Top of the morning, San Jose. With St. Patrick's Day right around the corner, we wanted to talk about one of our sister cities — Dublin, Ireland.

What’s a sister city? President Eisenhower established Sister Cities International in 1956 to promote peace + diplomacy between two communities in two countries through educational, business, and cultural exchanges. San Jose was one of the first cities to join, and we now have eight sister cities around the globe. 🌎

City Editor Nicole visited Dublin, Ireland in 2014 — here she is at Trinity College. | Photo by SJCtoday staff

✈️ Exploring Dublin

Founded in 700 CE, Dublin is the capital + largest city in Ireland. It’s located on the River Liffey and is a hub for arts + entrepreneurship. The city has a rich history, and it now hosts headquarters for some of the biggest tech companies in the world. Sound familiar?

History + culture lovers flock to the city — which was home to writers including Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde, and James Joyce. Many also stop by the old library at Trinity College to view the Book of Kells, which was created by monks in 800 CE. 📜

Like San Jose, Dublin knows its booze — the city has many historic bars and pubs. | Photo by SJCtoday staff

Of course, no trip is complete without a visit to one of Dublin’s many pubs — we recommend The Duke or O’Niell’s. Then, why not order a Guinness? This beloved stout has been brewed in Dublin since 1759. 🍺

🤝 Our sister city relationship

Dublin and San Jose’s sisterhood was established in 1986 by Mayor Tom McEnery. Since then, the relationship has flourished through regular programming including the Spirit of Ireland Awards and an annual visit of Irish delegates.

This weekend saw a great turnout at the 3rd Annual Shamrock Run. | GIF via SJCtoday staff

Today, this relationship is stronger than ever. Proceeds from the annual Shamrock Run fund the program’s Pat McMahon Scholarship — which supports graduate study at both Dublin City University + SJSU, and is the first of its kind in the sister city network.

Let us know if you’d like to learn more about San Jose’s other sister cities. In the meantime, we’ll leave you with this Irish well-wish: May the road rise up to meet you. ☘️