THE PUBLIC image of Temple Bar has shifted dramatically in the past five years, with a 75 per cent reduction in the number of negative articles written about it.
That is according to Temple Bar traders, who published a new guide yesterday to Dublin's so-called cultural quarter.
Polish artist Marta Wakula-Mac was chosen to provide the artwork for the cover in what will become an annual competition for artists.
Tascq, the group of Temple Bar traders, commissioned the guide to highlight the area's attractions and cultural centres, said Martin Harte, the group's director.
He agreed that Temple Bar used to have a bad image problem but said things had changed significantly since the group was set up.
He cited research showing 79 per cent of articles written about Temple Bar five years ago were negative, compared to 4 per cent of articles over the past year.
The area has regularly been lambasted by travel guides and commentators for its dirty streets, rowdy hen and stag parties and drink-fuelled rows.
Mr Harte said some of these criticisms were justified in the past. But, while hen and stag parties were free to go where they liked, Temple Bar traders did not actively chase this market, he said.
The numbers had fallen from 10-15 large groups to two or three smaller groups on weekend nights.
He said the area was now much cleaner because traders had employed one part-time and three full-time street cleaners. The latest An Taisce litter census of the area gave it a score of 83 per cent - just two percentage points short of being litter-free.
A new survey by DIT's tourism research centre found that 80 per cent of visitors were impressed with the cleanliness of Temple Bar while 91 per cent praised the positive atmosphere in the area.
"The important thing is that the research was conducted at night and about 60 per cent of those surveyed were Irish," Mr Harte said.
More than 60 per cent were female and those surveyed were typically aged between 18 and 34. These results showed that young Irish women felt happy and safe in Temple Bar at night, he said.
Launching the official guide, writer and sometimes Temple Bar resident Gerard Mannix Flynn said the area had gone through "its era of bad publicity and good publicity but I think what's important is that it has enormous maturity now". He said the area was "a very safe place. It's a very, very friendly place".
The guide, which gives information on restaurants, pubs, shops, accommodation, festivals and local attractions, will be distributed free in Dublin and in Tourism Ireland offices worldwide.
The idea of commissioning an artist for the guide was inspired by the Mouton Rothschild winery which commissioned Picasso and Dalí to design its wine labels. Wakula-Mac moved to Ireland five years ago. Her work is in collections in Poland, Italy and Dublin.
Temple Bar attracts 70,000 people daily and has a local population of 3,000 residents.
