LiteratureLiterature has always flourished in Dublin. In the 18th century Jonathan Swift used his writing to upbraid the English government for its mismanagement of his home, and in the 19th century Dublin-born Oscar Wilde dazzled London with his witty repartee and popular plays. William Butler Yeats helped found the Abbey Theatre at the turn of the 20th century, and James Joyce transformed the English novel and encapsulated the Dublin consciousness in Ulysses. In fact, the list of great Dublin writers sounds like the reading requirements for a university Eng Lit course, with 20th-century names including Samuel Beckett, Brendan Behan, Sean O’Casey and Flan O’Brien. In modern Dublin, a whole slew of writers have found their voice in the last decade and are telling Dublin’s story in drama, prose and poetry. Christy Brown, Hugh Leonard, Sebastian Barry, Roddy Doyle, Joe O’Connor, John Trolan and Emma Donoghue (among many others) have all achieved popular and critical acclaim in recent years. FictionJoyce, J, Ulysses (1922), Vintage. The first chapters put most would-be readers off ever finishing the novel. Persevere. Get hold of a recorded reading and listen to the voices of Dublin astonishingly recreated in written form. Ní Dhuibne, É, The Dancers Dancing (1999), Blackstaff Press. Young Dubliners attend a summer school in County Donegal in this exploration of sex, politics and Irishness. O’Connor, J, Star of the Sea (2002), Secker and Warburgh. The story of a group of emigrants from Queenstown, County Cork, bound for the United States in 1847. O’Neill, J, At Swim, Two Boys (2002), Scribner. A love story and a political story set in Dublin that breaks new ground in Irish literature. Absolutely wonderful. Tóibin, B, The Rising (2001), New Island Books. A terrific first novel that is both a love story and a dramatization of events leading up to the 1916 Easter Rising. Non-fictionBrennan, H, The Story of Irish Dance (1999), Brandon. From medieval times to Riverdance (of which Ms Brennan heartily approves). A useful study. Eagleton, T, The Truth about the Irish (1999), New Island Books. A laugh a minute, literally, in this alphabet of Irish mores. Worth reading for the entry on B&Bs alone. Johnson, M, The Irish Heritage Cookbook (1998), Wolfhound Press. Surprise your guests with black pudding and bacon salad, boxty, Irish stew, Irish whiskey cake and lots more. Hamilton, H, The Speckled People (2003), Fourth Estate. A beautiful memoir of a 1960s Dublin childhood with a German mother and an Irish father. Makes Angela’s Ashes seem like sentimental nostalgia. Harris, N, Dublin’s Little Jerusalem (2002), A&A Farmar. A history of the area of Dublin around Clanbrassil Street and its inhabitants. Levy, P, Culture Shock! Ireland (2000), Times Editions. Full of insights into the lifestyle and mentality of contemporary Ireland. Malone, A, Historic Pubs of Dublin (2001), New Island Books. The history of some of Dublin’s oldest and best-loved watering holes. Nicholson, R, The Ulysses Guide: Tours through Joyce’s Dublin (2002), New Island Books. The best practical Ulysses guide; it follows the book’s 18 episodes through their locations, accompanied by clear maps, directions and summaries. O’Farrell, M, A Walk Through Rebel Dublin 1916 (1999), Mercier Press. Well-illustrated guide to the events of Easter 1916. Each chapter takes a different location and gives an account of the blow-by-blow action. Vallely, F, Companion to Irish Traditional Music (1998), Cork University Press. Accompanied by a CD, this is a good reference for the enthusiast. Ward, M, ed, In Their Own Voice: Women and Irish Nationalism (1995), Attic Press. An anthology of women’s accounts of the struggle for Irish independence. Waters, J, An Intelligent Person’s Guide to Modern Ireland (2001), Bloomsbury. A book that goes against the grain by questioning the worth of Ireland’s leap into modernity. It’s been a long time since Gaelic dominated the street sounds of Dublin; you’re more likely to hear French or German or Somali being spoken in the city nowadays than Irish. But the language still survives in the capital, even if it isn’t used on a daily basis: children learn Gaelic in school; Irish words are used on street signs; and the TV station TG4 broadcasts only in Gaelic. Dubliners may not flaunt their native language, but they have certainly made English their own. In the market stalls of Moore Street you’ll hear the strong vowels of north Dublin: ‘book’ becomes ‘buke’, ‘queer’ rhymes with ‘square’, people eat a ‘sambo’ for their lunch and the word ‘feck’ (apparently evolved from a Gaelic word meaning ‘throw’) serves as a punctuation mark. Plummier, but just as distinctive, is the accent of Ballsbridge in the south of the city – closer to English received pronunciation, but Irish all the same. It’s not just the accent or the vocabulary, though, that distinguishes Dublin English. It’s the way that language is used. Dubliners turn their conversations into stories, making up new urban myths on a daily basis, and savouring the sounds of words as much as their meaning. Stop and listen in a pub or on the bus, and you’ll be treated to an aural feast. An Óige (ann oygah) Irish Youth Hostel Association; literally ‘the youth’ Bodhrán (boor-un) hand-held goatskin drum Craic (crack) a good time Dia duit (jeea dich) hello Dúchas (doo-cass) Government department responsible for historic buildings Fir (fear) man; used to indicate a gents toilet Garda police Go raibh maith agat (gurra moih ugut) thank you Le do thoil (le du huyl) please Mná (mnah) woman; used to indicate a ladies toilet Slán agat (slawn ugut) goodbye; to someone who is staying Slán leat (slawn lyat) goodbye; to someone who is leaving Sláinte (slauntcha) cheers Taioseach (tee shookh) Irish Prime Minister Tanaiste (tornishta) Irish Deputy Prime Minister Teach Dail (teech doyle) Irish MP
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Dublin - £5.99
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