Georgian Dublin on my mind

Prof Pierce Grace reviews a fascinating book on Georgian Dublin, which explores the social, political and indeed medical worlds inhabited by the ‘citizens’ of the capital in the 1700s and early 1800s ‘For Dublin can be heaven With coffee at eleven And a stroll in Stephen’s Green. There’s no need to hurry. There’s no need to worry. You’re a king and the lady’s a queen.’ These, of course, are some of the lyrics from ‘Dublin Saunter’, written by Leo Maguire (1903-1985) and made famous by his friend, Noel Purcell (1900-1985), a giant (literally and metaphorically) of Irish acting, who incidentally…