When one thinks of Dublin, a variety of images come to mind — for those foreign visitors who find themselves planning a trip, Temple Bar often represents the epitome of the Irish pub experience. As erroneous as locals may find this view to be, in light of the fact that Dublin has so much more to offer than Temple Bar as far as watering holes are concerned, Temple Bar is still a central location for visitors of the Irish capital.
Even as Ireland continues to see significant drops in the number of tourists visiting the country each year, Temple Bar still enjoys the dubious honour of shaping visitors’ first impression of Dublin. In February of this year alone, the CSO noted a 30 per cent drop in the number of visitors. Spending in the area dropped even more steeply — a painful blow for a hospitality industry already pleading poverty. Despite their complaints, pricing and the perception of the value that businesses in the area offer remains in dispute, particularly among locals.
It bears noting that the Temple Bar of today is the product of the 1980s: much of the area which was formerly slated for development by Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) as a hub for public transport was redeveloped, after then-Taoiseach Charles Haughey decided to retain the “historic” character of the quarter. Less of an act of cultural preservation than a cunning exercise in image-making, using Dublin’s place as 1991 European City of Culture as pretext for investment, the Instagrammable and colourful façades of the “traditional” pubs in Temple Bar on quaint cobbled streets are more the results of a contrived makeover rather than centuries of natural development.
Lately, this colourful façade has begun to crack: Nomad eSim recently rated Temple Bar as the third worst tourist trap in the world, citing hundreds of online reviews of the quarter. The area was described by visitors as being overpriced, overrated and not representative of the local culture. From a minimum of €8.95, the price of a pint of draught is significantly higher than in the majority of other Dublin’s established bars. Locals steer entirely clear of Temple Bar, opting instead for pubs in which a pint doesn’t come with a tourist tax – despite this, international marketing campaigns retain Temple Bar in front and centre, drawing visitors who may leave not only with a fashionable photograph, but also the feeling of having been short-changed.
Ireland’s strength in tourism relies on a sense of authenticity, rather than staged spectacle: a genuine welcome, not a performance. The unfortunate fact is that Temple Bar as we see it today, the hollow pantomime of a pub, sends the opposite message: that Dublin has a greater interest in milking visitors than giving them a meaningful experience. In a time which sees fewer visitors, this is not only bad optics, but bad economics.
