when i first heard about Temple Bar from my parents who bought me a Temple Bar t-shirt when they visited Dublin last year (which i’m actually wearing as we speak), i thought it was well, just a bar. yes, there is, quite confusingly, a bar called The Temple Bar in Temple Bar, but it’s actually a trendy little neighborhood that, as i understand it, is overrun with people at night. i went in the early morning, though, on the way to Dublin Castle — the morning after St. Patrick’s Day, a refreshingly quiet time. i could tell it wouldn’t be my type of place at night (not really a bar/nightlife person), but during the day? yeah, definitely. my kind of stores — from Starbucks and Urban Outfitters to trendy boutiques to “army surplus” and tattoo parlors — and my kind of street art — nice big murals. (does that make me a cliché?) the neighborhood reminded me a bit of The Haight in San Francisco, if you sprinkled in some bars and put everything in old buildings with narrow cobblestone alleyways.
sidebar: the name according to my Rick Steves(!) three hundred years ago this area was a loading dock (=”bar”) along the river, and the Temples were a wealthy merchant family. it fell into disuse in the 19th century as the city spread eastward only to be gentrified more recently.
yep, the day after St. Patrick’s Day:
Hey Jon! Greetings from Singapore! I’m going on a trip to Dublin later this year by myself, and thinking of holing up at AirBnB properties too. I’m not really keen to drive there, so would probably join walking tours, and if time permits, some day-trips out to other parts of Ireland (Any suggestions?). Like any big city, there are probably some parts to avoid. Were there moments in Dublin when you felt unsafe travelling by yourself?
hey hey! most definitely i felt safe walking around everywhere in Dublin, at least the parts frequented by visitors. i didn’t drive or even take public transportation most days; i just walked, although LUAS did come in handy on occasion when it was cold and/or late at night or a long distance like to Kilmainham Gaol. i really loved my (long but worth it) day trip to Northern Ireland — i really need to go back to visit the west part of the country especially, though — i hear that neck of the woods is really gorgeous. have a great trip!!!
Sounds great! Looks like I’ll have to make plans for a trip to Northern Ireland too! Thanks Jonathan!