to Temple Bar.

Social/Amenities

Arthur’s on Thomas Street is a classic, old-style Dublin pub, while The Thomas House specialises in punk, rock and reggae and has live performances. Fallons, at the bottom of Francis Street, is a great old-fashioned bar and claims to have been serving a great pint of Guinness since the end of the 17th century.

Manning’s bakery and cafe on Thomas Street is an institution, while Caffe Noto on the corner of Thomas Street and Francis Street, with its big windows, is a great place to people watch. The Cathedral Cafe, on Christchurch Place, and the Queen of Tarts on Cow’s Lane, are also well worth a visit. Caffe Comino, on St Augustine Street, is “Absolutely the best Italian restaurant in Dublin! Trust me … I’m Italian!”, accordingto a reviewer on Tripadvisor.

Property

Anyone thinking of moving to the Liberties will be heartened by the prices.

First-time buyers would come in at around €150,000 for a one-bedroom apartment, according to Michael McDonagh of Young Auctioneers. A one-bedroom terraced house would go for up to €250k, while a two-bed cottage would rarely go over €300k.

There is no higher end of the market here. These houses are popular with young professional couples, says Ronan O’Malley of Sherry FitzGerald. Anecdotally, the market is strong. The rush of investors at the end of last year, before the tax cap cut-off point, has ended, and the apartment market has dropped off accordingly.

The rise in demand is such that open viewings are again the order of the day, says McDonagh. “Typically, property is on