Post by: Jessica Colley
Since being appointed a UNESCO City of Literature in 2010, all eyes are on Dublin for travelers with literary interests. Sure you could join the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl or visit the Dublin Writers Museum, but how about some of the places in Dublin where writers lived and worked, places that inspired their famous poems and novels? The small city centre of Dublin is ideal to embark on your own literary walking tour, so grab a map, and with the help of this article you’ll begin to understand what it is about Dublin and Ireland that encourages great literature.
Before starting a literary walking tour of Dublin, there are a few things to keep your eye out for. Inevitably, more attractions will be seen as you stroll, but knowing what to look for is the key.
Plaques on the side of buildings will reveal details about writers and artists that called that place home. The sheer number of these plaques will reveal just how important a role literature has played in the city’s development. Many visitors will also be surprised that by picking up any newspaper on any given day, literature will be featured prominently. From reviews to interviews with Irish authors, literature is still very much at the center of local culture.
A literary walking tour will need to begin by fueling up. Starting in the centre of Dublin, just off Grafton Street, you will find Davy Byrne’s pub. This famous spot was featured in the epic novel ‘Ulysses’ by James Joyce, as a spot where character Leopold Bloom stops for a glass of burgundy and a gorgonzola sandwich. Luckily there’s more to choose from today, including lunchtime specials such as 1/2 dozen native rock oysters or Irish smoked salmon with brown bread (€11.95 – €13.95). This pub is especially popular on Bloomsday, the annual celebration of Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’.
Once your stomach is full of Irish delicacies (don’t forget the Bewleys coffee or tea) it will be time to move on to the National Library of Ireland. While this free exhibit of WB Yeats is one of the most popular literary attractions in Dublin, it is completely worth a visit, especially during the week when it is less crowded. Visitors will hear the poems of Yeats recited by everyone from the author himself to Seamus Heaney to Sinead O’Connor. An incredible collection of artifacts is enhanced by monitors that allow you to electronically flip through the poet’s journals.
Venturing away from the very centre of the city, the next stop should be Merrion Square. This small park is located in one of the most beautiful Georgian areas of Dublin. It is well preserved and while most of the Georgian buildings are now home to office buildings instead of grand family homes, the architecture is still as charming as ever. The statue of Oscar Wilde lounging on a rock is a popular spot on the corner of the park, and his birthplace isn’t far away just across the street.
Crossing through the park is especially gorgeous during spring, when tulips are in full bloom. Exiting the park and continuing along Upper Mount Street, you will be heading for one of my favorite spots in Dublin, that is often neglected by visitors. After about 5 minutes, you will reach Herbert Place. Turn right to take a stroll along the canal that has served as inspiration for so many writers. Benches along the canal have often been the location for thoughtful afternoons, especially by poet Patrick Kavanagh. He is forever gazing into the still waters from a bronze statue on a bench along the canal, located just across the Baggot Street Bridge.
Beyond its literary significance, this is simply a beautiful area of Dublin. The Georgian architecture is well-preserved, and unlike areas closer to the centre that have been mostly transformed into offices, people still live in these buildings. While some literary landmarks are now gone, such as the bookshop on the Baggot Street Bridge where Patrick Kavanagh had a designated chair waiting for him, it is still easy to see that this neighborhood was, and still is, a great place for writers to live.
After visiting the statue of Patrick Kavanagh, walk up Baggot Street back towards the centre of the city. Upon reaching Lower Fitzwilliam Street, turn left, towards Fitzwilliam Square, where the Yeats brothers once called home. While County Sligo is really the place to learn more about Yeats (to visit his grave and see the landscape that inspired his writing) Dublin was also an important part of the poet’s life. He was one of the influences responsible for opening the National Theatre of Ireland, the Abbey Theatre, which still provides another great opportunity to immerse yourself in the local literary culture of Dublin.
Continuing along Baggot Street back towards Grafton Street, this day of literary wandering should be rewarded with a pint of the black stuff. Keep the literary theme going by sipping on a pint of Guinness at McDaid’s, just off Grafton Street, a pub that became the watering hole of choice for famous literary figures from Brendan Behan to Patrick Kavanagh. In recent history, Hillary Clinton walked in one night because she heard the pub served one of the best pints in Dublin.
This itinerary is just one example of how you could spend an entire day learning about the literary history of Dublin. Other attractions for literature buffs include the striking Long Room at Trinity College Library, the Winding Stair Bookshop along the north Quays of the River Liffey, and the Temple Bar Book Market, where on the weekends you could land an Irish classic for as little as a euro or two. The literary tradition remains strong in Dublin today too – so if you’re interested in attending a reading or festival check out Poetry Ireland or listings from the Dublin City of Literature site.
This itinerary can easily be completed in an afternoon and put you in McDaid’s right in time to snag a stool at the bar before it fills up with the after work crowd. With so many literary landmarks, it can be difficult to know where to begin exploring the capital city of Dublin, but this stroll also brings you through beautiful neighborhoods and the scenery that inspired so many gorgeous poems and novels.
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Cheers!
