Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for 2011

A great find

Posted in Football Articles, Miscellaneous, Photography, Social History, tagged , , , , on March 14, 2011| 2 Comments »

I always love venturing into the Secret Book and Record Store on Wicklow Street as it has produced some absolute gems for me down through the years. When Mero was running the record side of things, I’d make the trip up from beyond the Pale and shuffle nervously up to the counter with whatever zine or 7″ or god forbid TAPE that I liked the look of. But as I grew, Mero’s gave way to Freebird, and punk moved across to the late Red Ink at Central Bank, and my interest in this place moved to the books.

The Secret Book and Record Store

So, when I got a text from JayCarax last week saying there was a box of League of Ireland programmes going cheap, I jumped at the chance. I eventually got in on Sunday afternoon on nipped in and the result can be seen below- €20 for 27 programmes, mainly Bohs but a few Shels as well, spanning from 1992 – 2004. Twelve short years, but a lifetime in this League. Paul Osam to Peter Eccles, Gino Lawless to Avery John all feature. Owen Heary, Pat Fenlon and Stuart Byrne seem to appear ageless, bouncing back and forth between clubs and Tony Cousins appears, looking, well, pretty much exactly like he does now. Shels were a big club, and Bohs made a profit one season. Crazy times indeed.

27 programmes for a score? A steal.

I’ll scan some of the more interesting pages up over the weekend; I’ll most likely need a repetitive and non- strenuous chore to ease my Paddy’s Day hangover away so what better to kill two birds with the one stone.

Read Full Post »

Things I intend to do this week.

Posted in Events on March 14, 2011| 1 Comment »

The grave of Vonolel, the famous horse of Field-Marshal Earl Roberts buried in the grounds of the Royal Hospital.

Yes, this is now a weekly thing.

Saint Patrick’s week. A good week for the soul, a bad week for the wallet.

My absolute failure to stay in over the weekend and save money (Saturday morning in The Chancery waiting for an 8:30am pint is the ultimate ‘quiet weekend’ failure surely?) gives way to a week I always love.

The highlight for me revolves around another Saint Patrick’s, in the form of the Dublin derby on Friday night between Shamrock Rovers and Saint Patrick’s Athletic at Tallaght Stadium. An 8pm kick off is a godsend, as the day after Patrick’s Day is always a bit 28 Days Later in terms of zombie people. Plenty of time to come back around.

I intend to continue to get as much as possible out of my IFI membership, and Between The Canals opens at the IFI on March 18th. I’ve seen the film, but really enjoyed it and I think I may take the chance to see it on a big screen. A second trip is likely, to catch Norwegian Wood. There was a time when I never went to the cinema, I now think it’s addictive.

At some stage, I’d love to pop up to Mitsuba, the new Japanese restaurant on Parnell Street. I’m in love with Parnell Street, a great mix of ethnic restaurants are to be found there including Come Here To Me favourite The Hop House. Mitsuba’s write-up in the Indo last week was promising:

It’s a long time since I’ve said I’m going to work my way through any menu, but I can’t wait to go back.

On Wednesday, I’ll be down at the Criminal Courts of Justice on Parkgate Street for a protest. Gerard Mc Donnell is a 63 year old family man facing 3 serious charges under the maritime safety act and a fine of up to €250,000 for his role in the ‘floating picket’ during the MTL dockers strike in 2009. There will be a protest outside the courts from 10am.

Paddys Day itself is a funny one. I always go along and catch the parade, and love the buzz of it. the further into adulthood I go, the more I think I enjoy the thing more now than I did as a child. The Bernard Shaw gets my shout for post parade pints.

I’m hoping to get up to the Phil Lynott exhibition at the top of the Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre at some point. On the subject of exhibitions, it really is the last chance to catch The Moderns at the IMMA. From Synge to Yeats (Jack B. that is….) and right the way up until the 1970s, the exhibition is a look at the history of the arts in Ireland from 1900 on. Any visit to the IMMA offers the chance to walk around the wonderful grounds, and I might even pay a visit to my friend Vonolel who is buried there.

I’m going to avail of my quiet week and get up to the Natural History Museum for a proper looksie, it’s been a while.

Read Full Post »

Irish Ultras Movement interview with SEI.

