2011 Made in Temple Bar Festival, Dublin

Temple Bar is a neighbourhood in Dublin, on the south bank of the River Liffey in the central part of the city. Known as Dublin’s “cultural quarter,” it hosts the “Made in Temple Bar” festival every summer. This year, it will be held from July 15th to the 24th, and is celebrating its twentieth anniversary, or as the event’s organisers are calling it, of “regeneration.”

Temple Bar is an appropriate venue for this Festival. Not only does it have a vibrant nightlife that is popular with tourists, it has been able to retain its historic medieval street patterns and cobbled streets. Many feel the reason for this was the urban decay it went through in the 20th century; its unfashionability most likely saved it from property developers, who unfortunately destroyed much of the city’s historic architecture in the 1960s.

The Made in Temple Bar Festival celebrates this rich cultural history. This year, more than twenty cultural organisations and 100 artists and performers will commemorate Temple Bar’s unique culture and regeneration. There will be over seventy events, including premieres of site-specific theatre performances, outdoor movies, specially commissioned art installations, Grammy-award winning musicians, and even a thrilling high-wire walker. Participants will be able to make their own art in hands-on installations, and watch as artists from all over the world create their own art.

The Made in Temple Bar Festival is a great opportunity to learn about the history and culture of Dublin and to have fun at the same time. It’s a great time to visit the city, especially for the first time. If you are planning on visiting the city and need a hotel, check out the Jurys Inn’s range of hotels in Dublin.