IN IRELAND, WE are always surrounded by literary landmarks of the traditional sort. That’s especially true in Dublin, where you’ll find the Book of Kells at Trinity College or the statue of Oscar Wilde in Merrion Square park.
But have you ever viewed Dublin’s more mundane locations through the eyes of the character of a novel you’re reading?
Whether it’s a first date at Grogan’s in Oh My God, What A Complete Aisling, or a student flat in Normal People, spots around the city take on a whole new fictional life thanks to the authors who send their characters into locations we can walk by every day.
These ten lesser-known literary landmarks will bring the city into a new light through the immortal words of authors from James Joyce to Anne Enright.
Let’s start off on the north side and work our way south.
1. Time travel back to 1925 in The Gathering – The Belvedere Hotel
The Belvedere Hotel is actually only a block from the Garden of Remembrance, for another addition of culture on your stroll. Author Anne Enright often set her characters here, as the narrator imagines what her grandmother Ada’s life would have been like in 1925, standing ‘in the foyer of the Belvedere Hotel… while outside, Charlie Spillane cruises into Great Denmark Street, toward the wife he has not yet met.’ It’s an interesting twist to imagine your grandparents as though they were in a romantic movie set almost 100 years ago.
2. Careen through the north side with The Snapper – The Rotunda Hospital
Roddy Doyle really brought the north side of the city to life with particular 90s grit. During the emotional climax in the film adaptation of The Snapper, Jimmy careens from Barrytown through Summerhill to get Sharon to the Rotunda Hospital before her baby is born. There’s something particularly heartwarming about a father, no matter how frustrated and hurt he might be, putting it all away to protect his daughter – and future granddaughter. The Rotunda isn’t mentioned specifically in the book, but there is now a plaque commemorating its movie role, declaring the Rotunda to be the ‘Birthplace of The Snapper.’
3. Imagine Connell’s flat in Normal People - Brunswick Place
Having made your way over the river, your next stop is close to Trinity College. Student accommodation is a popular topic for Irish authors to describe – in fact, hundreds of fictional students have probably studied in bedsits around Dublin. Connell, one of the main characters in Normal People by Sally Rooney, lives just a stone’s throw from the college, while he navigates life as a student alongside friend and sometimes romantic interlude, Marianne.
4. Head to a lecture in Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - Physics Theatre at Newman House
When James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man was published in 1916, student life for Stephen Dedalus looked a little different. But we can certainly all identify with accidentally missing a few classes; Dedalus misses both French and English before making it to the physics theatre at Newman House, where he has a lengthy philosophical discussion with the Dean of Studies as he lights the fire before class.
While you’re in the theatre, picture where authors Joyce, Kate O’Brien, Mary Lavin and Flann O’Brien all studied, before taking a spin around the new Museum of Literature Ireland, also situated in this storied building.
5. Suffer through a first date with Oh My God, What A Complete Aisling – Grogan’s
Beloved by Dubliners as a great spot for a pint of Guinness and a toastie, it’s hard to believe Aisling, the main character in Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen’s hit novel, hasn’t been to Grogan’s. Luckily, her friend Sadhbh prepares and reassures her for a first date at the popular Dublin pub, explaining that the pub has an enjoyable “old-man” vibe that draws a nice mix of people. She makes sure Aisling is ready for her first date, complete with a borrowed pair of mom jeans.
6. Watch Catherine’s disastrous interview in Tender – The Central Hotel
English and art history student Catherine came from the country to study at Trinity College in the late 90s, in Belinda McKeon’s novel Tender. At one pivotal point in the book, Catherine interviews a fictional Irish author at the Central Hotel for the college newspaper, the Trinity News, a passage that is sure to make you cringe right alongside the protagonist.
7. Rehearse with the band of The Commitments - Camden Deluxe Hotel
Remember that desperate rehearsal space Jimmy Rabbitte and his crew used (and abused) in Roddy Doyle’s The Commitments? Look no further than the Camden Deluxe Hotel on Camden Street Lower for a blast from the musical past – the scenes from the film adaptation were recorded upstairs in the hotel. While the hotel itself is now closed, you could pop into Jimmy Rabbitte’s pub just next door, named for the band’s memorable manager.
8. Take a school tour with The Hard Life - Synge Street Christian Brothers School
Flann O’Brien’s comic novel features five-year-old Finbarr, who attends Synge Street Christian Brothers School, which is still in operation today and which O’Brien himself attended. Thankfully, the school has made a few structural and disciplinary changes since Finbarr’s time there in 1890, as O’Brien’s descriptions of the Catholic-run school aren’t terribly complimentary. He extends the same disdain to Westland Row Christian Brothers School, where Finbarr’s brother Manus attends, but his comic and contemptuous treatment might make you look at the schools in a different light.
9. Spot Leopold Bloom’s home in Ulysses - 52 Upper Clanbrassil Street
A literary walking tour of Dublin wouldn’t be complete without revisiting Ulysses by James Joyce. In the classic novel, the fictional protagonist was born at 52 Upper Clanbrassil Street, between South Circular Road and the canal.
Of course, Dublin is full of Bloom landmarks; at the midpoint of Bloom’s day chronicled throughout Ulysses, Bloom makes his way to the National Library for a literary chat with a group of poets and librarians, and you can think of him when you stroll by the Bleeding Horse Pub, Emorville Square, or even Holles Street maternity hospital, all places Bloom frequented on June 16th.
10. Head back to secondary school with Ross O’Carroll Kelly - Blackrock College
All of author Paul Howard’s books featuring the exploits of satirical rugby jock Ross O’Carroll Kelly are set in Dublin, so you’re bound to wander by quite a few of his haunts throughout the city. O’Carroll Kelly is fond of a walk down memory lane to tell of his days as a student on the rugby pitch at Castlerock College (thought to be inspired by Blackrock College and Castleknock College), or a night out at Lillie’s Bordello, which is now Lost Lane just off Grafton Street.
MoLI - Museum of Literature Ireland, a collaboration between UCD and the National Library of Ireland, will open its doors on September 21st. Inside, visitors can explore 10,000 square metres of exhibits. Find it at UCD Newman House at 86 St. Stephen’s Green. For more information, visit MoLI online.
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