Nightlife in Dublin has always been imbalanced, with a tendency to concentrate in one area or another. In years gone by, Lower Leeson Street was the hottest spot in town, lined with basement wine bars and nightclubs. Then Temple Bar took over, largely because the only “draw” that achieved critical mass in what was intended to be “Dublin’s Cultural Quarter” was the licensed trade. Other hotspots include Wexford Street, with its noisy pubs, and Harcourt Street, which has several equally noisy nightclubs headlined by Copperface Jack’s.

More recently, South William Street has been transformed as part of a branding exercise for the area west of Grafton Street, stretching from Clarendon Street to South Great George’s Street, as the city’s “Creative Quarter” – whatever that means. But this has all been happening on the south side, while a large tract of the city centre north of the River Liffey languishes in limbo, with only Capel Street and O’Connell Street showing any signs of life after the shops close. And Dublin Town, the city centre business improvement district, wants to rectify this glaring discrepancy.

Having commissioned research by polling company Red C, Dublin Town chief executive Richard Guiney said it was clear that people coming into the north side of the city to shop, also want to socialise and they would like to see more cafes and restaurants at street level, with outdoor tables. But the biggest impediment is that the area’s main retail zone, Henry Street, is dead after dark, and it will take more than improved lighting to change this grim reality on the ground. What’s needed is more creative thinking by the owners of shops and stores, with a willingness to support the emergence of night-time uses.

If this nut can’t be cracked on Henry Street, there may be some hope of creating a “cafe society” on Moore Street, assuming that the current imbroglio over its 1916 battle site can be satisfactorily resolved. Then, perhaps, the extreme pressure on areas such as Temple Bar could be relieved by encouraging revellers to congregate elsewhere in what is, after all, a relatively compact city centre.