Posted in Football Articles on March 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Irish Ultras Movement have just posted a great interview with the Shed End Invincibles over here. It’s worth a read, and is hopefully just the first in a series of interviews with various groups. The IUM site was excellent last season, with frequent updates from all over the island.

Last week the lads were based in the mainstand and managed to generate a wonderful atmosphere, with flags waving for 90 minutes as you frequently see abroad but sadly is quite unusual at home.

I remember the SEI of old when I was younger as being one of the main reasons I’d demand to be taken down to Richer every Friday my dad was off work. Now, more and more youngsters will be drawn into the game by “the flags and the flares…”

Returning to the shed is something that we have looked into but at the moment it’s not possible. We all grew up during the days of the shed and know how special it used to be. Currently clubs with larger away support are put in there. It’s also important to remember that the SEI have been located in every part of Richmond Park since 2001 and not just the Shed End. We’ve also brought up the possibility of getting a roof on the West Stand but it’s just not possible at this time. Perhaps in the not too distant future we can get back into the shed but it does need improvement and is not likely to happen anytime soon.

Read Full Post »

Vote Norris, upset COIR and people like that…..

Posted in Uncategorized on March 14, 2011| 6 Comments »

David Norris is one of the most likeable figures about the city, without a shadow of a doubt. While I see he’s said in the media he will be, if elected, a President who happens to be gay rather than a gay President, it still has to be seen as a remarkable sign of the progressions in Irish society.

...and that, my friends, was 1988.

Read Full Post »

‘Doing My Bit For Ireland’.

Posted in Dublin History, Social History on March 14, 2011| 1 Comment »

I’ve read many of the memoirs of those who took part in the 1916 rising and later went to write of their experiences, but Margaret Skinnider’s work has always eluded me. It has passed me by once or twice on eBay, and library copies have vanished before I got to them.

Skinnider was born in Coatbridge, Scotland and was a member of Cumann na mBan in Scotland. She fought with the Irish Citizen Army as a sniper during the rebellion and was wounded in the battle. Her book provides interesting personal recollections on the build up to the rising and her experiences during it, and also includes a fascinating list of songs sung by rebels during and after the rebellion. Among these is the song of the Irish Citizen Army, to be sung to the tune of ‘John Brown’s Body’.

It’s an interesting read for those studying or interested in the period. It is available over here, on the Open Library site.

Read Full Post »

13th century structure found during construction of canopy at Meeting House Square

Posted in Dublin History on March 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »

What better way to announce such a thing on Facebook. 😀

Some eagle-eyed spotter in the Evening Herald perhaps noticed it as well, as there was an article about the discovery in the paper two days later (March 12).

TEMPLE Bar’s giant umbrella plans at Meeting House Square have been delayed after an unexpected archaeological discovery. Preliminary excavation work on the square began in January, in preparation for the construction of a large retractable canopy.

The Temple Bar Cultural Trust (TBCT) hoped that the facility would expand the use of the square for events during unsettled weather. Dublin City Council gave the green light to the TBCT to install the 21-metre tall structures.

But now the reopening of the centre will be delayed after city archaeologists uncovered a 13th Century structure.

“The finds were made on Wednesday afternoon, so at this stage it’s very early,” a spokeswoman for TBCT told the Herald. “We believe that it is a 13th Century structure. It will add time with our plans, but we have every confidence that we will be able to go ahead with our project.”

Read Full Post »

Ricardo Villalobos ticket price sparks heated online debate

Posted in Music on March 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Ricardo Villalobos, minimal techno legend, played in The Academy last Friday. Tickets were priced at €29.50 (before service charge). This apparent ‘extortionate fee’ has sparked a fascinating 7 page thread on the Clubbing forum of Boards.ie about the price of bringing DJs over to Dublin, suggestions that some Dublin promoters are ripping off punters and a more broad debate on the Commercial Clubbing vs. Independent Rave scene.

Sample Post

 

Read Full Post »

Congratulations to Glasnevin Museum.

Posted in Uncategorized on March 13, 2011| 1 Comment »

'The Champion of Liberty' Daniel O'Connell.

Congrats to all at the Glasnevin Cemetery on their incredible victory at the THEA ceremony in Los Angeles. The Themed Entertainment and Amusement prize is about as much of an endorsement as any attraction can aspire to.

