Come Here To Me!

I’ve always done an annual post on the blog looking at things I think would make good gifts for Dubliners or those with a keen interest in the history and culture of the city. This year I’ve gone for what I think is a mix of the weird and wonderful. We reccomend you first buy five to fifteen copies of the Come Here To Me book, then move on to the following….

T-Shock Milk Bottle:

I’m a big fan of what T-Shock is doing lately, and love his print mixing a Transformer with the Dublin millenium logo of 1988. No two things say 1988 quite like our sham millenium or the Transformers. The milk bottle was an obvious follow-up! They’re available from Designist on Sth Great George’s Street just across the road from George’s Arcade. I have one on my mantlepiece.

Transformers meets Dublin Millenium (Image: T-shock)

Sketchy Ink- Why Indeed?

I absolutely love this print, which is limited to 50. It’s a great tribute to a real Dublin landmark, the Why Go Bald? sign. It’s available from This Greedy Pig, and costs €25.

Sketchy Ink- Why Indeed

Jim Fitzpatrick prints.

Jim Fitzpatrick is doing great work with his online store, selling signed prints of some classic and iconic images, such as his work for Thin Lizzy and Phil Lynott. While the Che Guevara print might be out of my price range, the classic Thin Lizzy prints are available for under €20!

Fatalistic Attitudes, Jim Fitzpatrick.

Laser cut Dublin map

This laser cut map of Dublin from Alljoy is something cool and different, which I spotted from the Irish Design Shop. I found myself looking at it for ages when I first stumbled across it.

Dublin Map (Irish Design Shop)

Books:

Keeping this list in any way short was difficult. I decided to opt with three books for ‘big people’ (or eh…adults) and one for kids. Books are the best presents for kids without a doubt.

Martin Duffy’s book The Trade Union Pint is a fantastic read, a real gem in terms of working class history and the history of the Guinness brewery, one of Dublin’s institutions. With Guinness having a reputation as one of the finest employers in the world, it may be surprising to many to hear that a battle for union recognition did occur inside the brewery. The Larkin family feature in this work, but it’s ordinary Guinness workers and rank and fine trade unionists who really emerge from the pages of this one.

Susan Weirs book Dublin’s Working Prams is something I didn’t expect to have an interest in myself on first hearing of it, but picking it up it revealed itself to a brilliant insight into street trading and Dublin traditions. It’s a real labour of love and deserves your attention.

100 Greatest Moments in Irish History by Tara Gallagher and Hannah Bailey is perfect for kids. I picked it up recently in The Gutter Bookshop and found myself flicking through it, the illustrations of some of the figures from Irish history like Theobald Wolfe Tone and Arthur Guinness are lively, and it’s perfect for younger Dubs. Start ’em young, some day they’ll run a blog like this.

Moore Street:The Story of Dublin’s Market District, has received plenty of media attention, and rightly so. Only earlier today I sat in the Paris Bakery and I often wonder what will become of that great street in twenty years time. From the battle to save 16 Moore Street, to the historic fruit and veg trading on the street, this book covers it all.