This place has stories for days.
The Winding Stair bookstall is housed in a strikingly chickenhearted four - chronicle building that date back to 1875 . Perched on the savings bank of the River Liffey , the bookshop itself has been there since the ' 80s , and is consider a protect structure by the Dublin City Council . In old lives , it was used as a sales and auction sale house , an fine art art gallery , a plaything shop , and the former offices ofIn Dublinmagazine . The adjacent Woollen Mills restaurant formerly housed the haberdashery where literary legend James Joyce was once employ as a salesman of Irish tweed .
Besides being steeped inDublinhistory , the Winding Stair is still a popular meeting post for locals and visitors likewise . In 1982 , book lover Kevin Connolly transformed a corner of the aforementioned magazine office into the bookshop and café it is today . Its name was inspired by Yeats ’ reference to a winding step in one of his verse form , and Connolly originally intend to start the store for just a year . " I start with five boxes of Holy Scripture , a 20 pound note , a huge amount of exuberance , and absolutely no noesis of bookselling , " he said .
To Connolly ’s surprise , the shop quickly became a tuck place for writer , musician , and artists . Throughout the ‘ 70s , ‘ 80 , and ‘ XC , bohemians of all variety considered it the place to see and be seen . scholar , writers , and other literary eccentric gathered there to drink crummy cupful of tea and rust Connolly ’s female parent ’s renowned yield cake , while thumbing their fashion through a cache of dog - eared poetry books . Eventually , In Dublinmagazine moved out and the bookshop took over the entire building . But Connolly chose to sell the mathematical operation in 2005 , when escalating rents made business indefensible . Much to the locals ' great relief , restaurateur Elaine Murphy accept the reins the following yr , transforming the laid - back café into a mainstay ofIreland ’s culinary fit . Thankfully , on the ground floor , The Winding Stair bookshop remains untasted and continues to welcome a new generation of readers , writers , and explorers — even if the tea leaf is more expensive than it was back in the ' 80s .
Tim E White/Alamy
A step back in time
Dubliner can — and should!—be a piddling smug when it come to their urban center ’s telling literary chronicle . As the urban center that gifted us James Joyce , it boasts a literary history that run as mystifying as the River Liffey . Iconic figures , such as the aforementioned Yeats , as well as Samuel Beckett , Bram Stoker , and Oscar Wilde were all Dublin natives . TheTrinity College Libraryhosts theBook of Kells , that famous illuminated manuscript from the 9th 100 . Today , Dublin stay to be a thriving hub for author and artist , with literary festivals and bookstall like The Winding Stair lionise the live on legacy of Dublin ’s donation to reality literature .
The cultural connection
The Winding Stair bookshop ’s commitment to fostering Dublin ’s cultural scene goes beyond its telling collection ofbooks . While the bookshop may be on the modest remnant , it remains a community quad hold dear by both local and visitant . It serves as a weapons platform for local creative person and author by regularly host Bible launches , Reading , and exhibitions . These result provide a much needed space for creative mind to connect with their hearing and each other , thus enrich the city ’s vibrant ethnical tapis . The cozy atmospheric state of the bookshop , with its versed seats area and the never - too - flashy music in the backcloth , add itself absolutely to such gathering . It ’s a lieu where the great unwashed can discuss , argumentation , and celebrate the written word . In the past , the bookshop has welcomed notable Irish literary image such as Patrick McCabe , Roddy Doyle , Sinead O’Connor , and Nancy Griffith — all of whom have found inspiration within its walls .
Today , the bookshop is a proud supporter of local talent and preserve to champion Irish literature and fend for emerge writers and creative person . Amidst the tightly pack ledge you will chance a curated choice of works from self - published writers and smaller presses as well as the expectant , more obvious gens , along with a range of cards and print from main artists .
But first, we eat
Of of course , all of these artists , writers , and bibliophiles require to eat , so in addition to its highbrow literary offer , The Winding Stair bookstore also houses the aforesaid Winding Stair Restaurant . Located on the top floor of the edifice , it offers frequenter an authentic Irish culinary experience alongside breathtaking position of the River Liffey . Beyond bluster a sensational atmosphere , the reputation for servinglocally source ingredientsand a menu that transfer with the seasons . The Winding Stair Restaurant has become a favourite dining spot for both local and tourists , the irresistible portmanteau word of traditional Irish recipes with a modern twist garnering praise from solid food lovers and critic alike . uncalled-for to say , a visit to this iconic constitution is the perfect manner to pass an afternoon in Dublin .
Tim E White/Alamy
Tim E White/Alamy
The Winding Stair Restaurant
