was painting in her experimental art installation/gallery, a space where people can watch artists at work.“I think last year we had 800 people come in. It has been building every year. This year I think I will be doing well if 100 people are here over the course of the night.”“A new owner has bought the building and there are plans to turn the space into a restaurant,” she said.
Elsewhere in Temple Bar there was little sign that Culture Night was happening at all. There was little sign that anything was happening, in fact. Most of the pubs remain shuttered and the restaurants, many of which, were serving their last supper until October 10th were quiet. A woman trying to tempt the handful of passersby with menus for the Old Mill restaurant laughed mirthlessly when asked if there were many takers.In year’s past, Merrion Square has been a hub of culture on the night but on this night all the buildings were as dark and as gloomy as they have ever been and the square was as quiet as a Sunday morning.
The only sign of life, in fact, was outside Government Buildings where television camera lights lit up the footpaths as reporters readied themselves to tell viewers what the city could expect to happen next.