More than just about any other city we know, Dublin wears its history 1 its sleeve. Dubliners themselves are highly passionate scholars of their own history – and we mean their own history. Perhaps 2 it continues to have 3 a strong bearing on modern life, it’s near impossible for 4 two Irish people to agree on the details of any one historical episode. However, they’ll instantly unite against an outsider’s version, and there are great contradictions 5 Irish and English historical accounts of events that 6 place here. Take Oliver Cromwell 7 example. An Irish text would describe him as an English parliamentarian 8 raped, pillaged and plundered his way through Ireland – a complete and utter bastard. If you picked up an English history book, on the other hand, you might learn that Cromwell defeated the Royalists in the English Civil War and apparently used to holiday in Ireland.