I really enjoyed Shane MacThomais’ tour of the cemetery, and his work on Glasnevin in his book Ireland’s Necropolis showed a clear passion for the cemetery, the final resting place of everyone from Frank Ryan to William Martin Murphy. Great praise is due to all at the Glasnevin Trust, and indeed the whole team at Glasnevin.

There are over 1.2 million people buried in the cemetery, including my own great-grandfather, a victim of what Connolly termed the ‘conscription by starvation’ of WWI who died a as a result of war injuries at home in Dublin, a veteran of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers . Like so many others in Glasnevin, he was buried in a pauper’s grave. The team at the cemetery tell the stories of not just The Big Fellas and The Long Fellows, but those forgotten men and women too. For that, Dublin is indebted.

Well done to all involved in bringing the prize to Dublin.

Glasnevin Museum in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, received a prestigious international THEA Award, the Oscars for Themed Entertainment and Amusement, at a glittering ceremony in Los Angeles.

It is the first cemetery to be rewarded for excellence in creating a compelling educational, historical and entertainment project.

-Full news report here.

///
Ci did a nice piece on the cemetery, which is over here. He looked at some of the most high profile graves in Glasnevin.

I’ve this piece on the Pearse Street fire disaster. Firefighters Nugent, Malone and MacArdle are all buried in Glasnevin.

Read Full Post »

The Players Lounge bans the Queen.

Posted in Miscellaneous, Politics on March 13, 2011| 34 Comments »

No sambos at The Players Lounge at Fairview Strand for her majesty.

UPDATE HERE: “One will not be discriminated against”
-from éirigi facebook.

Read Full Post »

How did Dublin city lampposts end up in NUI Maynooth?

Posted in Miscellaneous on March 13, 2011| 1 Comment »

Obedientia Civium Felicitas Urbis, Happy is the city where citizens obey.

You can see the city motto on most lampposts in the capital. Walking into the library of NUI Maynooth with my hawk-eyed da, he spotted two Dublin city corporation lampost on the campus.

More Dubliners lost to North Kildare then!

Read Full Post »

So Many Things I’d Like To Say To You.

Posted in Uncategorized on March 13, 2011| 1 Comment »

“Politics is the default setting for street art”

Its fun to play with spray paint. But its hard to speak to people and say ideas. Its easy to throw up a Anarchy sign but what does that mean?

The latest from Canvaz, impressive as ever. Great point too, you can even wear some anarchy to work these days.

Read Full Post »

Remember the Alamo

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , , on March 13, 2011| 3 Comments »

The Alamo on Fleet Street has been a subject of humour on CHTM before, with their ludicrous advertising of bargain €4.50 pints (rumoured to be poured from a can by the way,) but its not a place I’d set foot in until last night. We always talk about reviewing more eateries on here but the bloody price of eating out in Dublin prohibits it most of the time. But, with a cool sixty quid in my pocket, having backed O’Driscoll to score the first try in the rugby, and the lure of post pint Mexican food great, a troupe of us made our way from the stools in Brogan’s the oldest Mexican restaurant in Dublin.

The Alamo

Its a lovely little place inside, the bang on waiter offering us a table in the window – nice to be able to look at the world go by. To be honest, none of us was sober at this point, having imbibed several pints of the black stuff throughout the afternoon, but whilst my memory generally goes after said pints, its hard to forget the food here- truly amazing. I got the chicken wings to start, having been told on the way down that they were the best in Dublin. And they didn’t disappoint. Not too spicy, more a smoky, sweet taste but undoubtedly the best wings I’ve tasted in Dublin, and thats saying something. €8.50 for a starter, a little pricy but this is Temple Bar. To be honest, they could have done as a main course, the bowl overflowing with a good twenty wings. Thats a lot of chickens… I knicked a couple of Chris’s Lambada Sizzlers- deep fried jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese, the business.

The Quesedilla for main course, and I couldn’t finish it- Huge chunks of chicken with quacamole, cheese and spring onion wrapped in soft fresh tortilla. A really tasty dish, but not without a downside- the price. €17.95 for a main course is something you couldn’t afford to do every week… or every month for that matter. I certainly wouldn’t have been doing it only for the ever so kind Paddy Power was paying for it and not me. Helping the food go down was a jug of frozen margarita. How very cosmopolitan of us. Definitely a place I’d go back to, I reckon I might give Tommy Bowe a shot next week…

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »