Find Ireland's literary and musical heroes on Dublin City's Artists' Trail
Find Ireland’s literary & musical heroes on Dublin City’s Artists' Trail
Beautiful bronze statues of some of Ireland’s greatest artists can be found around Dublin City and they’re placed in areas of special significance for each artist. Follow the artists’ trail and discover what Dublin meant to our literary and musical heroes. There might even be a pub or two they frequented, and sure why not raise a glass to them while you’re there!
Patrick Kavanagh on the Grand Canal
Patrick Kavanagh is one of Ireland’s most beloved poets. Hailing from Inishkeen, County Monaghan, he grew up on a small farm, working throughout his childhood and teenage years alongside his family through decades of hardship.
In the late 1930s he moved to Dublin to pursue a literary career and where his statue is located couldn’t be more appropriate. His sonnet “Lines Written on a Seat on the Grand Canal, Dublin” is immortalised here, a place where he often walked along the banks of the canal in his later years, as he lived nearby on Waterloo Road.
In the poem he expresses his wish to be commemorated with a simple seat beside the canal as he found great comfort in nature throughout his life. The excellent Patrick Kavanagh Centre, in Inishkeen is a fantastic resource on his life and works. Our favourite poem is Raglan Road, just around the corner, which was given to the legendary Dublin folk singer, Luke Kelly, to turn into a most beautiful song (more on that below).
Oscar Wilde on Merrion Square
Oscar Wilde, stands unrivaled as Ireland's most cherished and illustrious icon of the arts, leaving an indelible mark on both Irish and global literary landscapes alike, through his exceptional talents and contributions of unparalleled brilliance, razor-sharp wit and tantalizing controversy. Wilde's life took a tragic turn when his homosexuality became a subject of public scrutiny and led to his downfall. In 1895, Wilde's scandalous trial resulted from his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, "Bosie." Accused of "gross indecency," Wilde was convicted and imprisoned for two years of hard labor.
Opposite Oscar’s sculpture, kneels his wife, Constance, pregnant with their second child. Constance, a remarkable and unwavering woman in her own right and a champion of women's rights, stood firmly by Oscar, supporting his works and visiting him in prison. However, the scandal forced her and her two beloved sons, to flee to the continent. Constance's exceptional literary and political journey, and her life, tragically ended in exile.
One of our favourite quotes of Oscar’s happens to feature in a song by another famous Dubliner, Damien ‘Damo’ Dempsey, one of Ireland’s greatest folk heroes (hopefully a monument will appear someday in Dublin). His song, Spraypaint Backalley has enshrined one of Oscar Wilde’s most famous quotes in the hearts of thousands of young Dubliners.
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
Luke Kelly on King Street South
There are few voices on this earth that contain the emotion, power and passion heard in Luke Kelly’s. Frontman of Irish traditional folk legends The Dubliners, his renditions of The Rocky Road To Dublin, The Auld Triangle, Raglan Road and The Town I Loved So Well are household favourites in Ireland.
My own favourite is Raglan Road, a poem by Patrick Kavanagh (our first artist on the list) who encouraged Luke to sing it to the tune of the Dawning of the Day, after a night out together in the Bailey Bar. With his bright red hair and beard, and a banjo in his hands, he sang from his heart each and every time.
Growing up in poverty-stricken 1940s Dublin, listening to his father sing political songs of the working classes he later became a key player in revitalising Irish folk music. His politics and musicianship were inextricibly linked as he championed working class struggles through songs like ‘The Springhill Disaster’ and ‘Joe Hill’ and used his music to support the rights of the Irish Traveller Community and campaigned against South African apartheid and nuclear armement.
Still, decades after his death at the tender age of 43, his music gets under the skin of generation after generation. Gone but never forgotten. Read this incredibly moving article about his life and legacy - Remembering Luke Kelly.
Just around the corner is one of our favourite pubs, The International, on Wicklow Street where Luke Kelly frequently drank and played music. He formed a friendship there with Ronnie Drew and both went on to found The Dubliners.
Phil Lynott on Harry Street
Phil Lynott, the legendary and revered frontman of the widely acclaimed rock band Thin Lizzy, is immortalised in a life-sized statue, outside one his favourite haunts, Bruxelles on Harry Street, just off Grafton Street. The impact of Thin Lizzy under Phil Lynott's leadership, solidified their status as one of Ireland's most successful rock bands. Exploding onto the Irish music scene in the 1970s, their distinctive and authentic sound captured the essence of true Rock 'N' Roll while effortlessly intertwining motifs of Irish traditional music (Whiskey in the Jar). Lynott's remarkable songwriting was a testament to his ability to skillfully draw inspiration from his growing up in working-class neighborhoods of Dublin.
It’s well worth stopping into Bruxelles to see the extensive collection of Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy memorobilia, kindly donated by Phil’s mam, Philomena. It’s a local favourite and me and Neil have both had many a great night out in this iconic Dublin rock bar. Neil pretty much spent his youth in it!
James Joyce on North Earl Street
James Joyce, born in Dublin in1882, stands as an unmistakable titan among the literary greats of the 20th century. His immense influence forever changed the landscapes of literature, leaving an indelible mark upon the minds of readers and writers alike. Joyce is famous for his innovative writing style and bold literary methods, leaving a lasting impact in literary history (learn more at the excellent James Joyce Centre further along the trail).
His most famous masterpiece, Ulysses, published in 1922, brilliantly modernizes Homer's Odyssey, immersing readers in a day in Dublin - June 16th, now an unofficial annual celebration, affectionately known as Bloomsday, a delightful homage to Ireland's cherished writer. Dublin is alive with literary spirit during the Bloomsday Festival with readings, lectures, and guided tours in honour of Ireland’s beloved writer, right across Dublin. You can even follow in the footsteps of Leopold Bloom (protagonist and hero of Ulysses) dolled up in Edwardian fashion. There’s plenty of Dublin pubs that Joyce included in his works if you’re thirsty! We recommend heading to Mulligan’s (back along the trail) - it’s also one of our favourite local Dublin pubs!
Brendan Behan on the Royal Canal
The original bad boy of Dublin! Brendan Behan spent time in his youth in a Borstal (juvenile detention) in England for his part as a 17-year old activist in the Irish Republican Army in the late 1930s.
His autobiography, Borstal Boy, is an incredibly important work in exploring the politics and the atmosphere of a country not long after partition was enforced on it by the British Empire. It’s also a moving portrait of a young boy in deeper trouble than he’d ever been before, lifted up by his sense of humour and empathy for his fellow inmates.
More time in jail meant more time to write plays which secured his fame both at home in Ireland and abroad (Dublin’s Abbey Theatre, back along the trail, was the stage for nearly all of his works and his portrait hangs on the first floor). Like many an Irish artist, however, it was the demon drink that was his downfall, dying in 1964 at a young age of 41, his health hammered by years of drinking.
He’s the stuff of legend for Dubliners and his works are still celebrated. His statue is on the Royal Canal at the back of Mountjoy Prison where he was imprisoned.
“I respect kindness in human beings first of all, and kindness to animals. I don’t respect the law; I have a total irreverence for anything connected with society except that which makes the roads safer, the beer stronger, the food cheaper and the old men and old women warmer in the winter and happier in the summer.”
PIN IT!
