The Historic City of Dublin

Suggestion for an updated nomination: future tentative list

I do not see a particularly strong justification for Dublin to become a world heritage site, but Trinity College stood out. While my experience seeing Trinity College was brief, I was impressed and the literary history here is legendary. The Library of Trinity College Dublinis stunning in its own right and a book-lovers dream.

Therefore, I would suggest something far grander. I would like to see the development of a serial candidature for world heritage titled The Ancient Universities of the British Isles (Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, St Andrews, Oxford, and Cambridge). In such a nomination, the great institutions of higher learning on the British Isles would be recognized and the outstanding universal value clearly demonstrated. While such a nomination is highly unlikely in the short term, I could see such a nomination emerge down the road with the right advocacy and vision.

In writing this review and others (incoming) of former tentative sites, I want to explore potential options where the (ft) nomination could be reformulated to be worthy of inscription. Perhaps a review format of 'Top Missing' and in so doing, highlighting a phenomenon that we have sometimes seen - the long dormant tentative site reimagined.

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As someone who has lived for a year in Dublin, I would be thoroughly surprised if It became a WHS. It lacks any really notable buildings (apart from Trinity college perhaps) and Its urbanism didn't strike me as unique in any way. This is clearly a vague and halfhearted proposal to get Dublin some WHS. No doubt given more time Ireland will find some more acute proposal to fit Dublin into the list.

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I visited Dublin a couple of times, most recently in 2017, and set aside some time for exploring, but the reality is that there is little to explore there that rises to the level of exceptional. The town is undoubtedly nice, the people are among the friendliest in all of Europe, but beyond a few eye-pleasing clusters in the city center, most of the Georgian architecture that forms the basis of this tentative WH submission is actually kind of boring (I am noting the fact that the text of the submission openly warns the reader of the plainness of the exteriors and contrasts that with purportedly excellent interiors, which can hardly be seen on a short visit to town).

You may be impressed by the campus of the Trinity College (stop by to see the Book of Kells in the college library). You will likely be pleasantly surprised to discover the Dublin Castle and Gardens, effectively hidden smack in the middle of the city. You will certainly walk over the Ha'penny Bridge over the river Liffey. And regardless of your attitude towards beer, you will likely linger on the streets - or in the establishments - of the Temple Bar district, the most colorful and at times boisterous part of town. Beyond that, there is little that can be pointed as a must-see in Dublin.

Curiously enough, the justification portion of the tentative submission emphasizes the literary traditions of the city. You will most certainly come across a fair share of monuments to famous Irish writers in Dublin's center, such as the irreverent Oscar Wilde's memorial in a corner of St Stephen's Green.

There are a few museums and other points of interest in the city that are not related to its tentative WH status, but can make a couple of days of a visit pretty engaging (National Gallery of Ireland, Jameson and Teeling distilleries, Guiness Storehouse), but on balance it is hard to see how Dublin may merit the full WH recognition.

 

 

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As much as I enjoyed Dublin, I really don't think that it deserves to be listed in the WH list. To much urbanisation although interesting to visit!

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