The term can also apply more narrowly to the Dublin urban area and nearby suburban towns. The Greater Dublin Area, or simply Greater Dublin, is the city of Dublin and its hinterland, with varying definitions as to its extent. However, this area does not comprise a formal political unit. The urban part of Dublin and surrounding areas has been defined by various statutory instruments, mainly those referring to the The city and five counties were mentioned in the order creating the The Garda used the term the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) which was formerly the jurisdiction, within the eastern part of The 2003 Regional Planning Guidelines referred to the Greater Dublin Area as a planning district separated into a "metropolitan area" and a "hinterland area".The "hinterland area" of the Greater Dublin Area was defined in the Regional Planning Guidelines as including a "range of towns of various sizes together with extensive areas of countryside".The population of the Dublin City, suburbs (Dublin City, Fingal, South Dublin & Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown) and Outer Greater Dublin (Meath, Kildare and Wicklow) as of The CSO also uses the narrower definition which comprises Dublin City and its suburbs within the 3 local Dublin authorities.
The National Transport Authority has defined the Greater Dublin Area as including the counties of Dublin, Meath, Kildare, and Wicklow.