I wanted to escape Dublin's swarm of tourists and open air buses that converge on the city center's around Temple Bar and Trinity College. I decided to give the local neighborhood of Smithfield a whirl. Just north of the Liffey River and east of Temple Bar, Smithfield is conveniently located at a Luas tram stop. I awakened to a grey, brisk morning but was compelled out of bed by the need to purchase train tickets at Heuston Station for my journey to Cork City the following day.
I had heard about Smithfield from a Dublin musician, who had recommended the Cobblestone as a great local pub for listening to live Trad music. The Cobblestone is a vibrant yet contrasts with Temple Bar as a laid-back spot where local musicians huddle together at a corner table to jam. I was just looking forward to wandering the neighborhood and exploring.
When I disembarked the Luas, I forged ahead into Smithfield to see where fate would take me. I was immediately struck by the interesting mix of new and old architecture. Newer condo and apartment buildings blended with what had clearly once been a more industrial / warehouse area. Smithfield redevelopment began in the late nineties but when the economy crashed in 2008, development projects here floundered.
In earlier days, Smithfield was defined by farm yards and stockyard animals.
A stunning old church squeezed in among the buildings, captivated me.
Despite this, the neighborhood was quiet... almost desolate in the late morning. Cars sped along the main road of King Street, rushing through the neighborhood. A few people passed by on the narrow side streets.
There was more activity on the central Smithfield Village square, a football sized public plaza composed of large cobblestones. There is one tourist destination set on the square - the Old Jameson Whiskey distillery
The stark, vast square is used for public events such as festivals and is a gathering place for locals on the weekend.
Smithfield square are lined with mysterious and enormous vertical structures adorned by sail-looking devices. It is less apparent by day the purposed for these masts. Given the starkness of the square, it is not quite as interesting as the surrounding eclectic architecture. But it likely servers more of a practical purpose to host festivals, fairs, and a winter skating rink. At night the changing lighting design gives the square more personality.
A trek through Smithfield provides an insight to history and redevlopment - similar to my jaunt to see the redevelopment of the Dublin Docks showing off its extensive dramatic and contemporary architecture. I returned to Dublin a couple of weeks later, and and came back to Smithfiled and its neighboring 'hood Stoneybatter and spent an evening at L. Mulligan and the Cobblestone. See my map below for more ideas of sights, food, and drink.
Smithfield is easily access by the Luas, which is based along the southern edge of Smithfield square - or an easy taxi ride (they seem to hover outside the pubs) after a late night out.
