Temple Bar and Around

There's more to it than boozing
Word to the wise: Handel’s 'Messiah' premiered in Temple Bar in 1742, and each April the occasion is marked with a performance and special events.

It's true, the cobbled streets of Temple Bar are usually the first - and only - stop for Dublin's stag and hen parties, and the atmosphere at weekends could not be described as sophisticated. Nonetheless, this picturesque neighbourhood on the south of the Liffey certainly has a raffish charm - and several great pubs and restaurants - which makes it worth braving the bunny-ears, eager young buskers and armies of football shirts.
Moreover, the district's day-time side is far more salubrious. It houses Dublin Castle and the city's most important cathedrals, St Patrick's and Christ Church, as well as one of its most worthwhile cultural attractions, the Chester Beatty Library. There's also plenty of opportunities for consumerism: namely Grafton Street, the city's upmarket shopping thoroughfare, as well as its side streets crammed with independent boutiques and cool cafes.

Temple Bar's neighbouring district, the traditionally working-class Liberties, has a grittier vibe. Most visitors head straight for the Guinness Storehouse, but it's worth exploring the area's evocative and historic streets and markets, a world away from the well-upholstered centre of town with not a flat white in sight.