Walking down a street in Dublin filled with hip young things heading for an after-work pub visit, you could be in any cosmopolitan city in the world. Dublin has undergone major changes in the past 15 years or so. The strong software and communications economy (dubbed the Celtic Tiger by locals) pumped money into the city, and the European Economic Community (now the European Union) showered grants on Ireland and on Dublin in particular. Though the Celtic Tiger’s roar has died down to a purr, the economic pendulum is still on the upswing, and Dublin remains one of Europe’s trendiest cities. Dublin’s population has gotten younger and much more ethnically diverse, and the 20-something and 30-something Dubs are helping create and support vibrant, cutting-edge arts, dining, clubbing, and shopping scenes. Many of the hot restaurants, hotels, pubs, theaters, galleries, and clubs that opened in the ’90s and early naughts are still going strong, the streets are bustling, and the city continues to change, though the pace of change has slowed down a bit from the breakneck speed that characterized the late ’90s and the first few years of the millennium.

But Dublin is not all new, new, new. Spend a few hours strolling the heart of Dublin, and you start to get a sense of the city’s 1,000-year history. Those hip young things are crowding into pubs that natives from two centuries ago would recognize, and walking down cobblestone streets as they talk on their cellphones.

This coexistence of old and new is part of Dublin’s appeal. You can explore some of the city’s many historical attractions -- the Book of Kells, Trinity College, Christ Church Cathedral, and many more -- by day and then sit down to a fusion cuisine meal at a hot restaurant before joining the hordes of glittery pub- and club-crawlers.