If you think back to the first lockdown, many people took to baking banana bread, others took to learning a new language or instrument with the extra free time they had.

Lockdown gave us a time to slow down and enjoy hobbies wed neglected. It also got us to rediscover the little things in life we can take pride in.

Gianni Clifford reconnected with his childhood hobby and took the time to recreate his favourite Dublin pubs that have been closed since last March.

His quarantine hobby of building Lego has resulted in a collaboration with the Danish toy giant.

The 35 year old shared his work on Instagram which captured the beauty of the citys traditional spots in a time when we miss them most.

The Instagram account @dublinbricks has built a steady fan base since Dublin Enquirer interviewed Clifford last November.

To date, he has recreated the following iconic boozers: Grogans, Anseo, The Long Hall on Georges Street, The Lord Edward Pub, The Bernard Shaw, and The Harold House.

Gianni has even added tiny customers and creamy pints of Guinness into his recreations.

He also included DJ decks in the Bernard Shaw, a dartboard in the Harold House, toasties in Grogans and there are also some replica packets of Tayto.

He told RTE that he was always big fan of Lego, and has been building it since he was a kid.

Speaking about his creations he said: "It's obviously something we're all particularly missing now. I think pubs symbolise a lot, they symbolise the place where you go and meet your friends.

"I think I speak for myself and many others probably, in that I would do anything to be in a pub and see some of those friends and have some hugs and some cheers as well."

He embraced his love of Lego as a way to get through lockdowns, he said it gave him a sense of "escapism" and it was a "really, really positive thing"

"To be able to do a hobby like this, where you're being creative, you're trying to figure some things out but you're also getting a lot of escapism from your day to day.

He highlighted that his hobby was positive towards his mental health.

Clifford has also been creating replicas of popular spots in the city such as the generating station in Poolbeg, Leo Burdock's chipper, the first floor of the National History Museum, and Green 19 restaurant.

You can visit Giannis website here and purchase his Lego recreations here.

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Dublin pubs: Lego artist recreates the citys iconic boozers with tiny bricks - Dublin Live