Slice of the City

SLICE OF THE CITY NEIGHBOURHOOD NEWS, INSIGHTS & INVITATIONS FROM THE DOYLE COLLECTION ISSUE 13 AUTUMN 2022

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Camus famously said

“Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower”. Sorry, Albert, but we beg to differ. Autumn is a time when leaves cascade upon forest floors, carpeting them in every shade of umber, when blooms give way to ripening fruit and, best of all, when oysters are at their very finest. We’re always torn between the thrill of the latter end of the racing season (horses, of course) and the Galway International Oyster Festival, so we’ve covered both thoroughbreds and bivalves in this issue. And with Shakespeare’s Globe celebrating its 25th anniversary, we’ve taken a trip round the bard’s London 430 years on…

THE CROKE PARK Explore our range of Irish family-owned luxury hotels, superbly located in the centre of London, Dublin, Bristol, Washington DC and Cork

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A LUXURIOUS REBIRTH The three words historically used to describe The Croke Park have always been location, location, location. And where better for a hotel built in celebration of Irish sporting greatness than joined at the hip with Croke Park Stadium, home to the Gaelic Athletics Association? But The Croke Park has always transcended its sporting connections and served guests well as a hotel perfectly situated for exploring the fair city of Dublin, in a setting that brings warmth to the laid-back luxury you’d expect. This month The Croke Park is fully reopened after a renaissance of its lobby, bar, restaurant and terrace, transformed by The Doyle Collection Chairman, Bernie Gallagher with renowned Dublin architect, Denis Looby. And it’s wonderful.

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In a palette of rich, warm, bold shades (silvery greys and soft naturals offsetting exotic golds and spices) the team invested in richly luxurious natural materials flanked with glamorous details.

All set around the kind of open fires that see evenings unfold before them under the hum of conversation and the glow of soft lights. With organic polished wood and stone juxtaposed with sumptuous fabrics such as silks, brocades and velvets, there’s an understated sense of glamour, an elevated feeling of a home away from home.

Menus have been reimagined, with alfresco terraces adding an even greater sense of space to the already lofty interiors. Come for brunch, stay for cocktails and find yourselves ordering dinner. doylecollection.com/hotels/the-croke-park-hotel

TheDoyleCollection

ON THE COVER Illustration from the Coral Room cocktail menu by Steve McCarthy

Slice of the City is published on behalf of The Doyle Collection by Rivington Bye Ltd. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. All details correct at the time of publication but may change.

For all editorial enquiries: enquire@rivingtonbye.com

COME ON IN After a summer spent sampling creamy fizz, sherbert martinis, convivial margaritas and delicious jugs of summery vegetation (aka Pimms), there’s something rather pleasing about segueing indoors into the Manhatten-esque glamour of a club-like space with wood panelling, marble-topped bar, deeply upholstered banquettes and some very fine cocktails.

With London Cocktail Week celebrated from 12-23 October, we’ll be introducing more specials to the mix but on any given day at The Marylebone’s handsome cocktail bar you really can’t beat a citrussy Vetievesper, a fine, grown-up Savoia Royale or the peaty delights of a Smoke’n’Mirrors. doylecollection.com/hotels/ the-marylebone-hotel/dining/ the-cocktail-bar TASTE OF IRELAND

Ireland is one of the culinary world’s best-kept secrets and its unique palette of flavours - smoky malts of Dublin, mossy, umami flavours of Donegal, wild fruits of Leitrem, botanicals of Wicklow, peppery aromatics of Tipperary - have inspired the latest Cocktail menu from The Bloomsbury’s Coral Room. Launching this autumn and following on from A Sip of England, the menu distils our native flavours into masterful studies of the mixologist’s art.

All brought to life through the evocative images of Dublin-born illustrator, Mr Steve McCarthy. Watch this space, as they say. thecoralroom.co.uk

JO LOVES

News & Views GOD OF PASTRY You know your pastries are safe in the hands of a Dane - especially the grandson of a Copenhagen baker. The Dupont Circle is thrilled to welcome Claus Olsen, Pastry Chef and Master Chocolatier extraordinaire. Claus’s 30-year career may have launched in Copenhagen but he has baked all over the world, featured in magazines, cookbooks and on TV, delighted royalty and presidents, and comes garlanded with awards. Confections as impeccable as Claus’s need a symphony of balanced bitterness to accompany them. Enter Doyle & Co, The Dupont Circle’s heavenly coffee bar (a paean to the art of roaster and barista) the perfect complement to light, buttery Viennese pastries, Crème Brulee Croissants (stop it!) and Claus’ signature East/West Almond Cake.

Savouries will delight those that prefer salt to sweet. Open daily, 7am-2pm. doylecollection.com/hotels/the-dupont-circle-hotel

One of Britain’s best-known perfumiers, Kensington native Jo Malone marries her unerring nose with entrepreneurial nous of the very highest calibre. And we’re absolutely delighted to be able to announce a collab between her global brand, Jo Loves and The Kensington.

Launching later this year – details to follow shortly. doylecollection.com/hotels/ the-kensington-hotel

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 TEAS Named after Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days, our plan isn’t to serve 80 different afternoon teas at The Kensington – even eating three a day (which nobody would recommend) it’d take the guts of a month to try them all. No, this delicious tea will take its inspiration from the journey of Phileas Fogg, and his 20-odd stops in far-flung destinations.

For many readers of the 1873 original, places as diverse as Tibet and Salt Lake City would have been unimaginable and our inspiration is the thrill of that 19th-century adventure. doylecollection.com/hotels/ the-kensington-hotel

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GO NATIVE After a four-month wait there’s an R in the month and it’s the time celebrated by everybody from oyster connoisseurs to the bivalve curious; in British and Irish waters, it’s native oyster season…

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f, like us, you feel a frisson of excitement when August gives way to September and the arrival of the native oyster season, welcome to our favourite time of year. The life cycle of the native oyster is one of nature’s may ways to remind us that ‘good things come to those who wait’. Four to six years is how long it takes for native oysters to be shuck-ready. And the reason we can only harvest in months with an r? May to August is for the business of procreation, essential to the survival of the species.

Native oysters aren’t just slow to grow, they’re fragile too. In the words of 7th generation Mersea oysterman, Richard Haward, “The first thing a native thinks of doing is dying – it doesn’t like extremes in natural conditions - too much heat, too much cold, too much of anything”.

