The name Dalkey is the combination of an Irish and Old Norse word 'Deilg' which is thorn in Irish and 'ey' from Old Norse which means island so Dalkey's name literally translates to Thorn Island.
Dalkey Island is host to a colony of seals and herds of wild goats. Around its waters there can be found a trio of dolphins. There are tourist boats that do trips out from Coliemore Harbour to and around the island.
Dalkey was founded by the Vikings and was an active trading port. It was one of the ports through which the plague entered Ireland in the 14th century.
George Bernard Shaw lived in a cottage on Dalkey Hill from 1866 to 1874. It is called Torca Cottage and a refurbished version of it still stands there today. Dalkey was the hometown of the famous female Irish novelist Maeve Binchy and Dublin playwright Hugh Leonard and the suburbs of Dalkey are home to some very famous musicians including Bono, Van Morrison and Enya.
