THE 2ND CITY OF THE EMPIRE - COLONIAL DUBLIN, 1911

The form and development of the British colonial city in the nineteent h and twentieth centuries have received considerable attention in the geographical literature. Although its characteristics have been broadl y sketched, the great diversity of forms has defied any precise defini tion. However, residential segregation between colonizers and colonize d is one of the themes to which writers return most frequently. It sho uld be remembered that colonization took place within Europe. In the B ritish case, the involvement with Ireland was the most significant and long-lasting colonial venture anywhere in the world. The Viceregal ci ty of Dublin in 1911 is examined to trace the theme of segregation in the late colonial period. Urban segregation levels between colonizer ( Protestant) and colonized (Roman Catholic) were comparatively weak, co mpared with those experienced between indigenous and immigrant peoples in the tropical colonies. Formal zoning controls were lacking after t he medieval period as Roman Catholics penetrated both inner city and s uburban middle-class areas which had previously been almost exclusivel y Protestant. Furthermore, the omnipresent Roman Catholic servant clas s blurred any idea of Protestant territorial exclusivity. Thus, by 191 1, Dublin, despite its colonial status, bore more resemblance to the c ontemporary North American city than the colonial model, mainly based on tropical and sub-tropical research. (C) 1997 Academic Press Limited .