Grafton Street

This article is about the street in Dublin. For the street in Milton Keynes, see V6 Grafton Street.

Grafton St, Dublin

Grafton Street (Irish: Sráid Grafton) is one of the two principal shopping streets in Dublin city centre, the other being Henry Street. It runs from St. Stephen's Green in the south (at the lowest point of the street) to College Green in the north (to the highest point). In 2008, Grafton Street was the fifth most expensive main shopping street in the world, at €5,621/m².

History

The street was named after Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, the illegitimate son of Charles II of England who owned land in the area. The street was developed from a then existing country lane by the Dawson family in 1708, after whom the parallel Dawson Street is named.

After O'Connell Bridge (then called 'Carlisle Bridge') was built to span the River Liffey, Grafton Street turned from a fashionable residential street into a busy cross-city route.

Statue of Molly Malone on Grafton Street.

Since the 1980s, the street has been mostly pedestrianised, with the exception of the short stretch running between Nassau Street and College Green. This short stretch contains two notable Dublin landmarks, the eighteenth century Trinity College Provost's House, home to the head of the college, and the late twentieth century statue of Molly Malone, which has become a popular Dublin meeting place. A life-size bronze statue of Phil Lynott was unveiled on Harry Street, off Grafton Street near the Stephen's Green end, on 19 August 2005.

Bewley's Oriental Café, a Grafton Street institution since its opening in 1927, announced at the end of October 2004 that it would be closing before Christmas, along with its Westmoreland Street café. Following a campaign by many, including the then Mayor of Dublin, Catherine Byrne, the café on Grafton Street, which had closed, was reopened, including its small performance area.

File:Grafton street.jpg

People on Grafton St

Buskers, including musicians, poets and mime artists commonly perform to the shopping crowds. This scene was portrayed in the 2006 film Once, starring Glen Hansard of The Frames, a former Grafton Street busker.

Notable buskers

• Rodrigo y Gabriela - Mexican guitar playing duo
• Roadmage - comedy magic show
• Glen Hansard - ex-Grafton Street busker, Academy Award winner, now in The Frames and in The Swell Season
• Damien Rice - ex-Grafton Street busker, now famous musician
• John Nee - imitated Charlie Chaplin
• Diceman - Deceased game store owner and street performer
• Dave McSavage - Stand up comedy and music
• Paddy Casey - ex-Grafton Street busker, now successful musician.
• Mic Christopher - Musician

Popular culture

• In the song "Before the Worst" performed by The Script, Grafton Street is mentioned in the lyrics; "It was Grafton Street on a rainy night, I was down on one knee and you were mine for life".
• American singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith wrote and recorded a song called "On Grafton Street"
• Bagatelle, an Irish rock band in the 1970s refer to Grafton Street in their song "Summer in Dublin"; "And young people walking down Grafton Street, everyone looking so well".
• Noel Purcell made the song "Dublin Saunter" well known; it includes the line "Grafton Street's a wonderland, there's magic in the air".
• There is a line in the poem "On Raglan Road" by poet Patrick Kavanagh: "On Grafton Street in November we tripped lightly along the ledge".
• Dido features a track entitled "Grafton Street" on her latest album Safe Trip Home. This song is a tribute to Dido's late father, who was Irish.
• Grafton Street is mentioned several times in James Joyce's Dubliners.

External links

• Buildings of Grafton Street, from Archiseek