Temple bar Dublin

Temple Bar Dublin was once reclaimed land where pubs and brothels once dwelled back in the eighteenth century. In the nineteenth century it developed as an area for small businesses and trades and got its bohemian feel at that time. It is now considered the cultural quarter of Dublin with all of the activities one could wish, music, shopping, dining and entertainment, outdoor a must. The culture comes in the guise of the Gallery and studios, a complex of studios housing contemporary Irish artists and exhibition spaces beside the print gallery where you can admire Irish and international prints. The temple Bar Music Centre houses a recording studio and concert venue for new musical talent. Near the Meeting House Square is the Gallery of Photography, an exhibition space at the top of an opaque glass tower. On the other side of the square is the Irish Film Centre, a building that inspired the architecture of the entire area, best appreciated from Eustace Street. The building is a conversion of an old Quaker structure and hides an internal courtyard with a restaurant and bar and presents and introduction to Irish Film each afternoon. Head to the river and visit the design yard, a converted eighteenth century warehouse with a floor patterned with mosaics representative of the river that flows underneath the building. Here are displays of Irish design jewellery, furniture and interiors. Architecturally, the green building is an experiment in energy efficiency with solar panels and propellers and recycled bicycle frames turned into balcony balustrade. After admiring the view from the ha'penny bridge reached through the archway from Temple Bar, head back to enjoy the cuisine at one of the stylish restaurants and enjoy some pub culture before heading to one of the nightclubs such as Kitchen owned by U2.