TEMPLE BAR, THE CULTURAL CENTER OF DUBLIN

Temple bar is the main attraction of most of the tourist in Dublin. It is arguably the mist vibrant spot in the city. It is here

you can find music, theatre, food, wine, pubs and fun. The Temple bar is streaming with people from Thursday night until

Sunday early morning. This is a place with a great history also.

HISTORY

The area is bounded by the Liffey to the north, Dame Street to the south, Westmoreland Street to the east and

Fishamble Street to the west. It probably got its name from the Temple family, who lived in the area in the 17th century;

Sir William Temple, provost of Trinity College Dublin in 1609, had his house and gardens here.Alternatively, it could

have been named in imitation of theTemple Bar in London.However it got its name, the earliest historical reference

to the name Temple Bar is on a 1673 map. Fishamble Street in Temple Bar was the location of the first performance

of Handel's Messiah on

13 April 1742. An annual performance of the Messiah is held on the same date at the same location. The republican

revolutionary group, the Society of the United Irishmen, was formed at a meeting in a tavern in Eustace Street in 1791.

PRESENT DAY

After dark, the area is a major centre for nightlife, with many tourist-focused nightclubs, restaurants and bars.

Pubs in the area include The Porterhouse, the Oliver St. John Gogarty, the Turk's Head, the Temple Bar,

Czech Inn (in the former Isolde'sTower), the Quays Bar, the Foggy Dew, Eamonn Doran's and the Purty

Kitchen. Two squares have been renovated in recent years — Meetinghouse Square and the central Temple

Bar Square. The Temple Bar Book Market is held on Saturdays and Sundays in Temple Bar Square. Meetinghouse

Square, which takes its name from the nearby Quaker Meeting House, is used for outdoor film screenings in the

summer months. Since summer 2004, Meetinghouse Square is also home to the Speaker's

Square project (an area of Public speaking) and to the Temple Bar Food Market every Saturday.

The Cow's Lane Market is a fashion and design market which takes place on Cow's Lane every Saturday.