THE successful transformation of the Temple Bar area in the past few years to one of the most popular places in the city brings with it city management issues that are far more complex than the question of lager louts.

Frank McDonald's article in The Irish Times presents Temple Bar as being only "an intensive drinking place for English stagparty types" and states that "the atmosphere can be unsavoury and even dangerous".

Certainly Temple Bar is not perfect, but it is patently false to portray it the way Mr McDonald did. Inevitably, there will be some conflict between residents like Mr McDonald who may prefer a bourgeois cultural quarter all to themselves (along with all the conveniences of city living, of course), and visitors to Temple Bar.

This is not intended to undermine the importance of achieving a sustainable balance between the different uses in the area. It is excellent that there is a strong residential voice in Temple Bar, because they have a strong vested interest in the area being properly maintained.

Two years ago, for example, there was a problem of street drinking in Temple Bar and this trend was successfully stopped by the direct intervention of the Residents Association in discussion with the publicans. For the record, Temple Bar Properties believes that Temple Bar does not need any more pub extensions, or hotels with large pubs attached.

To read Mr McDonald's article, however, you would think that there is nothing but drinking going on in the area. Yes, drinking is a part of the picture (and indeed excessive drinking by any group of people, stags, rugby fans or office parties, is a complete nuisance if you want a quiet night out), but it has to be seen in the context of the mix of activities that occur throughout the daily cycle in Temple Bar - the `16 hour city'.

Mr McDonald says that "the bulk of patrons are not coming for the cultural centres; they are coming for the drink and the craic". This agenda setting article is one sided and gives the impression that Mr McDonald knows nothing about the cultural life of Temple Bar.

What about the families who sang along at the extracts from Handel's Messiah on April 13th; the visitors who were fascinated by the Sporting Eye exhibition in the Gallery of Photography last weekend; the children's MusicFest at The Ark last week; the Harold Pinter interview at the Irish Film Centre; the JFK musical in the Olympia Theatre; or the school groups visiting the archaeological dig site? These are just a few of the cultural activities that people enjoyed in Temple Bar in the past 10 days.

What about the thousands of people who are enjoying cultural courses in the area: the five week introduction to black and white photography; the cinema in the classroom course; the sound engineering and stage production diploma; the creative writing course; the drama courses; the etching and print making courses; all taking place during the daytime and nighttime in Temple Bar.

Or what about the cultural conferences that happened during the past 10 days: the Sensing the Future conference on multi media at ArtHouse the World of Books conference that took place between the Music Centre, the Ark and ArtHouse, packed to capacity; the inservice training for teachers at the Irish Film Centre?

Anyone who enjoyed the Colombian Troupe on Temple Bar Square at St Patrick's Weekend (when Mr McDonald was in Berlin!) would agree that the atmosphere was electric and safe, full of families and young children - and this was at 10 p.m.

In The Irish Times at the end of last year Mr McDonald said that "it (Temple Bar) is first and foremost the most convenient place to live in with all the amenities of an increasingly cosmopolitan city centre on your doorstep - cinemas, theatres, shops and, of course, pubs". And herein lies the core paradox of Temple Bar - it contains a comprehensive mix of everything that one wants in the city centre but given that it is part of the wider city centre how is it to be maintained and managed?

All of the issues and criticisms listed in Frank McDonald's article are about a sustainable approach to "the city and the way people behave in it - not just about Temple Bar.

The responsibility for dealing with the consequences of excessive drinking, litter and illegal parking involves a complex relationship between the public, the Garda Siochana and Dublin Corporation. In the case of Temple Bar, Temple Bar Properties has continuing active liaison with the responsible authorities to address these issues adequately.

Frank McDonald's description of the dirt on the pavements, the rubbish and the illegally parked cars has to be addressed as a citywide issue if Dublin is going to be able to cope with the continually increasing tourism trade as well as the numbers of people moving back into the city centre to live.

Rubbish and dirt on the streets is unacceptable in Temple Bar, and elsewhere in the city. The people in Temple Bar are also fed up with the rubbish in the city.

Mr McDonald says the development of the area has failed to meet its objectives. The goal in developing Dublin's cultural quarter in Temple Bar was to deliver a "bustling cultural, residential and small business precinct that will attract visitors in significant numbers".

This is exactly what Temple Bar is today; it has successfully achieved its objectives. The key question now is the continuing management of these "significant numbers" so that every one - residents, cultural organisations, businesses and visitors - can enjoy the area's considerable attractions together without conflict.