Well, it’s almost Halloween and in Ireland that’s a big deal!
You may not know it but Halloween is an Irish celebration.
It comes from a pagan festival called Samhain which celebrated the end of the harvest, before the dark winter nights set in. The border between our world and the others, especially the spirit world, is thinnest at this time. This meant that spirits could cross over and walk the earth. Some good spirits but some bad too. This is why it was important to disguise yourself so that you weren’t recognised.
You may also not know that Bram Stoker was Irish.
Ireland has a lot of famous authors, even just in Dublin! Dublin is a UNESCO City of Literature, since 2010, and for good reason. Many of our great writers either grew up in Dublin or lived there for many years. Dublin is also the setting for many important works of literature, James Joyce’s iconic Ulysses in particular.
Bram Stoker is undoubtedly best remembered for writing Dracula (published 1897). But he wrote many other novels and short stories too. I only read one of his other novels, The Snake’s Pass. It was set in Ireland and is inspired by Irish legend! Who knows how many Irish myths and legends may have inspired his writings? We have many, many myths and legends and quite a few are dark and sinister.
Bram Stoker (short for Abraham) was born in Dublin and spent many years here before moving to London. There, he worked in the Lyceum Theatre, with Henry Irving, a very famous actor, known especially for his Shakespearian roles.
Bram Stoker has connections to a lot of important buildings in Dublin. This is pretty convenient for my first post on Dublin as it allows me to mention some of my favourite places!
I won’t pretend to be an expert but here are a few bits for you. This list of places is not exhaustive, just ones I know from my own wanderings and readings.
- Marino Crescent, Clontarf
Bram Stoker was born at 15, Marino Crescent, Clontarf. Clontarf is quite close to the city centre but is beside the sea. Today, the small park in the middle of the crescent is called Bram Stoker Park.
I would say that it’s not really worth making a trip specially here, not unless you really, really love Bram Stoker. If you want to find places where he lived, you can find them in the city centre too. You can find plaques around the city citing his residences e.g. on Buckingham Street and at 30 Kildare Street.
Fun fact! Neil Jordan, the director of many famous films such as The Crying Game, The Butcher Boy and Breakfast on Pluto wrote a gothic novel that interacts with Marino Crescent quite strongly. It is called Mistaken.
- Trinity College Dublin
Bram Stoker, like most of the great Irish writers of the past, attended Trinity College Dublin. He studied Mathematics. He was also involved in some societies and he particularly loved to walk. After spending much of childhood in bed due to an illness, he since devoted a lot of time to walking.
- Dublin Castle
Bram Stoker worked at Dublin Castle for some years. It may not be as glamourous as working in a theatre or being a full-time author but it paid the bills. He was a civil servant and worked in the Treasury Building. I don’t have a photo of this building, I’m afraid. The above is a photo of Dublin Castle itself.
- Marsh’s Library
Bram Stoker read and researched in the beautiful Marsh’s Library. Trinity’s library is more well-known but this one is just as beautiful! It is located beside St. Patrick’s Cathedral which I’ll write about in detail when I write about another famous Irish author, Jonathan Swift.
Marsh’s Library opened in 1707, making it the country’s first public library. As a city of literature, we have many, many libraries today. I will write on some of these in more detail soon. Marsh’s library has kept a record of what its visitors read so you can still see the books Bram Stoker read during special events, such as during the Bram Stoker festival. As a result, we know that what he read included books on witchcraft, superstition and Transylvania.
- St Ann’s Church
This is the church where Bram Stoker married the beautiful and intelligent Florence Balcombe. The two moved to London shortly after.
There is a bust of Bram Stoker in the church today with some general information about him.
Fun fact! Before marrying him, Florence Balcombe went out with another famous Irish writer, Oscar Wilde.
- Street art in the city centre
Today, you can also see street art dedicated to him and his works around the city. He’s definitely not forgotten in his home town! There are 2 locations that I know of:
- In Temple Bar, as part of Icon Factory’s walk. As photographed above.
- His former residence on Buckingham Street is now covered in murals. As in the featured photograph for the post.
- The Bram Stoker Festival
The festival is in the author’s honour and offers a mix of adult and children’s events, such as theatre, movie screenings and art installations. The festival always takes place over the last weekend of October, from Friday until Monday. Check out the website for a full list of its events below. The programme is always very creative and really draws on locations with Stoker connections. I’m a bit biased as I volunteered at the festival before, but it really is a fun one!
Festival website:
https://www.bramstokerfestival.com/
Social media:
Twitter
That’s all I have for Bram Stoker and Dublin! But if you want to have a Dracula inspired atmosphere at home, you can buy a wonderful Dracula lip balm or scented candle. I am not mentioning these because they are sponsoring me in any way, simply because I love these Irish literary companies, especially their Dracula products.
Wordsmith Candles website:
Literary Lip Balm website:
If you’re looking for some more creepy things to do in Dublin, especially at Halloween, here are a few ideas:
- Dark Land at the Leprechaun Museum
For adults only (18+), there is a spooky tour of the museum at night. The tour takes you through all the rooms of the museum while being told scary stories from Irish mythology. The leprechaun makes an appearance in most stories, of course, but expect to hear about some other creatures too.
Address:
National Leprechaun Museum of Ireland, Twilfit House, Jervis St, Dublin, Ireland
Tour times:
19:00 and 20:00 every Friday and Saturday (with extra dates at busy times)
Website:
https://leprechaunmuseum.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/873616188/events/129447958
Admission fee:
€18 per person
2. Spookfield, Smithfield
Expect to find light projections accompanied by creepy sounds in Smithfield Square.
It’s free so just turn up and enjoy the experience!
3. Go to a Halloween movie screening
Some cinemas in the city show classic Halloween movies, mostly the arthouse cinemas. Some even have a horror festival. Here are websites of the best examples, in my opinion:
Lighthouse Cinema website:
https://www.lighthousecinema.ie/
Irish Film Institute (IFI) website:
Stella Cinema Rathmines:
https://stellacinemas.ie/rathmines/
Well, that’s all for today. I hope you’ve learnt something new about Bram Stoker from my post!
Happy Halloween! In Irish, Oíche Shamhna shona duit!