The supper club in Mountjoy Square is fictional, but was inspired by a pop-up supper at Dublin’s tenement museum in Henrietta St (14henriettast.ie). Pat and Helena’s bookshop in Westport is also fictional but was inspired by the wonderful bookshop Tertualia, the Quay, Westport, Co. Mayo (tertuliabookshop.com). The youth hostel in Verona exists and is still open, at 10 Via Santa Chiara (ostelloverona.it). Andrew’s sentiments about Dublin at Christmas are expressed far more eloquently by Barry McCrea in his beautiful essay ‘Oh come ye, Oh come ye to Dublin’ published by the Independent (independent.co.uk).
At the time of writing, Bewley’s Café is open for takeaway only – a sad state of affairs. I can only hope that it will open its doors again soon, and that I’ll make it there before too long, to order tea and a sticky bun: or a coffee at eleven and a stroll on Stephen’s Green.