silk industries.

Around 1700 there were seven Huguenot families living in Mill Street, including one called Disney, the ancestors of Walt Disney. These high times did not last, as British trading restrictions and increased competition from imported cloth heralded the area’s economic demise. By the 19th century poor quality housing abounded, mostly due to overcrowding and unemployment.

The area would have been lost altogether economically if it wasn’t for the Guinness Brewery at St James’s Gate, which has been providing employment locally since the 18th century, as well as providing the rich aroma of burning hops and malted barley around The Liberties.

Housing initiatives like the Iveagh Trust and the Dublin Artisans Dwellings Company, and the Dublin City Council in the early to mid-20th century, did much to clear appalling slumsand hazardous dereliction, and low-cost housing and parkland were developed around Reginald Street and beyond.

There are plenty of tours to experience in the area and a good starting point is Christchurch Cathedral or Dublinia Viking Museum. Alongside magnificent St Patrick’s Cathedral is Marsh’s Library, one of the oldest in Europe. From there, it is a short walk along The Coombe to Francis Street, with over a dozen art and antiques dealers.

On the same street is the Tivoli Theatre, the popular entertainment venue, particularly for stand-up comedy.

Walk down historic Thomas Street with its merchant buildings, elegant churches and former distilleries and you will come to the Guinness Storehouse, a huge tourist attraction. Today, the profile of Liberties dwellers is young, dynamic and increasingly international. The area benefits from proximity