Move over Phibsboro, there's another cool neighbourhood in town...
A myriad of editors and contributors from TimeOut have once again searched the globe, polling over 27,000 city-dwellers and consulting with local experts, to rank the coolest neighbourhoods for food, fun, culture and community from around the world.
This year, Dublin 8 has been named as the 15th coolest neighbourhood to live in.
The announcement comes at a particularly special time in the lives of Irish people as, like many around the world, we are rediscovering the hidden gems our neighbourhoods have to offer.
Having been restricted to our immediate surroundings over the past number of months, this year's list feels particularly special.
As the writers say: "Against impossible odds, communities banded together, hung out, made stuff. They displayed all the same energy and resilience and grassroots ingenuity that allowed them to spring up in the first place. They survived."
Taking the various lockdowns into consideration, this year's batch of neighbourhoods came under a different kind of scrutiny this year, with writers focusing in on "community spirit, resilience, sustainability" as well as offerings of food, drink, nightlife, and culture.
Praising Dublin 8, contributing journalist Éadaoin Fitzmaurice writes that the area holds "the essence and charm of the Irish capital to a tee".
Listing popular cultural hotspots such as Lucky's pub, Pearse Lyons Distillery, Dublin Food Co-op as well as the many "bric-à-brac shops, street art, markets, and homey cafés", Fitzmaurice says that the area is a hub of community activity and sustainably focused workshops.
According to the journalist, a perfect day in Dublin 8 includes a visit to The Fumbally, a dog-friendly café and shop, followed by a stroll in the War Memorial Gardens or Phoenix Park, a trip to the Irish Museum of Modern Art, and a tour of a distillery like Teelings, Stillgarden or Roe&Co, before finishing off with drinks at the MVP.
TimeOut's 49 coolest neighbourhoods in the world:
- Nørrebro, Copenhagen
- Andersonville, Chicago
- Jongno 3-ga, Seoul
- Leith, Edinburgh
- Station District, Vilnius
- Chelsea, New York
- XI District, Budapest
- Ngor, Dakar
- Sai Kung, Hong Kong
- Richmond, Melbourne
- Neukölln, Berlin
- Centro, Medellín
- Dalston, London
- Silver Lake, Los Angeles
- Dublin 8, Dublin
- Zoloti Vorota, Kyiv
- Noord, Amsterdam
- Villeray, Montreal
- Surry Hills, Sydney
- Ancoats, Manchester
- Sagene, Oslo
- Old Xuhui, Shanghai
- Centro, Mexico City
- Gràcia, Barcelona
- Saúde, Rio de Janeiro
- Kemptown, Brighton
- Sololaki, Tbilisi
- Brickell, Miami
- Ouseburn, Newcastle
- Barranco, Lima
- Chamberí, Madrid
- Vinohrady, Prague
- Katong, Singapore
- Anjos, Lisbon
- Daikanyama, Tokyo
- Haut-Marais, Paris
- Al Bateen, Abu Dhabi
- Foz, Porto
- Central Square, Boston/Cambridge
- Mount Pleasant, Vancouver
- Jamestown, Accra
- Centro, Oaxaca
- Mouassine, Marrakech
- Dubai Marina, Dubai
- Kadikoy, Istanbul
