There are a lot of reasons why a person who, being foreign to Dublin, falls in love with the city. When asked about my favourite place in Dublin, one area springs to mind – the creative quarter. However, whenever I utter “creative quarter” to any Dubliner friends, I receive a smirk, a note of disbelief, or simply a “where”?
I like to think that I’m beyond the rookie errors of a tourist, but it is in this note that I betray myself. I don’t know what else to call it. I usually end up semi-gesturing, mid-air with a flapping hand, “You know that place between Coffee Angel and Powerscourt? That’s the place! You know, where Pyg is!”.
This is my favourite place because it brings together all the things I love, things not solely singular to Dublin. Walking from Grafton St towards Powerscourt, through George’s St Arcade and then onwards to Aungier St, I feel like Harry Potter the first time he laid eyes upon Diagon Alley. It’s the coloured flags fluttering overhead, the shoals of people milling around, be them friends, foes or family, all engulfed by the decadent yet easy-going cafe culture the area is endowed with.
I can understand why people would be put off by the heady expense of the surrounding shops, paired with the self-consciously “hipster” vibe that a lot of locals emanate. But the beautiful mystery behind this area is that it is all smoke and mirrors. The people here are the same as those people walking around Trinity, O’Connell St and Grafton St.
In spite of this, the area seems to glower with a concentration of more artistic types. Don’t let this deter you. If ever in need of a break, grab a mocha from Clement & Pekoe, read a book on the bench outside and wait for the man with the great dane to stroll by (he always does). There is a great joy in people watching. Dine in the Ramen bar next door, browse the vintage stalls in the arcade, find that book you always wanted to read amongst the riff-raff and relax on a bench.
Taking a step back into reality, Dublin’s creative quarter is the same as any artistic area in most European cities. To strip it all back, it is consumerism and capitalism at its finest, devouring the easy-going cafe culture of Europe. But don’t think of it like that, because that’s not what is attractive about the area. It’s the people that I hang around for. My advice is to wander around with your eyes and ears open, threading your heart into every step on the pavement.
