Madam, - "Let's go to Bewley's." I've been saying it since I was five years of age. I have said it to my grandfather, my father, my aunts (numerous), my uncles (ditto); to my office colleagues, my many friends, male and female, resident and visiting; to my children and their children, fellow poets and literary luminaries, my aunt Fanny, my cleaning lady, my shrink and my dog.
Bewley's is an institution. We Dubliners must rally. We must march with flags and trumpets, down Grafton Street, along Westmoreland, over to Mary, to proclaim our allegiance, our need, our loyalty, demanding concessions from the City of Dublin to enable this wonderful old firm to continue administering to the people of Dublin its glorious coffee and buns. - Yours, etc.,
SHEILA O'HAGAN,
St Stephen's Green,
Dublin 2.
Madam, - May I suggest that Bewley's Grafton Street premises be purchased by Dublin City Council and given into the care of the Dublin Civic Museum (currently undergoing renovations in South William Street).
This solution would expand the exhibition of the Civic Museum, allow the splendid Harry Clarke windows to remain in situ and ensure that the integrity of the Bewley's building is preserved. I am sure the drinking of coffee on the premises could also continue! - Yours, etc.,
SHEILA BRADY,
Woodbine Road,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.
Madam, - Why on earth are people bemoaning the closure of Bewley's? For years now it has been nothing more than an overpriced, tatty, middling-to-poor food outlet in the centre of Dublin city. Those who wax nostalgic about the hours you could spend there enjoying a single cup of coffee in the safety and comfort of a friendly, warm atmosphere are, I fear repeating oft- heard tales which take on a rosy glow with the passage of time.
The only people with the time and inclination to spend hours in any establishment nursing a beverage are (a) homeless, (b) drunk, or (c) both. If you really want to watch the world go by in this type of environment, your nearest Vincent de Paul shelter would, I'm sure, be happy to accommodate. Either there, or a canal-side berth in fine weather.
Physically the Bewley buildings are indeed beautiful and their façades are identifiable landmarks, but beautiful surroundings don't guarantee the quality or longevity of any establishment. Neither are they a reason to hold on to something that has lost whatever it was that made it an asset to a society. Bewley's is now just one of a large number of coffee shops/restaurants in Dublin city - nothing more, nothing less. The days when it was the only joint in town are long gone.
There are still people who swear that O'Connell Street was never the same after the Pillar was knocked and there were those who wailed at the loss of Switzers to Marks & Spencer. I suggest that, in both cases, the replacements were equally admirable and have made a vital contribution to the emerging, modern country we want and need to be.
If we never changed anything because it is "traditional" we'd still be riding the penny-farthing, taking the horse-drawn tram, wearing bonnets and breeches and allowing the poor to wallow in filth in inner-city tenements - all the while smug in our sense of superiority over the vulgar modernists.
It's time to grow up and smell the coffee (latte, mocha, or whatever your having yourself). A word of comfort for those who hate those Starbucks enterprises: don't worry, their time too will come. - Yours, etc.,
A.E. WRIGHT,
Drogheda,
Co Louth.