The Liberties took its name from the liberties themselves – medieval jurisdictions that ran their own courts and markets outside the reach of Dublin’s civic authorities. Two mattered most: the Archbishop’s Liberty of St Sepulchre, and the Liberty of Thomas Court and Donore, granted to the abbey of St Thomas the Martyr, whose market street – Thomas Street – became the district’s commercial spine. The legal liberties were folded into the city in the 1840s; the name, and the trading character, never left. The quarter today sits between the River Liffey to the north, St Patrick’s Cathedral to the east and St James’s Hospital to the west, packing eight centuries of city history into a walk you can do in an afternoon.
A working quarter for 800 years
The junction of Thomas Street and Francis Street is where four of ancient Ireland’s great roads once met, and the streets have been busy ever since: when builders opened up 130 Thomas Street in 2017 they uncovered the oldest house in Dublin, its staircase dated to 1639 and its beams carbon-dated to the 15th century. After the monasteries were dissolved in the 1530s, the Brabazon family took the land and laid out Newmarket in the 1620s. French Huguenots brought weaving and tailoring; Dutch merchants left gable-fronted houses. Guinness set up at St James’s Gate and grew into the largest brewery in the world, while nearly 40 distilleries – Powers, Roe and Millar among them – earned the area the nickname ‘the Golden Triangle’ of Irish whiskey. The 19th century brought severe overcrowding, answered in part by the Iveagh Trust’s philanthropic flats, which still stand.
What to see
If you only buy one ticket, the Guinness Storehouse at St James’s Gate is the obvious one – the brewing story over several floors, finishing in the Gravity Bar with its view across the whole city. Book ahead. The quieter pleasure, though, is Marsh’s Library (1707), the oldest public library in Ireland: original leather-bound volumes, the old reading cages and a book carrying a bullet hole from the 1916 Rising.
Also worth the time:
- St Patrick’s Cathedral – 800 years old, with Jonathan Swift’s grave and a choir that sings daily.
- St Audoen’s – Dublin’s last surviving medieval parish church, its archaeological park exposing medieval and Viking-era foundations.
- John’s Lane Church – the Augustinian church on Thomas Street (1874) carries the city’s tallest steeple, over 60 m, with statues on the façade carved by James Pearse, father of Patrick and William.
- Christ Church Cathedral and Dublinia – a short walk on; the cathedral for its crypt and stained glass, the museum next door for Viking and medieval Dublin.
- The distilleries – Teeling, Roe & Co in the former Guinness power station, Pearse Lyons in a converted church, and the Dublin Liberties Distillery all run tours and tastings – the reason the old ‘Golden Triangle’ name is back in circulation.
Between the ticketed sights, Francis Street is the antiques street, lined with dealers and bookshops, while the lanes off Meath Street hide galleries, vintage shops and cafés.
Food and drink
Catherine’s Bakery on Meath Street is the local institution – the apple-cream doughnuts are the order. At the other end of the scale, Variety Jones on Thomas Street holds a Michelin star for a tasting menu cooked entirely over open fire, and Hen’s Teeth pairs an Asian-leaning menu with art installations and a vinyl shop. Two Pups pulls a good flat white and lets the dog in. For a pint or a pour, Dudleys – a low-slung pub named after a 19th-century local character – is built for conversation, and the Power House Bar at Roe & Co covers the whiskey side.
Markets and festivals
The annual Liberties Festival spills onto Thomas Street and the surrounding courtyards with live music, street art and food stalls, all free to roam. Week to week, the Liberty Market on Meath Street sells vintage clothing, handmade jewellery and local food, and the Digital Hub – an industrial campus turned tech and creative quarter – hosts a monthly market of Irish designers and food producers.
Practicalities
The quarter begins about ten minutes’ walk west of College Green, and the Luas Red Line’s James’s stop is closest to the Storehouse. The Storehouse opens daily, but last entry is well before closing and it books out, so reserve a slot ahead; cathedral, library and distillery hours vary by season, so check before travelling. The Storehouse, St Patrick’s and the major museums are wheelchair accessible, but some of the older churches have limited step-free access. If you want to stay in the middle of it, beds run from the Hyatt Centric on Dean Street to hostels, with Staycity’s aparthotel on Chancery Lane near Dublin Castle.
No itinerary needed. Start at the Storehouse, work east along Thomas Street and finish in Marsh’s Library, with Francis Street’s antique shops as the detour – and buses run the same line if the feet give out.