Oysters would first have been spotted on UK shores (you’d have to check with a dinosaur to be sure) in Triassic times - about 145 million years ago. And the native oyster’s first meaningful human contact came after the invention of fire.

While Mesolithic people had rudimentary tools they did not use them on the meaty bivalve. Perhaps they feared shattering the delicate shell, or perhaps they were a gourmand people, embracing the very latest trend that set them head and shoulders above the animal world – cooking with fire. Either way, only the scorched shells remain to tell the tale.

Thanks to the Romans’ penchant for scattering evidence of their lifestyle choices far and wide, we know they too loved an oyster.

Shells left behind suggest a penchant for English varieties, and they are known to have fished or gathered oysters in Essex, Kent, Wessex and, indeed, Bolerium (present day Cornwall). They were also found as far North as Hadrian’s Wall so Roman legions likely took a little detour via the oyster beds of Tyne & Wear.

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Jonathan Swift famously said ‘He was a bold man that first ate an oyster’ and perhaps the gnarly exterior might have made one nervous about what lay within, but these pristine, beauties just beg to be consumed (don’t swallow, though - terrible waste).

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GALWAY INTERNATIONAL OYSTER & SEAFOOD FESTIVAL Home to the world’s first and most famous oyster festival Galway is a small city on a coastline that yields a serious annual harvest of some of the very best oysters. It’s also a great destination for a celebration and attracts around 10,000 oyster purveyors, consumers, connoisseurs, and the world’s best shuckers who compete in the annual Oyster Olympics - a fast and furious demonstration of precision and artistry, with awards for speed and for presentation. At the festival you’ll sample the very best of both native and rock oysters grown in Irish waters, accompanied by a pint of creamy Guinness, a champagne flute, a nice mineral-y white, or, controversially, a chilled shiraz. However you take your oysters, we urge you to head to Galway late September and indulge. galwayoysterfestival.com

The hardier, gnarlier pacific oysters are named ‘rock’ for a reason - a passing predator (good luck breaking in without an oyster knife) would know nothing of the feast within though even the flatter, smoother native oysters are easy to miss.

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Oysters ceased to be a luxury after the departure of the sybaritic Romans and eased back into their former role as an essential part of the sustenance of coast dwellers. But in Medieval and Tudor times they became popular once more and were shipped from sea to fishmonger in every increasing numbers.

The larger oysters were mainly eaten cooked, steamed in their own shells or added to meat stews or pies, they were used to plump up sausages and replaced stuffing in roast fowl – with the liqour added to gravy. A particular favourite of Elizabeth I, she introduced a decree that every one of her subjects must eat seafood in place of meat three days a week. Theatregoers, too, would eat them from shellfish stalls, washed down with ale.

Despite such popularity the native population kept pace until a combination of overfishing and industrial pollution put paid to their ubiquity. In 1864 over 700 million oysters were recorded as having been consumed in the capital, and the industry employed over 120,000 people. By 1910, the oyster industry was proclaimed by the British Government the most important in the world.

However, the demand proved unsustainable and by 1964 only three million oysters were fished, leading to calls for mass conservation.

Curiously the saving of the native oyster came from an unexpected source: the hardy, fast growing Pacific oyster (often known as ‘rock oysters’). Though they grow wild Pacific oysters are also easy to farm. They mature in just two years and they’re more robust than native varieties – as hardy as their rock-like shells. In addition, they can be eaten year-round. So, if you’re offered oysters in a month without an r – it’ll most likely be Pacific.

While it was feared the rock would rule the waves, the two strains co-exist harmoniously and, in fact, the availability of rock oysters has allowed the native the time it needs to ensure its future survival – simply by helping to meet demand and so diminish overfishing.

Both varieties of oysters have a different density (native varieties tend to be firmer than their farmed cousins) and, naturally, taste.

On the west coast of Ireland, native oysters spend their formative years in the bracingly chill clarity of the Atlantic ocean. The water is fabulously clean and gives a wonderfully fresh, light marine flavour, which is prized around the world. Another lauded taste comes from a less mellifluous place, the almost mineral flavour in Cornish River Fal oysters comes from the tin historically mined across the region. Today, some of the world’s the very best oysters come from native beds in Essex, Cornwall, Kent, Dorset, Devon, the West of Scotland and, of course, Ireland.

OYSTERS AT THE WESTBURY

Far left Oysters in nets in a Galway Oyster farm.

Middle Interior and exterior of a native oyster (top); interior and exterior of a Pacific oyster (below).

Above Native oysters from Galway; Shucking oysters

Fresh oysters from Carlingford Lough are one of nature’s treasures. Grown using the traditional ‘Trestle and Bag’ method these oysters are both creamy and sweet, and a guest favourite at The Westbury. Accompanied by shallot mignotte sauce, they are the perfect way to start an evening in The Sidecar, The Gallery or WILDE restaurant. carlingfordoystercompany.ie.

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THRILL OF THE RACE The island of Ireland breeds 50 thoroughbred horses for every 10,000 people – effortlessly outperforming the rest of the world. We ask the simple question, why?

A

s racing historian Guy Williams once said “There is no finer sight than racehorses at speed.

They have been designed and honed and perfected over the last 250 years specifically for that. That one horse can outrun another. Anywhere you go in the world where they have horses, particularly thoroughbreds, within 10 minutes an Irishman will surface. It’s guaranteed.”

Let’s start with some statistics. Ireland might only have the 124th largest population (out of 235 countries) in the world, yet our little island is the largest producer of thoroughbreds in the whole of Europe and the third largest on earth.

That’s quite a number - with a good 8,000 out of a global 20,000 racehorses in existence anywhere having been bred and raised on Irish soil. In addition, when it comes to the value of the horses sold, Ireland ranks as the second highest country on earth outright.

Despite having a population of just 4.5 million, Ireland boasts a ridiculous 50 thoroughbreds per 10,000 people, a number 10 times higher than in Britain, France and even the USA - and Irish racers are exported to around 36 countries all over the world.

There’s more. An incredible 21% of the top flat racehorses in the world in 2017 were all bred in Ireland. Every single one of them.

And, in 2016, Irish-trained horses won an extraordinary €79m in prize money in races in and out of the country.

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There are many more numbers in the same vein but that broad brushstrokes sketch of the current state of Irish racing and thoroughbred breeding and the colossal standing of such a tiny island in the global racehorse breeding and training stakes asks more questions than it answers. So, we ask again, why?

