MY STAY IN DUBLIN (2) - CHISTCHURCH TO TEMPLE BAR
Jack
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Our hotel being situated just in front of Christchurch cathedral, it
was natural we visited that first.
Build in the 12th century by the Normans, it had to endure in 1878 a
neo-gothic type restoration quite heavy. The rare ancient vestiges
resume to a few stones in the front garden, to the roman style
transept and the very long crypt. Inside you can see the tomb of
"Strongbow", Richard de Clare, who conquered Dublin in the 12th
century. Christchurch became Protestant in the 16th century.
For the same entrance fee ( yes there is a donation fee in the church)
you can see Dublinia, a audiovisual show, presenting 4 centuries of
life in Dublin.
The manager told me that anyway, mot much is left of the medieval
Dublin. The 2 cathedrals ( both protestant !) although build in the
12th century have nothing more left of their original building being
destroyed, rebuild and destroyed again so many times...
Next stop: Dublin Castle .
Here also, not much is left of the original medieval castle, only 2
towers and a bare wall. The rest dates from the 18th century.
From Elisabeth I until 1922 the castle was the residence of the
viceroys of England and the symbol of British authority. The guided
visit of the apartments is not uninteresting. Notice specially the
ball gallery, Saint Patricks Hall, with a remarkable decorated
ceiling. It's here that all the presidents of Ireland are sworn in.
The Royal Chapel, rendered to the Catholic cult, was build in the
beginning of the 19th century. Numerous sculptured heads of
illustrious persons of Ireland ( English kings, Swift, Saint Patrick)
decorate the interior.
It is about 5.00 PM now and we're off to Temple Bar.
Don't miss it.!! It's the quarter of Dublin where things are moving, a
bit like Madrid a few years ago with the " movida" ! Funny name anyway
Temple Bar ! No, no , it's not a temple dedicated to drunken brawlers
or the gods of nocturne bars. Nor is it a hegemonic appendant of a
protestant temple squatted by thirsty mates. It is in fact a very old
area of Dublin, sort of great rectangle measuring 500 meters long on
300 meters wide and limited north by the Liffey and south by Dame
street. The name comes from a certain William Temple, rector of
Trinity college, who build there a house in the 18th century, not far
from The Bar, the name of a pedestrian walk along the Liffey.
Today it's an impressive concentration of pubs " a la mode", trendy
restaurants, avant-garde galleries, exhibition centers, animated
cultural centers, the whole in a maze of narrow and tortuous streets
where it is agreeable to wander when the night is fallen. A lot of
visitors and pedestrians but very few residents.: only 700 persons
live in the area.
But in a few years ( from 1991 to 1995) a vast project of urban
renovation ( one of the most important ever realized in Dublin) has
definitively upset Temple Bar. Originally it was the medieval quarter
of professions and craftsmen ( shipowners, printers, musical
instrument manufacturers, drapers, furriers....), also reputed
(until the 19th century) for his insecurity at night, his ill reputed
taverns, dungeons and shabby brothels. In the 1950's it remained
impoverished, abandoned, tattered and was squatted during the
" hippie" years ( 1970)by a bunch of alternative, and sympathetic,
hyper creative " Illuminated visionaries.
Today Temple Bar is in full metamorphosis. Will it become a
display-window " culturally correct" to please the European norms?
No need to make you a sketch ! Temple Bar , has, whatever one could
say, already lost his vagrant and bohemian air who gave the most of
it's charm. Gone !, those broke marginals, flown away with the
insolvable artists, disappeared these badly lodged wanderers. Temple
Bar dreams today to become a trendy area, animated, busy , in fact
respectable, thus envied...
But let's forget those nostalgic dreams, this vast project has also
his noble aspects. priority for pedestrians ( not a bad thing),
replacement of tar by cobblestones, systematic renovation of buildings
and abandoned warehouses, protection of the area and interdiction of
building high rise towers that disfigures the landscape., creation of
5 new cultural centers well integrated ( i must say) in the overall
architectural style : a Childrens Cultural Centre, The Ark, the Music
Center, a multimedia Center and a Center of Photography. Add to that a
Viking museum and an Irish Film Center and you will have a small idea
of the cultural revolution of this venerable Dublin quarter. That's
what i call an sector in full "revival"
The visit went on the next days. Read all about it in my next post.
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Jack