伝統と現代文化が融合する音楽とパブの街

By Itxaso Zuñiga, Freelance Photographer

「テンプル・バー」と呼ばれる地域は、アイルランド共和国の首都ダブリンの芸術・文化の中心地。１５９２年創立の名門「トリニティ・カレッジ」も近く学生を多く見かける

　As I walked down Grafton Street in Dublin's city center, I heard the strains of a familiar classical music piece. I continued walking to discover where the enchanting sounds were coming from.

　I found a group of young musicians in the street playing Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D major, with their violins and cello, surrounded by a crowd of appreciative shoppers.

　That moment made me realize I was in Dublin, a city well-known for its love of music.

　The Irish seem to have a special gift for anything related to music ― playing instruments, singing or just following along with their natural sense of rhythm.

　Indeed, the capital of Ireland has been where many internationally known musicians and groups trace their beginnings to, such as the Chieftains, Van Morrison, U2, Enya, Sinead O'Connor, the Cranberries and the Corrs, to name a few. It is one of those cities where you can find good music and amusement on virtually every street corner.

　On Grafton, this old and mythic Irish street, those young music students were playing Pachelbel's Canon, which has the gift to touch the soul and send shivers down the spine. I have always believed in the therapeutic effects of the arts, particularly music.

　As Sharon Maher, a 19-year-old violinist put it, "Happiness and sadness are lived differently while playing this canon."

　At the junction of Grafton and Nassau streets, I found the statue of Molly Malone, the monument to the 17th-century Irish ladies who sold fish and cockles in the streets of Dublin.

　That brought to mind the traditional Irish song titled "Cockles and Mussels," based on the story of Molly Malone, which is the unofficial anthem of Dublin.

　It goes:

　"In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty,

　I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,

　As she wheeled her wheelbarrow,

　Through streets broad and narrow,

　Crying 'Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!...'"

　Looking at the monument while singing this song to myself, for a few seconds I found myself transported back to the Dublin of the 17th century. I could imagine the cold and damp streets on a rainy day, the women dressed in round gowns, and the horse-pulled coaches running along the streets.

　Not far from this monument is the famous Trinity College, which has played host to such students as the noted 18th-century philosopher Edmund Burke and writer Oliver Goldsmith, whose statues can be found side-by-side at the main entrance.

　The Trinity College Library, the largest research facility in Ireland, houses the Book of Kells, by far the most famous book on display there. The illustrated manuscript, produced by Celtic monks during the Middle Ages, contains the four gospels of the Bible in Latin along with colorful, elaborate illustrations. Many Irish artists have used those illustrations as inspirational themes.

　The atmosphere of this university is a blend of history and youth. The gray walls and buildings from the 16th century contrast with the young students running around from place to place or resting on the grass of the green near Parliament Square.

　Those young students are the same ones that we can find at night in the nearby and lively nightlife area of Temple Bar, to the east of Trinity College. This area has preserved its medieval streets pattern and has some of the most famous Irish pubs and also Irish cultural institutions, such as the Irish Film Institute and the Irish Photography Center.

　At Temple Bar Square, near the famous Temple Bar pub, I met another group of musicians playing traditional Irish songs such as "Caledonia," "Blackbird" and "Sonny." Kirean Hone, a 17-year-old art student, was playing the tin whistle, an Irish six-holed woodwind flute, while Joan and Mary, both music students, were playing the fiddle, an Irish violin, and Patrick was accompanying them with the bodhrán, an Irish drum covered with goatskin.

　"We are just warming up for our night performance at Donegal's Pub," Hone said, while handing out an invitation leaflet.

　While I waited for the concert to start, I went for a walk near the Liffey, Dublin's river. Bounding Temple Bar's area to the north, the river Liffey, which means life in Irish, made me feel like I was entering a completely different part of the city. I enjoyed the open space and relaxed atmosphere while watching the flowing water, singing to myself some of the songs I had heard minutes before. The afternoon light was coming through Ha'penny Bridge to the west, showing its emblematic silhouette, and O'Connell Bridge to the east.

　It was time to head back to the Temple Bar. There I enjoyed traditional Irish music while drinking a pint of Guinness, the famous Irish dry stout, ending the day just as I started ― surrounded by Irish music.