What do Ireland and Dracula have in common? One, like myself, would probably think not a whole ton. However, Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland just happens to be the birth place of a certain Bram Stoker, who penned the famous gothic story Dracula. While he was known during his lifetime for owning the Lyceum Theatre, as well as being the personal assistant for actor Henry Irving, it was his novel, Dracula, that brought him international attention. Dracula has become one of the greatest literary characters of all time and has been the influence for numerous authors in their writings of vampires.