Well, climate for one thing. When you research how good the Irish weather is for horse breeding it’s almost universally called ‘temperate’. After a long afternoon cycling the Sky Road in Galway, standing on the pedals to brace yourself into the damp, driving wind, that isn’t what most people’s hair would call it!

While temperate is a euphemistic way to describe a country that experiences rain (on the west coast at least) pretty much every day (usually more than once, from mizzle to cats and dogs), it is true that the ‘softness’ of the Irish weather is a powerful ingredient in the secret sauce that produces some of the best runners on the earth.

The other is the minerals in our soil and sod. Rich in limestone, when frequently watered – as we have established it is – Irish soil feeds thoroughbred bones with calcium, making them strong and the horses among the hardiest in the world without any diminishing of their speed, nimbleness or agility.

And this rare combination is pivotal to the successful breeding of thoroughbreds.

Watch a big race and it’s arresting how fast such big beasts move. There are many

9 This page and overleaf: Irish Derby day at the Curragh racecourse

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Frankie Dettori treats the crowd to a Flying Dismount after winning the Lonsdale Cup on Stradivarius, the Irish thoroughbred sired by irish champion Sea the Stars.

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reasons for their speed, but key to their shape is that horses are grazers who were historically always prey of open grassland.

Vulnerable to wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, bears and many other largish, carnivorous mammals, in the wild horses naturally roam in herds, their eyes are at the sides of their heads to ensure they don’t lose their companions, their rumps are an impressively honed, muscle machine poised for the command to flee. Their lower legs are lean, fine bone supported with enduring tensile tendons and hamstrings, strong and tight to protect when in flight.

IMAGES FLORIAN CHRISTOPH; MICK ATKINS/SHUTTERSTOCK; PATRICK MCCANN/PA/ALAMY

The sheer power of the haunch is capable of propelling 1150 pounds (around 500 kilos) of pure poetry in the proverbial motion, reaching speeds from standing of up to 45 miles per hour in just 2.5 seconds – taking seven metre strides. Naturally this kind of acceleration puts huge pressure on the front legs, which is when the calcium-fed, uncannily strong bones of an Irish-reared racehorse come into their own. Every sinew of the sleek and shiny steed services this ability to move fast. The horse’s heart has evolved to pump quite a distance, with a resting rate of around 30 bpm, rising to over 200 when in flight .

The lung capacity is similarly vast – those muscles need oxygen. But it’s the spleen that gives horses the real advantage. The spleen stores red blood cells which can be released into the blood stream precisely at the moment of flight, feeding those muscles with up to 50% more oxygenated blood cells. It acts almost like a transfusion, delivering an energy bolt to power glancing hoofs to even greater speeds.

siring success, they are no guarantee.

Family trees are documented as precisely as Debrett’s – though that mapping of human nobility doesn’t especially hint at a gambling addiction heralding the loss of a long-held family estate, or scandalous elopements segueing into hastily negotiated, more ‘appropriate’ unions; with horses it’s all data and none of the drama.

In Irish myth the horse was responsible for drawing the sun across the sky in a chariot to mark each day with its progress Like aristocrats that trace their lineage back through Edward I and William the Conquer via the ‘divine right of kings’ to actual God – every thoroughbred too can be traced back to one of three Arabian stallions from around 1700, Byerly Turk, Darley Arabian and Godolphin Barb.

In those days Turkish Arab horses were known for both their speed and endurance, and, while English horses were reliable and dependable and perfect in every way for the country squire riding out with the hunt, a lady taking her daily exercise or for drawing a family to market in a carriage or cart, they were not quite fleet of foot enough for the Cavalry’s needs.

The thoroughbred horse might be reared for almost mythical speed (and endurance, of course) but the origins of today’s runners and beautiful brood mares or stallion sires are a little more parochial than their beauty might suggest.

So, while horses are made in Ireland today, they were born in Yorkshire (the cradle of thoroughbreds) where the progeny of these Arab stallions covering English mares to produce a speedier class of horse for the theatre of war were nurtured. While nature and genetics have united to create the finest of thoroughbreds, nurture is also an essential component of the successful creation of a beautiful steed – and there is an alchemy to breeding that almost nobody can explain.

Bloodlines are the lifeblood of the sport and key to the breeder’s art. Yet, while they’re an essential framework supporting the stud’s ability to pick a beast with the ancestry to open the possibility of

While the limestone-rich soil in Ireland is emphatically essential to the excellence of our racehorses, there is a real heritage in a spirit, a notion, a belief even, of people almost as whisperers, with an instinctive

connection, forged over centuries, between wo/man and horse.

Horses are mentioned in some of the earliest historical Irish texts and the same geography and climate that produces such astonishing racehorses has sustained the entire populace as an agricultural nation (and been so catastrophic when impossible). Horses have worked the land, ferried people from place to place and been essential to the ability of communities to sustain ourselves through the ages, since about 2000 BC. In legend, horses were portrayed as companions of warriors, as vital as the rider and often with mythical status. In Irish myth the horse was responsible for drawing the sun across sky in a chariot, marking each day with its progress.

Early Celtic warriors had a way with chariots, engineering them to be light and durable, enabling said warriors to swiftly settle many parts of Europe. (They also invented the horseshoe, later adopted by the Romans, but that’s another story).

Chariots are vital to our tale, though, as they featured in the earliest Irish horse races taking place on the Curragh, mentioned in early myths and tales from 110 BC. While there are also mentions of horseracing with riders as opposed to chariots on the Curragh (a 5,000-acre grassy plain in County Kildare, long connected with horseracing and today the location for the Irish National Stud), and the beach in Kerry as long ago as the 7th century. But it wasn’t until 1603 that a Royal Warrant permitting horse racing in Derry elevated the tradition into law – and from then on the number of writings with first-hand accounts show the sport to be widespread and well loved.

Breeding, too, had clearly started commercially. In a letter to Charles II in 1673, one Sir William Temple wrote “Horses in Ireland are a drug. We see horses bred of excellent shape, and vigour, and size, so as to reach great prices at home, and encourage strangers to find the market here”. And it was Charles who

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introduced the King’s Plate Races, a 4-mile dash testing both speed and strength (the horses ran with a considerable weight load of 12 stone or 76 kilos). The Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders studbook to breed racehorses was established in 1685 and with it the almost mythical quest for the perfectly bred horse.

