If you visit the Guinness Storehouse, you'll see examples of Cuan Hanly's skills: he designed the uniforms of the staff. How appropriate that the city's hottest young designer is associated with Dublin's Temple of Trend. Drop by his minimalist shop on the ground floor of a block of chic apartments, and you'll get a flavour of his classic clothes with a contemporary twist. Now 35, Cuan (pronounced Coon) Hanly learned his trade in London with Paul Smith for eight years, before returning to Dublin to work with John Rocha. In the mid-1990s, Hanly took the plunge and started up his own business.

The Cuan Hanly Store is in the lively Old City, an area with ambitions to be known as the Designer Quarter. Despite its name, the Old City is new. "It's a re-build area, with a real buzz about it, thanks to the like-minded people who live and work here. It's not a typical High Street. The shops are one-of-a-kind retailers, from clothing to furniture, and all very design-oriented." Those old enough to remember that far back compare these bright new boutiques with London, "perhaps Carnaby Street, back in the Swinging Sixties, or Covent Garden when it started out."

But when it comes to contemporary Dublin, Hanly prefers to compare the city to Paris or Barcelona. "Ireland in general, and Dublin in particular, has embraced the European ethos." That, in turn, is the result of a change in attitude. "The economic boom is the result of hard work. The Irish stereotype of putting things off until tomorrow is a thing of the past. There's a real entrepreneurial spirit nowadays."
At the same time, aspects of Dublin's traditional charm have not been lost. "People are still happy to give you the time of day. If you're lost, there's no hassle."

Ireland has one of the youngest populations in Europe. Thanks to the country's recent 'economic miracle', the most talented youngsters now stay at home. Art and design colleges in Dublin and Limerick are vibrant. "Ireland has always had a great creative heritage," says Hanly, "mainly through literature and music. Now painting, graphics, architecture, modern crafts and design are also coming through." Co-incidentally, his sister is the architect who designed the interior of his shop.

Much as Hanly admits to missing the variety and the friends he had while working in London, he is happy to be home. Dublin is still a small city, where much is within walking distance. He likes to browse the trendy streets, popping in to see what's new in the small shops along Lower Exchange Street or Castle Market, near Grafton Street. And looking forward, Hanly recognises that success can bring negatives as well as positives to his hometown. "Dublin is now a major city on the world map, a desirable place to live. We have to be careful how it grows. At the moment, it's small and manageable, with a real sense of community. We have to preserve that."