文学が語りかける街、ダブリン

　本は読んでも楽しいけれど、アイルランドを訪れたら一味ちがった文学の楽しみ方を教わりました。キーワードは、「ビール」、「役者」、「笑い」です。

By Noriko Nakamura, Asahi Weekly

　The first thing I did after arriving in Dublin, capital of Ireland, was to say hello to the Irish novelist James Joyce (famous for "Ulysses") and the poet William Butler Yeats.

　Of course, since they had long since passed away, these were bronze statues and not the real people.

　While I had known that Ireland has produced four Nobel Prize winners, I didn't realize how much pride the Irish take in their literary heritage until I walked around Dublin.

　Writers' statues are everywhere, a natural part of the scenery. People meet in front of "Oliver Goldsmith" and take a break while sitting near "James Joyce." Such sights made me really hungry for a taste of their literary works as well. So, I decided to go to a pub. Why a pub?! You will see.

　At 7:30 p.m., I am sitting in the Duke pub, surrounded by about 40 people, who are all enjoying a sip from a pint. I feel guilty sitting empty-handed, so I buy one of the wonderful delights of Irish culture, a lovely Guinness!

　Then, two people appeared in front of us and started acting out a scene from the Samuel Beckett masterpiece, "Waiting for Godot." Although I didn't know the play, their exaggerated and funny performances made me laugh, as did others in the audience, tourists from the U.S., Germany and Spain.

　The performance was part of a tour called "The Dublin Literary Pub Crawl." Two professional actors take tour-goers around to three pubs having a tie to Dublin's best-known writers, and also perform scenes from their plays and provide literary information. Sound like a history lesson?! Don't worry, it's a lot of fun, well worth the 12-euro (¥1,900) charge.

　We move on as a group, pub to pub, led by the actors. It reminds me of a school excursion. Walking with a light and excited step, we arrive at the next stop.

　"We can't complete the tour without stopping at this place," one of the actors says loudly, as he waves his arm.

　On the way to the next tavern, we stop by the Trinity College campus. The actor is absolutely right. I learned that Trinity is the alma mater of Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift ("Gulliver's Travels"), Bram Stoker ("Dracula"), Oliver Goldsmith, J.M. Synge, Beckett and so on.

　In my mind's eye, I can see all these legendary playwrights, poets and authors sitting on the beautiful lawn on campus. It is already 8:20 p.m., but still light outside, and the summer breeze is blowing softly and feels refreshing. Let's move on to the next pub!

お酒が好きでも嫌いでも…

　We are given about 20 minutes to relax in each pub so that we can enjoy our drinks. Even our smiling actors have a pint as well! Pubs are like second homes to the Irish, and they are good places for tourists to visit, as well.

　If you love to drink, this tour suits you. But even if you don't drink and hesitate to visit bars, you are still encouraged to join. You can enjoy just looking around the pubs and feeling the atmosphere, and imaging how future great writers are getting their start here as well.

　It goes without saying, but it's so noisy inside the tavern, I can't even hear what the person sitting next to me is saying. Then, I see a man reading a book! I ask him, "Isn't it too noisy to read a book in here?!" He shouts, "I am used to the noise because I have done it since I was a child." That was when I realized how deeply the pubs are rooted in the lives of the Irish.

　But one thing has changed from those old movie images of people drinking and taking a drag on a cigarette in an Irish pub. Smoking was banned in Ireland's pubs in 2004, following a heated debate on the issue.

　Still, putting out the cigarettes has not extinguished the enthusiasm of my fellow pub-goers, who are getting a lesson on great Irish literature as well.

　"I have concentrated my time in Dublin on literary Dublin. Mostly so far on James Joyce," said Joella Werlin, 69, an American tourist. "I think that this ties in with it very well, and the actors are in good spirits. This is a lot of fun."

　"I love this job, this isn't like working at all," said Brendan Morrissey, who has spent 25 years as a professional actor. "We talk to people who are on holidays, in good moods, and they are happy. It is perhaps a little less difficult than other jobs."

　I asked Morrissey whether he is an Irish literature expert.

　"Oh, God! No, no!" the 50-year-old actor replied. "I'm just an actor, and I get my scripts and I learn them. But there are areas that I am interested in that I will spend time researching and looking up."

　One Wilde play in particular, "The Importance of Being Earnest," is Morrissey's favorite.

　Morrissey is an important link to an Irish tradition that spread the country's great works of literature through the spoken word. Today, poetry readings are held all over Dublin, and theaters showcase plays from Irish playwrights.

　While it's a pleasure to read classic works, when you visit Ireland, listening to great literature and seeing it performed is a treat for the eyes and ears as well. Even more so with a cold pint of Guinness in hand!

• "Ulysses"　『ユリシーズ』。全18章からなる小説。1904年6月16日に起こった出来事が様々な文体で書かれている
• sip...pint　ジョッキからのひとくち（pintは液量の単位、0.57リットル）
• Samuel...Godot"　サミュエル・ベケットの代表作『ゴドーを待ちながら』
• tour-goer(s)　ツアー参加者
• tavern=pub
• alma mater　母校
• has...enthusiasm　〜の感激を損なうことはない
• "The...Earnest"　喜劇『まじめが肝心』
• showcase　披露する