While Irish horses have proved so vital to the global sport, the industry only exists because the people love to watch racing.

Horse Racing Ireland is the governing body for racing responsible for year-round meets with 24 racecourses all over the Republic and two in the North.

Horse racing comes in two types, Flat racing and National Hunt). The clue for both is in the name – Flat Racing is all about speed, pure and simple and National Hunt evolved from hunting, features jumps, and is today divided into three categories – Steeplechase (various fences), Hurdle (yep, hurdles) and Point to Point (Steeplechase over farmland rather than the manicured racecourse, mainly organised by local hunts and so forth).

Every year in Ireland over 1.3 million people spend a day at one or other of the 350 race meetings, taking in over 2,000 races between them. More than 100,000 attend the Punchestown Festival (in April) and the Galway Races (July) but the biggest draw for the great and the good – the most glamorous of race days is The Curragh Irish Derby Festival – a three-day event culminating in the famous Irish Derby with all the hats, spats and thrills of the turf to enjoy. The Listowel Harvest Festival features both Flat Racing and National Hunt in a seven-day extravaganza built around the Kerry National Chase handicap – each day is a big family event with as many as 2,000 spectators every day.

Whether you’re a fan or fancy a flutter, you just can’t beat a day at the races. National Hunt races are run all year, and the flat racing season runs from late March to late November. For details visit goracing.ie or ask the concierge at The Westbury, The Croke Park or The River Lee and they’ll point you in the right direction.

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RUNNERS AND RIDERS We’re no experts – just

YEATS

enthusiasts – and we thought

Named not for WB but his

it’d be easy to find the best five

brother, the Irish artist and

Irish horses of all time. Not so!

Olympic medallist John

Though there’s a ‘Timeform’

Butler Yeats, this dark bay

rating for every great horse,

thoroughbred was born in

not every expert believes an

April 2001 and trained by Irish

algorithm is the final arbiter of

legend Aidan O’Brien. Yeats

greatness! So, consequently,

was a star from the start and

no two lists are the same. We

won an impressive 14 out

thought we’d play it safe and

of his 22 races in total. His

instead of a top five, we’ve

greatest achievement was in

chosen five of the best! And

winning the Ascot Gold Cup

they are (in no particular

an unprecedented four times

order), drumroll…

in a row, a feat never emulated before or since, and followed by

SHERGAR

his retirement to stud in 2009.

While Shergar never got to fulfill his potential, he is

ARKLE

probably the best-known

As the only horse to top every

racehorse on the planet,

list we could find, Arkle was

sadly for reasons other than

the single name we could not

racing. Born in 1978, Shergar

have left out. A steeplechaser,

started to attract attention in

Arkle was born in 1957, trained

1980 but it was in ‘81 that he

by Tom Dreaper and captured

won the Epsom Derby by an

the public imagination like no

astonishing 10 lengths – a feat

other. While he won some of

never repeated. He won five of

the toughest races, including

six races that year and also led

the Irish Grand National, the

the field in the King George VI

King George V Chase and the

and Queen Elizabeth Stakes by

Cheltenham Gold Cup three

four lengths. He was retired to

times, it was his consistency

stud in ‘82, when early in 1983

that stands out – out of 35

he was kidnapped and never

races he won 27 and never once

seen again.

finished out of the places.

SEA THE STARS

DAWN RUN

Born April 2006 and trained by

The only mare in our list and

John Oxx, Sea the Stars won

the most successful in the

just about everything in his

history of National Hunt Racing,

day and is a fixture in many of

Dawn Run was born in 1978 and

the greatest European horses’

remains the only horse to have

lists, too. He only raced for two

won the Champion Hurdle,

seasons, but Sea the Stars won

Gold Cup double. Trained

the 2000 Guineas, the Epsom

by Paddy Mullins, Dawn

Derby, the Eclipse Stakes, the

Run started out on the flat

International Stakes, the Irish

but shifted to hurdles in her

Champion Stakes and the Prix

second season, winning eight

de l’Arc de Triomphe all in the

of her nine races. But it was in

same season (as a three-year-

Steeplechase that she had her

old), bagging every major horse

greatest triumphs and is one

award in Europe as a result.

of just four mares to have won

Retired to stud in 2009.

the Gold Cup.

Sea The Stars ridden by Mick Kinane wins the Tattersalls Millions Irish Champion Stakes during the Irish Champion Stakes Day at Leopardstown Racecourse, Dublin.

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JUST WILLIAM It took a move to London to show Shakespeare that all the world really is a stage

W

hile Stratford Upon Avon is legendary for being the birth and resting place of one William Shakespeare, to succeed in the wider world he needed to move himself to a place where “many wearing rapiers are afraid of goosequills and dare scarce come thither” (Hamlet Act II, Scene II). To London it was then.

It is unclear precisely when Shakespeare arrived but his first mention among his peers (in the 1592 writings of Robert Greene) gifted him the sticky soubriquet ‘The Upstart Crow’ and a reputation for brash confidence that did not sit well with the established writing community – who felt, in the main, that the son of a market town glovemaker without university education had no business sweeping in and taking over the London stage.

1. CURTAIN THEATRE, SHOREDITCH

2. ST MARY

Named ‘The Theatre’ and built in 1576 by impresario

ALDERMANBURY

James Burbage, father of Shakespeare’s lifelong

GARDEN, LOVE LANE

leading man Robert, the original site in Curtain Road

A tiny park, once the

was London’s first purpose-built theatre designed

grounds surrounding a

specifically for professional actors to perform to

small parish church in St

paying audiences – a new concept in its day. Upon

Paul’s which dated from

falling out with the landowner, Burbage simply upped

1181 (it was destroyed

every stick, hauled timber across river and rebuilt it

by the great fire, rebuilt

on the Southbank as The Globe, leaving Curtain Road

then demolished once

with nothing but a green plaque.

again in the blitz). Buried in its grounds lie two of Shakespeare’s players, Henry Condell and John Hemings. Today unremembered for their lives or works, they have together created

The earliest record of Shakespeare living in London is a little less impressive yet still dramatic – in 1596 he was shamed in St Helen Bishopsgate parish records for tax evasion. While that’s all a bit shabby it shows he was making enough money for the local bean counters to wish to chase him up on it, and it is estimated around this time he would have had several plays on at once. So, in which locations were his plays performed, which were his watering holes and where did he lay his hat? We put together some of the pieces.

quite a legacy by gathering Shakespeare’s works together into folios after his death and publishing them, gifting his brilliance to future generations in perpetuity. Their monument is topped with a handsome bust of the bard himself.

