My thanks to my friend Dorje for passing on a heap of old copies of In Dublin recently. An invaluable publication in the days before social media, it gave some sense of what was happening in the city. Dating from 1977 and 1978, these issues give good insight into culture in the city. Many of the places advertised within remain loved parts of the city today.
Firstly, and most importantly, Grogans public house on South William Street.
There are two advertisements from the gay rights movement, firstly Tel-A-Friend (which in time became the Gay Switchboard), and secondly the Irish Gay Rights Movement, with its phoenix logo rising from the ashes. The movement was based at Temple Bar’s Hirschfeld Centre, which was also home to Dublin’s much-loved Flikkers disco.
Books Upstairs celebrated 40 years in business this year. This advertisement comes from their first year of business. We wish them every success for the next four decades (they are now on D’Olier Street)
In the days of cinema censorship, cinema clubs were hugely important. It cost 1.50 to join the Project Cinema Club:
Andy Irvine and Paul Brady’s remarkable collaborative record, on Mulligan Records, makes an appearance:
As does my mothers favourite nightclub….
While In Dublin is no more, one publication frequently advertised within it remains in existence:
The biggest cultural shock reading the magazine now of course is the need for advertisements for the likes of the New Family Planning Clinic and the Well Woman Centre to promote contraception:
Click on the book for more.
Click on the book for more.
Donal
Ciarán
Sam
Come Here To Me! 
by 1977/78 The Irish Gay Rights Movement (IGRM) and the National Gay Federation (NGF) were two separate organisations. The NGF was based (as you say) at the Hirschfeld Centre in Fownes St, (we need a blue plaque??) while the IGRM and the Phoenix disco was in Parnell Sq, and later
moved to the South Lotts.
John Doyle was the editor and I think founded and owned In Dublin. He was very brave for the times that were in it. I wrote a couple of pieces. I was a bit hard up, but by the time the cheque arrived I was a bit more flush. John wrote on the attached complements slip: “an oldie but a goodie”. I still have them somewhere.
A brother of mine, Jack Kennedy (rip) wrote a column in In Dublin on the thriving cabaret scene. I don’t have any of those columns but I’d love to get a copy of one if possible. Joe Kennedy