Totally Dublin 1
6am in Dublin feels unusually still. The commute
hasn’t yet started for many. Shop shutters are wedged closed; streets are left with little trace of the night before and there is a stillness of the day yet to begin. Away from the city however, closer to the coastline people are gathering in dribs and drabs. Some arrive alone, with their fists balled into the pockets of a colourful fleece to hide from the cold (something always promised by a Dublin morning). Others come in pairs or groups. No one seems to mind how you arrive or where you hide your hands…as long as you show up. Yoga mats or something to separate yourself from the dewy (wet) grass are soon rolled out. Strangers stretch, breathe and move together. A few kilometres away the city is slowly moving but on mat in Dún Laoghaire, the stillness stays. Afterwards, everyone walks for coffee together. Ireland was recently named one of the loneliest countries in the world, a statistic that would be confusing to see painted along the kerbs of Drury Street on a Friday night or pitched in the grass of Stephens Green on a summer’s evening. It feels like there’s always something going on here. People on their way somewhere, crowds queuing for something, gigs and events galore. There is chatter, traffic, music… and loneliness? Loneliness in cities carries its own unique weight. It can feel like a personal issue, to feel alone among the buzz of a place offering so many opportunities. Loneliness today exists alongside the buzz; in fact, it is undermined by it. It is rarely as simple as complete isolation, you can feel lonely on a crowded Luas, choked by surface level interactions, lost in the lives of others that appear to be moving around you. People don’t need another trend to follow or a fitness goal to be guilted into. People need real, consistent connection. Across Dublin a number of community led groups are trying to bridge that gap and create the well sought after connection. These groups are not built to monetize; they aren’t your well curated Instagram account offering giveaways and flashing the new buzzword of ‘collab’. These are groups started by people who have felt that same lonely feeling. People who want to create a space where people can meet without pressure or the need to fit a certain brand, a space where we can simply exist alongside one another and hopefully connect. On Capel Street, tucked away inside the unassuming Mish Mash Art Café, Tangent Workshop has found a home. Founded by writer Maria Kelly, Tangent brings people together with the shared interest of creative writing. The workshop welcomes experienced writers and complete beginners, those who write for a purpose and those who don’t even know where to start. Kelly has mastered an art of allowing vulnerability and creativity to coexist within the same space, without any tolerance for 38 FINDING EACH OTHER IN DUBLIN WORDS Catherine Duggan