Reasons to Love Dublin (Warts and All!)

Image Credit: Luciann Photography on Pexels

Michael Dake explains why Dublin, despite all of its flaws, remains a vibrant and loveable place with the potential to offer its young people a brighter future.

In 2022 a young poet enjoyed viral success on TikTok with a rather poignant yet pithy lament. Alice Kiernan resonated with thousands of young people with her now iconic: “Dublin doesn’t love me back.” The experience of an unrequited love for a place, one that (though deeply flawed) still has immense charm and vitality, is one that will strike a chord with students living in housing crisis-era Dublin. Indeed, this sentiment has become a recurring (if somewhat banal) theme in much of this generation’s literary output. Consider Naoise Dolan’s Exciting Times, which centres a young Irish woman who moves to Hong Kong to teach English. Or Sally Rooney’s novels, which feature alienated people in their twenties navigating new lives overseas.

The notion that Dublin (and Ireland more generally) is an inhospitable environment for creative young people is nothing new. From James Joyce to Eileen Gray, Samuel Beckett to Francis Bacon, many of Ireland’s greatest prodigies in recent history were compelled to leave the island for one reason or another (usually stagnant economic conditions, political repression, a stultifyingly patriarchal social atmosphere, or some combination of the three). So while we may be witnessing high levels of emigration at present due to the rising cost of living and record-high rents, a healthy dose of historical context might disabuse us of the notion that our generation is unique in this respect.

Gazing back at centuries of colonial rule and sectarian conflict, Ireland has always experienced high levels of emigration, and diaspora forms an important element of our contemporary cultural identity. While it is of course deeply sad that so many young people have had to leave home to find somewhere more affordable to live, we needn’t be pessimistic about the future of this place. Dublin has its flaws, but there’s also a lot to love about it, and there are ways of making it better. Some people may feel that emigration is their only option, and these people deserve empathy and compassion. It takes a lot of courage to pick up sticks and move somewhere new, leaving a familiar environment and social support system behind. But some might choose to stay and fight to build the city we know it can be: a place that is fun, creative, edgy, diverse, literary, cosmopolitan, warm, and friendly. This isn’t a mawkish appeal to a romanticised (imagined) past, but a rallying cry for a decent future.

This isn’t a mawkish appeal to a romanticised (imagined) past, but a rallying cry for a decent future.

Yes, many pack their bags for Australia and the United States. Yes, the housing crisis is abysmal. Yes, the clubs close at 03:00. But for many of us, Dublin is a place where we plan to build a viable future for ourselves. This requires us to demand better from our society, and to also create our own opportunities here. As protest movements such as Raise the Roof, Take Back the City, and the Ireland for All marches demonstrated, Dublin is a place with strong communities who want it to improve. This, of course, isn't confined solely to political activism and social campaigning. It also takes the form of young writers, artists, photographers, and journalists who make an effort to create fun and dynamic social spaces here. While there are many reasons to leave for somewhere "better," there are many reasons to remain and make this place better.

Sure, the cost of living may appear to be lower elsewhere. But for the locals in such places, purchasing power often remains low. If we are serious about improving conditions here, then we need an organised coalition of working-class communities to mobilise for improved living conditions, social and economic justice, and a better life for all who call this place home. We also need to support local artists who make the best of the amenities we currently have. 

If we are serious about improving conditions here, then we need an organised coalition of working-class communities to mobilise for improved living conditions, social and economic justice, and a better life for all who call this place home.

Every weekend in Dublin, local creatives showcase their work in IMMA, MoLI, The Hen's Teeth, the Hugh Lane Gallery, the Photography Museum, and Rua Red (to name but a few). Great local DJs perform sets (often with no admission cover charge) at Whelan's and Izakaya. Book shops and literary venues (Books Upstairs, Hodges Figgis, the James Joyce Centre) host reading clubs, poetry recitals, and writing events. The IFI screens films by emerging local independent filmmakers. There are outdoor flea markets showcasing the work of local culinary artisans, textile artists, and designers. There is much to love about Dublin; a place with a future worth caring about.