Ulysses glances frequently at "the liberties," a large
area in the southwest part of central Dublin, and at streets
in the area. In 1904 it was a blighted part of town whose
tenement houses were crammed with unemployed and destitute
people, prostitutes, criminals, middle-class citizens in
danger of joining the underclass, and struggling immigrants.
The area got its name from the fact that lands that were
eventually incorporated into the city began as the holdings of
certain churches and aristocratic families, notably the Earls
of Meath and the two cathedrals now known as Christ Church and
St. Patrick's. English kings and courts granted exemption from
city taxation and authorized the Liberties to establish their
own courts and exercise economic powers. Freedom from
municipal control enabled some of these areas to establish
thriving textile manufacturing businesses in the 17th and 18th
centuries. People who prospered in the weaving trade built
many wealthy homes, as well as a weavers' guildhall. But
various laws and economic forces conspired to destroy this
prosperity by the end of the 18th century, and the 19th
century saw uninterrupted decline. The wealthy houses were
chopped up into apartments catering to the impoverished.
The detail from a 1798 map here (second illustration) shows
several of the streets in the area that are mentioned in the
novel. The Coombe, where
the green and blue markings overlap (its name is unfortunately
obscured by both these lines) runs east-west from Pimlico to
Patrick Street. Due south of the eastern end of The Coombe is
"Fumbailies La." ("Fumbally's
Lane" in Aeolus), running east from the north
end of Black Pitts. To the east of The Coombe, and just a
little north, is St. Patrick's Cathedral, and to the east of
that is Marsh's Library.
Starting a little northeast of the cathedral, and running
north, is Bride Street.
