"Dublin" is derived from the Viking name "Dubh Linn". The Vikings founded this town around 988AD. Dublin is the capital and the largest city within the Republic of Ireland. The Phoenix Park is nearly 2,000 acres in size, with a zoo and a racetrack, it is renowned as the second largest enclosed park in the world, second only to Yellowstone in the U.S.A. After Independence, Dublin became the political, economic, and cultural center of Ireland. The location of the Government of Ireland, Dail Eireann, assembles in Leinster House, Dublin.