17

4. PLAYHOUSE THEATRE,

5. THE COCKPIT PUB, BLACKFRIARS

BLACKFRIARS

The Cockpit pub is set on the site of the only property

Set in a dissolved 13th-

known to have been bought by Shakespeare during

century Dominican

his years in the Capital. Quite the magnate in Stratford

Monastery, The

Upon Avon – on his return in around 1611 Shakespeare

Playhouse Theatre was

took posession of the market town’s largest house

established by James

and the landlord-ship of many more. Curiously it

Burbage to offer an

seems he never lived in the Blackfriars property,

exclusive venue to more

but perhaps rented it to fellow scribes or players, or

discerning theatre goers.

simply used it as an investment.

It was set indoors and played host to around 500 seated guests who paid up to eight times as much as they would at public theatres of the day. William Shakespeare (who much preferred these more elegant theatres) and his (well, James I’s) King’s Men Players provided the entertainment, while 3. SOUTHWARK CATHEDRAL, LONDON BRIDGE

the need for candlelight

In Shakespeare’s time Southwark Cathedral (which

during performances

now displays an albaster statue to the bard), was

meant the introduction

the parish church of St Saviour’s and St Mary Overie

of an interval or two in

(‘over the water’). Set as it was in a lively district close

order for spent candles

to the Capital’s theatres, it was de facto a thespians’

to be replaced. Long

church. Sadly, we know Shakespeare visited as his

gone today, the site

younger brother Edmund, an actor who had followed

is commemorated by

6. THE GEORGE INN, BOROUGH

his elder sibling to London, succumbed to ill health

Playhouse Yard, close

Today the last remaining galleried coaching inn in

at just 27. He was buried in the cathedral at some

to Apothecaries Hall, by

London, The George (formerly ‘& Dragon’) shows

expense, including a ‘forenoon knell of the great bell’.

Blackfriars Bridge.

us today precisely how plays were more usually conducted before the advent of the purpose-built theatre. Players would be in the employ of the pub and gather in the courtyard on a central stage. The audience, often a little the worse for wear, would stand around them taking in the entertainment, with the grander among them paying a premium to take their places far above in the gallery.

7. ST JOHN’S GATE, CLERKENWELL These days we see movie classifications to prevent exposure to content considered inappropriate, but there is no such regulation in the theatre. Which was very much not the case in Shakespearian times. St John’s Gate was home to the Master of the Revels (slightly confusingly named – the fun police might have been a better title), the man responsible for licensing or censoring plays for the stage. Edmund Tilney was the main man in post and while he was happy to license most of his plays, Richard II was heavily censored on Elizabeth I’s orders.

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8. THE BOAR’S HEAD, EASTCHEAP With its landlady Mistress Quickly and its caravan of clowns (it was after all the legendary watering hole of Sir John Falstaff, serial character in the Henry histories, IV parts 1 and 2, and V, and his merry band), the real Boar’s Head was first destroyed in the Great Fire of London before being rebuilt, only to be demolished again in 1830. The pub’s post-fire sign was retrieved and is displayed today at The Globe.

9. THE ROSE THEATRE, BANKSIDE Bankside featured the nefarious delights of beer gardens, stew houses (brothels) and popular bear baiting.

And while the righteous Bishops of the region saw no contradiction in leasing land to such businesses of ‘ill repute’ they were considered

DAVIDE SIMONETTI; DAVID HAYTER, THE GLOBE THEATRE; CLERKENWELL.ORG.UK

beyond the pale north

St John’s Gate was home to the Master of the Revels, the man responsible for licensing or censoring plays for the stage

of the river in the square mile. With its rather fast and louche reputation,

10. THE GLOBE THEATRE, BANKSIDE

Known today as ‘Shakespeare’s Globe’ the theatre

theatre was seen less as

Once Burbage and the Bard had hauled the

offers all the upsides of its time with few of the downs

educational and more

dismantled Curtain Theatre from the City of London

(the stench of several hundred folk, months after their

as entertainment of

to the easier environs of Bankside – The Globe was

annual bath, the petty criminals, the watered-down

the kind quite likely to

born. Shakespeare found the crowds rowdy and was

beer and the risk of infectious disease). Indeed, today

compromise society’s

irritated by the shenanigans that naturally occurred in

a visit to Shakespeare’s Globe makes for the most

morals, and always best

such a tight-packed space. When out of humour it is

visceral, authentic theatrical experience.

enjoyed outside the walls

said he called The Globe the ‘mean wooden O’.

The origins of the modern Globe tell a tale of passion,

of the City of London.

The Rose was the first

He premiered play after play there but during a

tenacity and the refusal to accept no for an answer.

purpose-built theatre to

performance of Henry the Eighth a cannon misfired

Sam Wannamaker visited London to see the site of

open on Bankside and

setting the thatched roof alight and razing the

the original Globe only to find nothing but a plaque.

its site, after a prolonged

entire theatre to the ground. In the melee the only

To the eternal gratitude of anybody that has ever

1989 tussle between

reported injury was a man forced to put out his

ducked an arc of water hurled by Caliban, say, from

thespians such as Dame

burning breeches with his beer. Rebuilt with a tiled

the stage or sipped wine in the galleries above, Sam

Peggy Ashcroft and Lord

roof the Globe rose from the ashes for about twenty

turned his extraordinary energy to securing land,

Olivier and developers

years more, before being shut by the Puritans and

funding and planning permission. And his vision

is preserved to this day.

demolished in 1644 to make way for tenements.

opened its doors 25 years ago today.

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VIEW FROM THE TOP With its expansive, Scandinavian-style terrace, complete with retractable blinds, plush sofas, large screen TV, and the romance of an open fire, The Marylebone Suite offers a wonderful view of the London skyline as well as a place to truly relax and unwind, morning, noon and night. doylecollection.com/hotels/the-marylebone-hotel

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Events & Happenings Step out of your hotel and into our pick of this month’s most captivating events

The Bloomsbury MUDLARKING AROUND Get your hands on some history plucked from the banks of the Thames as part of this celebration of London’s great river. With help from an experienced mudlark, you can find artefacts dating back as far as the Romans! After you’re cleaned up, check out some of the festival’s unique art projects, including ‘Climate Grief Karaoke’ and ‘Choreographies of Care’.

