The book begins in January 1911 and works through the year's headline events, month by month. This was a Dublin still unaware of the dramatic decade that lay ahead: the First World War, the Easter Rising, Independence, Civil War.
But some of its major news stories were not dissimilar to those we have witnessed in 2011: emigration, traffic problems, a rubbish summer, overpaid officials, a royal visit...
Each chapter starts with contemporary newspaper cuttings before exploring themes such as law and order, education, religion, transport, literary life and migration, among others, in a series of essays (Paul Rouse, Mark Duncan and William Murphy were contributors).
Dublin 1911 is available in all good bookshops or online from www.ria.ie.