{"id":8244,"date":"2025-12-31T11:18:24","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T11:18:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=8244"},"modified":"2025-12-31T11:18:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T11:18:24","slug":"its-not-a-hen-party-hellscape-dublins-temple-bar-strives-to-shake-off-its-bad-reputation-ireland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=8244","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s not a hen party hellscape\u2019: Dublin\u2019s Temple Bar strives to shake off its bad reputation | Ireland"},"content":{"rendered":"

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When Ireland<\/a> redeveloped a swathe of central Dublin in the 1990s, the idea was to create a version of Paris\u2019s Left Bank, a cultural quarter of cobbled lanes, art and urban renewal.<\/p>\n

Planners and architects transformed the run-down Temple Bar site by the River Liffey into an ambitious experiment that drew throngs of visitors and won awards.<\/p>\n

Three decades later, there are some withering verdicts on what happened next.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems that Temple Bar is becoming a violent post-apocalyptic place,\u201d a judge said last year after sentencing a man who bludgeoned a victim with a can of cider. \u201cIt\u2019s shocking to see it, that people can\u2019t be safe down there. It makes it a no-go area for people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frank McDonald, who writes about urban planning for the Irish Times, recalled how he moved into the area in 1995, full of optimism, but fled in 2022 amid hordes of pub-crawlers and thumping nightclub music. \u201cI feared that our home would become uninhabitable,\u201d he wrote in July<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Garda\u00ed enforcing coronavirus restrictions in Temple Bar in 2021. <\/span> Photograph: Artur Widak\/NurPhoto\/Rex\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since then, there have been more grim headlines, including the alleged mugging of a visiting NFL quarterback and an assault on an English tourist who later died. A study of online reviews<\/a> rated Temple Bar the world\u2019s third biggest tourist trap, reinforcing the perception of a raucous, brawling district best left to stag parties.<\/p>\n

It adds up to a crushing indictment of the original vision: instead of art and culture, crime and overpriced Guinness.<\/p>\n

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Map<\/a><\/figure>\n

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There is, however, an alternative view that Temple Bar is a victim of outdated stereotyping and that a renaissance is under way, making the area a vibrant and a worthy home for organisations such as the Irish Film Institute, Project Arts Centre, Smock Alley Theatre and Graphic Studio Gallery.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is Dublin\u2019s cultural quarter,\u201d said Martin Harte, the chief executive officer of the Temple Bar Company<\/a>, a business association. \u201cThe era of massive drinking \u2013 it\u2019s not that now. Temple Bar is an entirely different place. It\u2019s the front room of Dublin city.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Martin Harte, CEO of the Temple Bar Company, says the era of \u2018massive drinking\u2019 is over and the area is \u2018the front room of Dublin city\u2019.<\/span> Photograph: Rory Carroll\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Violent incidents garnered publicity but set against an annualised footfall of 24m visits they were very rare, said Harte. \u201cTo say Temple Bar is unsafe is not accurate. Walk around, it has everything from small art galleries to coffee shops, tattoo parlours, vintage clothes shops, hotels. It\u2019s where people come, it gives it that electricity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom Roo, 39, and Heather Mitchell, 28, a couple from Leeds, agreed. \u201cI was expecting young lads and drinking everywhere but it\u2019s really nice to walk around, it\u2019s relaxed,\u201d said Roo. Mitchell found the pubs picturesque \u2013 more so even than their images on Instagram.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Tom Roo and Heather Mitchell, visitors from Leeds.<\/span> Photograph: Rory Carroll\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the 1980s, much of this web of lanes and streets was derelict and due to become a bus terminus. Instead, in 1991 the government decided to channel Dublin\u2019s year as European city of culture into a showcase project driven by a state agency and tax incentives. Renovated historic buildings and new contemporary structures and art installations created a landmark in urban renewal.<\/p>\n

The decade also brought cheap flights, laddish culture and superpubs that turned Temple Bar into a boozing destination. \u201cThat\u2019s where it got its initial stripes, its brand,\u201d said Harte. \u201cYou had to queue behind 30, 40 people to get in anywhere to have a drink.\u201d<\/p>\n

The supposed culture hub was nicknamed the Temple of Bars and likened to Ibiza. Bacchanalia continued through the 2008 economic crash and prompted another judge \u2013 ruling in a 2017 assault case \u2013 to brand Temple Bar a vomit-splattered \u201cdisgrace to Ireland\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Covid pandemic brought more challenges. Gangs marauded<\/a> through under-policed streets, stealing and vandalising. \u201cAll the zombies came out,\u201d said \u00c1ngel Luis Gonz\u00e1lez, director of PhotoIreland, which runs exhibitions and a bookshop called The Library Project.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n
<\/svg><\/span>\u00c1ngel Luis Gonz\u00e1lez in The Library Project.<\/span> Photograph: Rory Carroll\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, improved policing has restored safety, confidence and an eclectic vibe, said Gonz\u00e1lez, echoing a widespread view among stakeholders. People who come to take selfies outside famous pubs end up visiting galleries and discovering artists.<\/p>\n

John Cullen, who runs a jewellery shop and stall in a refurbished square, said the outdoor market drew in families with children. \u201cIt civilises the place.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>John Cullen at his jewellery and accessories stall in Temple Bar.<\/span> Photograph: Rory Carroll\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pubs such as the Palace, Gogarty\u2019s and the Norseman still drew big crowds but the number of late night licences \u2013 which allow venues to serve alcohol until 3am \u2013 had plunged from 25 to seven and fine dining was making inroads, said Harte. \u201cEvery single pub now serves food. People are still drinking but nowhere near at the old levels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will Wollen, who moved to Temple Bar two years ago to run the Gaiety School of Acting, said the area\u2019s reputation for excess was unfair. \u201cThere is an energy but it\u2019s not a hen party hellscape. It\u2019s a pub culture with warmth and friendliness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephen Kennedy, who runs the Copper and Straw cafe and chairs the Aston Quay and Temple Bar Business and Residents\u2019 Alliance, said there were plans for more street art, seating, lighting and perhaps an outdoor cinema. \u201cI would tell any tourist coming to Dublin that Temple Bar is a must.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other Dubliners, in contrast, urge visitors to steer clear unless they like crowds, price gouging and ersatz Irishness. Critics also accuse platforms such as Airbnb of driving up rents and driving out people.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Londoners Tom Salter, left, and Ben Early at a pub in Temple Bar.<\/span> Photograph: Rory Carroll\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Perry Share, a sociologist and co-editor of a book on Irish pubs<\/a>, said Temple Bar was a \u201cpub theme park\u201d that offered a degree of authenticity. \u201cTourists come to replicate an Irish pub experience they have perhaps seen online. The music and drink is essential to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

A vox pop of early evening drinkers last week yielded toasts to Temple Bar. \u201cTikTok said it was too touristy but the buzz is great,\u201d said Tom Salter, 22, from London. Dave Howard, from Derbyshire, had a caveat. \u201cIt can be quite fun watching a stag party. But not for the locals, obviously.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

#hen #party #hellscape #Dublins #Temple #Bar #strives #shake #bad #reputation #Ireland<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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