Totally Thames 2022 1st to 30th September thamesfestivaltrust.org PLASTER MASTER When Slovak artist Maria Bartuszová sat down to play with her daughter one day in the mid-1960s she wasn’t planning on developing a new sculptural technique.

But what she learned while pouring plaster into rubber

that milestone with the

celebrates the written and

balloons became the basis for

autobiographical performance

spoken word in its endless

decades of fascinating abstract

Say It Loud, by founder Cassa

variety. You read that book

shapework. These distinctive,

Pancho, alongside a new work

that changed your world - learn

fragile forms must be seen to

by choreographer Gregory

how it changed the worlds of

be believed - find them at Tate

Maqoma, titled Black Sun

other folks, too.

Modern this Autumn.

Say It Loud/Black Sun

London Literature Festival

Maria Bartuszová

Ballet Black at the

Southbank Centre

Top Finding ancient artefacts

Tate Modern

Royal Opera House

20th-30th October

on the banks of the Thames in

From 20th September

19th-23rd October

southbankcentre.co.uk

the company of an experienced

tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-

blackhistorymonth.org.uk

modern/maria-bartuszova CAPITAL LETTERS

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mudlark at Totally Thames.

The Kensington

Top right Kofi Ansah ‘Indigo’ Couture 1997 - Narh & Linda

BLACK AND PROUD

Reading is generally a

For 20 years, Ballet Black

solitary activity, but the

REMEMBER, REMEMBER

Right The Royal Shakespeare

has been one of the most

world of literature is rich with

It may be early for London’s

Company turns Hayao

pioneering and influential

collaboration and community.

most famous fireworks display

Miyazaki’s animated

organisations in British ballet.

Those communities come to

but the city parks host an

masterpiece into an

This Black History Month,

life at events like the London

explosion of delights to mark

extraordinary multi-media

the company celebrates

Literature festival, which

the 1605 gunpowder plot,

theatrical event at The Barbican.

from Africa Fashion at the V&A.

our annual Guy Fawkes night.

The Marylebone

Riverside Battersea, leafy

Hayao Miyazaki’s animated

Hisaishi’s captivating score,

masterpiece in this stage

it’s sure to be a ride for the

Wimbledon and the heights

LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR

collaboration with Studio

imagination.

of Alexandra Palace are some

The creators of Matilda:

Ghibli. Featuring ground-

My Neighbour Totoro

of the big ones but there are

The Musical have turned

breaking puppetry and

RSC at The Barbican

epic firework displays all over

their talents to adapting

a reorchestration of Joe

From 8th October

the capital - just make sure to

rsc.org.uk/my-neighbour-

book ahead and practise your

totoro

whoops and cheers.

Guy Fawkes Firework Displays

FRIEZE FRAME

Parks across London

The premise of Frieze London

On or around 5th November

is a simple one: to showcase

visitlondon.com/things-to-

the work of the world’s most

do/whats-on/special-events/

exciting contemporary artists,

best-bonfire-night-fireworks-

from well-established to

displays-london

newly emergent. The works themselves are far from simple

FASHION AFRICA

- with art in every medium from

While social media periodically

over 160 galleries on display,

pops with the fancy threads

the canvases, sculptures and

of the Sapeurs, 21st century

performances of Frieze present

dandies of the Congo, the

more diverse ways of seeing

continents’ fast-growing

the world than one pair of

fashion industry is today worth

eyes might grant in a lifetime.

over $15bn and is well overdue

Frieze London

the V&A treatment. The

Regent’s Park

situation now remedied, visitors

12th to 16th October

to Africa Fashion will be richly

frieze.com/fairs/frieze-london

rewarded with divine textiles and fascinating fashions from

LIGHTS IN THE DARKNESS

mid-20th century to the present

Every October for 20 years

day. It’s a must see.

Diwali has brought colour

Until 16th April 2023

to the capital to mark the

vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/africa-

famed festival of lights. With

fashion BLOOD MONEY October is black history month in the UK and, while Londoners are proud of our multicultural heritage the capital’s wealth has been built on colonial exploitation including the profits of the transatlantic slave trade. It’s a simple truth that too often goes unacknowledged.

Join this insightful tour by Black Rooted and learn the hidden story of one of Britain’s first slave traders.

City Of London: Slave Trade Money Trail Tour Starts at Bank Station 1st to 29th October blackhistorymonth.org.uk

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last year’s event taking place

SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST

Leach, he was first inspired to

Country boy who became a

primarily via streaming, this

He’s known for The Philadelphia

become an actor at the Bristol

silver screen icon.

year’s return to in-person

Story, but Hollywood star Cary

Hippodrome. Cary Grant Comes

Cary Grant Comes Home

celebration will be particularly

Grant’s story actually began

Home is a festival of film and

Festival

poignant. Light a candle,

in a very different city. Born

discussion that celebrates the

Various venues

enjoy live music and dance,

and raised in Bristol as Archie

incredible story of the West

18th to 20th November

and witness Trafalgar square

carycomeshome.co.uk

illuminated by the spectacular light show.

BORDERING ON THE ABSURD

Diwali in London

Where would you find the

Trafalgar Square

only library in the USA with

23rd to 27th October

no books? On the Quebec-

diwaliinlondon.com

Vermont border - the Haskell Free Library and Opera House

Bristol

straddles the 45th parallel, its shelves in Canada and its reading room in the USA. This

THE EYES HAVE IT

uniquely international site, with

More than just a film festival,

the black line of the border

Afrika Eye is a celebration of

marked across its floors, serves

the incredible things people of

as the setting for Lawrence

African heritage are creating

Abu Hamdan’s striking new

across the world, every single

film about the absurdity

day. Film, music, dance,

and violence of borders,

photography, and delicious

commissioned by Bristol’s

flavours are all to be sampled

pioneering Spike Island Gallery.

through the Taste of Afrika

Lawrence Abu Hamdan: 45th

event - lots to look out for!

Parallel

Afrika Eye

Spike Island Gallery

Various locations

8th October 2022 – 15th

9th to 17th November

January 2023

visitbristol.co.uk/whats-on/

spikeisland.org.uk/lawrence-

afrika-eye-festival-p2345233

abu-hamdan

Top The 2022 Dublin Fringe Festival line up.

