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Of all Dublin postal districts, Dublin 4 (D4) is probably the most famous outside the city, due in no small part to it being the location of the national broadcaster RTÉ. The RDS and Lansdown Road stadium are also located in Dublin 4 where many events and concerts are held, adding to awareness of the area. Its residents are simultaneously stereotyped as wealthy conservatives but also as liberal-minded progressives, as an Irish pastiche of the British 'stiff upper lip' but also as more akin to the American moneyed suburbanite. This is partly due to the large number of fee-paying private secondary schools and Ireland's largest University, University College Dublin being located there. Many of these institutions are famed for the popularity in rugby - considered a mainly upper-middle class sport. Many foreign embassies are located in D4, due to the prevalence of large Georgian, Edwardian and Victorian buildings.
D4 pronunciation renders words such as 'alright' as 'awlrite', 'car' as 'core' and 'phone' as 'phewn'.
The Sunday Tribune features a column written by Paul Howard under the byline Ross O'Carroll Kelly. This describes a fictional charcter who personifies the D4 stereotype (his double-barrelled surname is considered pretentious, while his whole name abbreviates to 'Rock': a reference to the rugby-playing Holy Ghost School, Blackrock College, the school and its team being often referred to as 'Rock. Incidentally, despite often being used as an example in this context, Blackrock is not situated in the postal district of D4). The entire column is written phonetically in the stereotypical D4 accent and style. Recurring charcters include Ross' love interest Sorcha, his friends Fionn and Oisin, and his father Cllr Charles O'Carroll-Kelly.
The column has been adapted into four books: Roysh Here, Roysh Now: The Teenage Dirtbag Years, The Miseducation of Ross O'Carroll Kelly, The Orange Mocha-Chip Frappuccino Years, and most recently PS I Scored The Bridesmaids.
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