, Phibsborough, Cabra, Navan Road.
  • Dublin 8: the Liberties, Portobello, Rialto, Kilmainham, Inchicore.
  • Dublin 9: Drumcondra, Glasnevin, Whitehall, Santry, Beaumont.
  • Dublin 10: Ballyfermot. Dublin 11: Finglas, Ballymun. Dublin 12: Crumlin, Walkinstown, Drimnagh. Dublin 13: Howth, Sutton, Baldoyle, Donaghmede. Dublin 14: Dundrum, Rathfarnham, Churchtown, Clonskeagh. Dublin 15: Blanchardstown, Castleknock, Clonsilla. Dublin 16: Ballinteer, Knocklyon, Rathfarnham (part). Dublin 17: Coolock, Darndale. Dublin 18: Sandyford, Stepaside, Foxrock, Cabinteely. Dublin 20: Palmerstown, Chapelizod. Dublin 22: Clondalkin. Dublin 24: Tallaght, Firhouse.

There is no Dublin 19, 21 or 23; those numbers were reserved and never used.

Where the numbers stop

The districts cover Dublin city and the inner suburbs. Much of the county never had a number: Dún Laoghaire, Blackrock, Dalkey and Killiney on the south coast; Swords, Malahide, Portmarnock, Skerries and Balbriggan to the north; Lucan, Leixlip's Dublin side and Rathcoole to the west. People there simply use the town name, and so do we. On this site those places appear as areas in their own right, alongside the numbered districts.

How Eircodes fit in

Since 2015 every address has an Eircode, and its first three characters, the routing key, map neatly onto the old districts: D01 is Dublin 1, D02 is Dublin 2, D6W is Dublin 6W, D24 is Dublin 24. The unnumbered towns got their own keys: A96 is Dún Laoghaire, A94 is Blackrock, K67 is Swords, K36 is Malahide, K78 is Lucan. That is exactly how this site decides which area a business belongs to: from the routing key where the address has one, and from the address itself where it does not.

Why it matters for finding things

Dubliners describe where things are by district as much as by neighbourhood. “A barber in Dublin 8” and “a café in D7” are normal phrases, and they are how a lot of people search. Each area page here lists everything we have in that district across all categories, and each category page lets you narrow down to one district or village. If you know the village but not the number, the list above should get you there.