Right Seán Keating’s ‘Allegories of Change’ at the National Gallery of Ireland.

Far Right Bristol-born Cary Grant alights from a Bristol Freighter G-AGVC aircraft in Los Angeles, 1947. Cary Grant Comes Home Festival, Bristol.

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A PIRATE’S LIFE

intertwining of experiences

between his comrade and a

Keating’s Allegories of Change

Avast ye, landlubbers! Think

that gives history its texture. In

Habsburg princess, and one

National Gallery of Ireland

you know a thing or two about

a pioneering exhibition the Irish

of the most important apples

Until 27th November

pirates? Think again! Using

Emigration Museum explores

in fiction, this Irish National

nationalgallery.ie/art-

newly discovered evidence

how the stories of the Irish

Opera production is the perfect

and-artists/exhibitions/

about the West Country origins

and African diasporas meet

opportunity to discover it.

keatings-allegories-change

to the life of James Joyce.

in surprising ways across the

William Tell

The Croke Park

From the pen of Edna O’Brien,

Atlantic, from the slave revolts

Irish National Opera:

celebrated as the writer who

in Haiti to the Irish revolution.

Gaiety Theatre

THE DUBLIN DIFFERENCE

broke the silence on women’s

Revolutionary Routes: Ireland

8th to 12th November

A 1.3km long light and sound

experiences in repressive

& the Black Atlantic

gaietytheatre.ie/events/

installation that sees the

1960s Ireland, Joyce’s Women

EPIC: The Irish Emigration

william-tell/

National Botanic Gardens

is sure to be an audacious,

Museum

relatable and moving portrayal.

Until 30th October

A THOUSAND WORDS

time for a riotous, multi-

Joyce’s Women

dublin.epicchq.com/

Six figures feature in Seán

disciplinary ‘Pop-wake’. A half-

Abbey Theatre

revolutionary-routes

Keating’s 1924 painting An

hour sonic experience exploring

Allegory. None of them look

climate justice and the body,

of Edward Teach, better known as the dread pirate Blackbeard, Show of Strength Theatre Company bring a grim history to life on this Theatre Walk around Bristol Docks. Join them, if you dare!

Blood, Blackbeard & Buccaneers Starts at The Golden Guinea Tuesdays throughout September, October and November showofstrength.org. uk/productions/bloodbooze-and-buccaneers

The Westbury PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST A hundred years on from the publication of Ulysses, one of Ireland’s greatest contemporary writers looks at the life of its most famous novelist, in a new play highlighting women with important connections

17th September to 15th

opened at night for the first

October

DO TELL

at or interact with each other

designed to be listened to while

abbeytheatre.ie/whats-

While its famously catchy

and yet between them they

bathing at home. Discover all

on/joyces-women/

overture could even be

tell the story of a nation at

this and much more at Dublin

accused of over-exposure,

war with itself. This is the

Fringe, the annual explosion of

IRELAND AND THE BLACK

Rossini’s thrilling final opera

lasting power of the work of

independent art that engulfs

ATLANTIC

William Tell has not been

an artist who, as this National

the city in September.

No place or journey can be

performed in Dublin for

Gallery exhibition contends,

Dublin Fringe Festival

fully captured in a single

nearly 150 years. If you don’t

was one of the most important

Various Venues

story. There is always another

know the story of the Swiss

chroniclers of a disruptive

10th to 25th September

side, another voice – it’s the

freedom fighter, the love affair

period of Irish history.

fringefest.com/festival

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PRESENCE OF THE PAST

9th to 13th November

CAMERA LUCIDA

recreate one of the bard’s great

Gaelic Irish, Norse Ostmen,

dublinbookfestival.com

Film doesn’t just tell stories - it

works, after one of them drinks

Catholic Old English, Protestant

seeks, unearths and discovers

five shots of some potent liquor.

New English, Georgian &

them too. Double Exposure is

Merriment abounds! And brave

a unique film festival dedicated

(or foolhardy) is the audience

to the reporters, journalists

member who attempts to go

Victorian Imperials, United Irish,

The Dupont Circle

Irish Nationalists, Irish Unionists - over the centuries, dozens of groups and factions have left their mark on the history and politics of Dublin. With such a rich and complex past, there’s always more to learn about the Irish capital, and the Dublin Festival of History delivers a selection of engaging events to facilitate that learning.

Dublin Festival of History Various venues 26th September to 16th October dublinfestivalofhistory.ie BEHIND CLOSED DOORS To walk the streets of Dublin is to witness a marvellous mixture of architectural styles, from the historic to the cutting edge. If you’ve ever wondered what the extraordinary buildings of this city look like from the inside, Open House Dublin is for you, with over 100 free events taking place in unique and fascinating structures across the capital, this is the place to learn how a city is made.

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Open House Dublin

WE HAVE LIFTOFF

and filmmakers who explore

Various Venues

After four years of

the potential of film as a tool

14th to 16th October

refurbishment, the National

in investigation and advocacy.

ohd2022.wpengine.com

Air and Space Museum is

Speaking truth to power is

ready to relaunch, with 23

one way to trigger change but

BOOK ME IN

new exhibitions designed to

revealing truth to the people

It’s rare that any festival can

propel your imagination into

can be just as effective, as the

boast a selection of venues

the stratosphere. From Wright

films and symposia of DX show.

as diverse as the content of

to Armstrong and beyond,

Double Exposure Investigative

its programme, but Dublin

this new and improved version

Film Festival

Book Festival gives it a good

of the world’s most popular

Burke Theatre

go! Head to Dublin Port, the

museum will show you that

13th to 16th October

Top Hanging aeroplanes as the

Botanic Gardens, the Science

when it comes to human

dxfest.com

National Air & Space museum,

Gallery, or any bookshop or

curiosity, the sky is really not

library in the city and you’ll

the limit.

ALL THE WORLD’S A BAR

Above Right The iconic squash

likely run into an acclaimed

National Air & Space Museum

The humble shot (though it

goes ballistic at Washington’s

writer or two sharing their

Fall 2022 (re-opening dates to

be but little it is fierce) is a

Pumpkin Palooza.

perspectives and their stories.

be confirmed)

truism the players of the Drunk

Right The popular Guiness

Dublin Book Festival

https://airandspace.si.edu/

Shakespeare Society know well.

Jazz Festival kicks off all

Various venues

about-transformation

The pitch is simple: five actors

over Cork in October.

