It would be remiss to suggest that Dublin has not played an integral role in the formative years of countless artists, philosophers, poets and writers. The streets of Dublin have provided a source of continual inspiration for the likes of James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, William Butler Yeats, Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. At thesqua.re, we aim to ensure that visitors to Dublin get the most out of their stay in the city, and no trip to Dublin would be complete without paying homage to some of the Irish writers that have shaped cultural consciousness.
Dublin Writer’s Museum
For a country with a relatively small population, the Irish literary tradition is one of the most illustrious in the world. Renowned for producing countless epoch defining artists and numerous Nobel Prize winners, Dublin’s literary heritage is as rich as it is abundant.
The Dublin Writer’s Museum, located outside Rotunda Hospital, houses a collection of features dedicated to the lives and works of Dublin’s literary elite. Joyce, Beckett, Wilde, Yeats, Shaw, Swift and Sheridan are presented through a combination of books, videos, letters, portraits and personal items.
Bloomsday
Ulysses, written by the inimitable James Joyce in 1918, is generally regarded as the apotheosis of literary modernism. Intimately following the thoughts of heroes Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus, Ulysses defined a literary movement: the legacy of the novel still reverberates today. The 600 plus page masterpiece is set on the 16th June.
Each year, Dublin pays homage to James Joyce with Bloomsday, during which the events of the novel are re-lived. If your trip doesn’t coincide with Bloomsday, the city contains several commemorations of Joyce; a bronze statue of Joyce stands on North Earl Street, tours of Joyce’s Dublin regularly operate and Dublin contains a James Joyce centre.
Literary Pub Crawl
The Dublin Literary Pub Crawl eloquently conveys Dublin’s enduring affection for both literature and pubs. The tour stops at all of the places where luminary figures of Irish literature.
Neay’s, McDaid’s, The Palace Bar and The Old Strand are all featured. After decades of serving as settings for Irish literature, the aforementioned Dublin pubs have become historical sites which are incredibly popular with tourists.
St Patrick’s Cathedral
Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels, became the dean of St Patrick’s cathedral over 300 years ago: Swift filled the role for more than three decades whilst continuing to write as an impassioned satirist.
Swift composed the majority of his work whilst living on the hallowed grounds of St Patrick’s cathedral. At one end of the well-manicured public gardens, the “Literary Parade” showcases a row of memorials dedicated to many great Dublin writers.
Statues and Monuments
Dublin contains a multitude of statues and monuments for writers that have shaped the national consciousness.
From a statue of Oscar Wilde languidly relaxing in Archbishop Ryan Park in Merrion Square, to Patrick Kavanagh sat on a bench near Rangan Road to Brendan Behan near Mountjoy Prison to the Samuel Beckett Bridge over the River Liffey, Dublin is infinitely proud of its illustrious literary heritage.
