Arcadia Ireland

It may come as a surprise that I'm writing about Handel's Messiah on a blog that is based in Ireland and aimed at American students but, believe it or not, I have a very good reason to. 

The Dublin Centre is located on a street called Fishamble Street. It is first referred to as far back as the 14th century as Vicus Piscariorum and as Fish Street. It was the official fish market of Dublin up until the end of the 17th century when all of the markets moved to the north of the River Liffey. It's right in the heart of the city and so was always bustling. 

If you come onto Fishamble Street now there is a couple of cafe's, a couple of hotels, *us* and (strangely) a pet shop that sells mainly reptiles! On closer inspection though, you will notice that one of the hotels is called Handel's Hotel and it's the reason I'm writing this blog. In the 18th century, The Bull's Head Tavern was one of the most famous pubs in Dublin. It housed The Bull's Head Musical Society and they eventually transformed the pub into a Music Hall. It was here, that a young George Frideric Handel first performed Messiah on April 13th, 1742. It gathered such popularity that women were asked to leave their hoops at home and men their swords so there would be enough room for everyone to watch. 

Now, on April 13th every year, there is an open-air concert on Fishamble Street commemorating its success. Check out our Instagram to see a snippet of this year's performance. We are based right beside the action so are lucky enough to feel involved in the magic. 

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