Washington prepares to open.

measure for measure with

exciting things from this year’s

Various venues

in so many ways, beyond

Macbeth or Mercutio…

instalment, as it brings the

October – dates TBC

just sustaining ourselves.

Drunk Shakespeare

world’s greatest to the streets

guinnessjazzfestival.com

Foods define cultures, create

Sage Theatre

and venues of Cork - along with

Until 1st October

thousands of fans.

FEAST FOR THE EYES

artistic imagination. This

drunkshakespeare.com

Guinness Cork Jazz Festival

Our lives revolve around food

Crawford Art Gallery exhibition

economies, and inspire the

showcases food-focused art of KITH AND (PUMP)KIN

all flavours from the last 400

How much entertainment

years. Look your fill - and make

can be derived from the

sure you book somewhere for

humble pumpkin? Quite a bit,

lunch afterwards…

it would seem. With costume

Meat and Potatoes

competitions, scavenger

Crawford Art Gallery

hunts, a famed ‘pick-your-

Until 6th November

own’ pumpkin patch and

crawfordartgallery.ie/meat-and-

more, PumpkinPalooza in

potatoes

Alethia Tanner Park shows that the iconic squash more

KEEPING MUM

than deserves its reputation

Leslie has everything figured

as the face of Fall.

out for her girlfriend’s birthday:

Pumpkin Palooza

a dinner party with friends, then

Alethia Tanner Park

a long-planned proposal. But

October – check the date

when both women’s mothers

nomabid.org/pumpkinpalooza

arrive unexpectedly things get a bit trickier… Dolores Mannion’s

The River Lee

new play is a touching tale of coming out, of mothers and daughters, and of healing

FESTIVAL OF FOLK

through accepting each other.

Fiddle, whistle, harp and

Abandoned

bodhrán - the sound of Irish folk

Cork Arts Theatre

is known across the world. The

15th to 19th and 22nd to 26th

music is still regularly played in

November

Cork pubs year-round but the

corkartstheatre.com

Cork Folk Festival is a highlight in the calendar for musiclovers, bringing Ireland’s finest traditional musicians to Cork’s most picturesque locations.

Cork Folk Festival Various venues 29th September to 2nd October corkfolkfestival.com ALL THAT JAZZ Ella Fitzgerald. Dizzy Gillespie.

Herbie Hancock. Just some

image Clare Keogh

of the famous names who have graced the stages of the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival since its foundation by a hotel manager in 1978.

After a triumphant post-covid return last year, we can expect

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24 HOURS

IN

SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHPLACE, STRATFORD UPON AVON Nothing beats a chance to walk in the footsteps (wear flats, it’s cobbled) of the greatest writer on earth. For Stratford Upon Avon simply take the train from Marylebone Station.

7.30 RISE & SHINE Awake when “The morning steals upon the night, melting the darkness”, then get thee to the train.

11:00 CAFFEINE FIX You’re in Stratford, you’ve been up since sunrise, you need coffee. Our favourite is Box Brownie on Henley Street - made with locally roasted beans and milk from Sid’s nearby farm. boxbrowniecoffee.com 11:30 SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHPLACE The house where the bard was born was bought for posterity in 1846 by the Shakespeare Birthday Trust and is well worth a visit. shakespeare.org.uk 12:00 TO THE RIVER (AND A LIGHT BITE) head for the river, wander the banks and enjoy a quick bite before your visit to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

Try the nearby Coxes Yard or the theatre café for cracking sustenance. coxsyard.com. rsc.org.uk 1:15 THE PLAY’S THE THING You simply cannot travel to Stratford without taking in a play. And if you are going by train it will have to be a matinée. (If you prefer to drive, you can stay for the evening performance, but parking can be tricky).

The 1018-seater Royal Shakespeare Theatre has been by the river for 150 years (open daily plus Thursday and Saturday for matinees) and is the perfect place to see the bard performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company. (The smaller, more intimate Swan Theatre is closed for refurbishment until 2023). rsc.org.uk OR ANNE HATHAWAY’S COTTAGE & A RIVER TRIP Alternatively, a 20-minute footpath away, Anne Hathaway’s cottage was a sizeable farmhouse and her home until she married William. It’s a beautifully preserved house with exquisite garden. shakespeare. org.uk. Then maybe a lazy trip on the Avon (there are vintage cruisers, row boats, punts and electric launches to choose from). avon-boating.co.uk 6:30 TO DINE, PERCHANCE TO DRINK The Woodsman (a 15th-century inn) serves some of the best food in Stratford Upon Avon but is very busy and needs booking well ahead thewoodsmanrestaurant. co.uk. We’re also rather fond of Loxley’s, a family-run restaurant and bar serving very tasty food from their cosy place in Sheep Street. loxleysrestaurant.co.uk 9:00 CARRIAGES The last train back leaves Stratford at 9.35pm (arriving in Marylebone 11.57), so don’t be late or you’ll turn into a very irritated pumpkin. chilternrailways.co.uk

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NORTH WALL QUAY, DUBLIN C.1890

THEN It was Sir William Bligh (of HMS Bounty fame) that first demanded a North Wall in Dublin’s hazardous harbour back in 1800. It took 25 years to complete its bleak majesty, from where millions would flee from and arrive into the island of Ireland. Shipping shifted from the unprotected South wall to the new North, warehouses arose and the cargo shifted to largely commercial.

James Joyce’s Eveline’s planned 1904 journey, with her sailor lover to Buenos Aires, became a circular one as she found she was unable to tear herself away. “She stood among the swaying crowd in the station at the North Wall.

He held her hand and she knew that he was speaking to her, saying something about the passage over and over again.”

& NOW Today the place is unrecognisable from its earliest incarnation with towering commercial buildings from all the ages. Victorian red brick warehouses (many refurbished) sit cheek by jowl with corporate HQs and contemporary icons including the futuristic Convention Centre - like a glass tin can set in concrete (it’s carbon neutral, you know) and the harp-like Samuel Beckett

bridge, as well as three-masted ship (and emigration museum) the Jeanie Johnston.

Unusually for a rebooted docks, Dublin remains a working port with nearly nine million tonnes of goods delivered in the first quarter of 2022 alone. Ferries of all sizes dock here with over 1.7 million arriving every year. At today’s North Wall Eveline would have had more company than she could have ever imagined.

NORTH WALL QUAY, DUBLIN 2020