The building in which Bewley's is now housed was, in the 18th century a school, Whyte's Academy which counted the Duke of Wellington, Robert Emmet and Thomas Moore among its former pupils.

The Bewley family originally came from France via England to Ireland in the year 1700 and were principally involved in textiles, they were Quakers.

Bewley's were the first to directly import tea and other overseas goods directly into Ireland, prior to their first shipment in 1835 these would have been sourced in Britain.

By the start of the 20th century, coffee was becoming an important part of the Bewley's business and in the 1920s Ernest Bewley bought and refurbished the former Whyte's Academy on Grafton Street. It was an expensive endeavour and he commissioned the famous Harry Clarke to design and install a set of stained glass windows.

It was during the Second World War when the British government restricted the supply of tea that coffee drinking really took off in Dublin, consumption doubled between 1939 and 1945.

So now, Bewley's is now open again, at least for now - do head in and have a coffee, cake or tea in a cultural Dublin institution frequented by James Joyce, Wittgenstein, Samuel Beckett, musicians, politicians and locals and visitors alike.

I will be sure to add Bewley's to my list of favourite coffee shops here.