Come Here To Me!

Spotted this on the Porterhouse Facebook page, can’t fault this:

So we have had many many people asking over the weekend if we are giving out pints of Plain Porter on Arthur’s Day. So ok, here’s the deal, first of all congrats to our good friends down the road at St James’ Gate Brewery for 252 years of brewing. So as a gesture to all good things that are stout, we will be giving away pints of Plain Porter between 5.30pm and 6.30pm. Just ask for Dan in Temple Bar and Robin in Central on Thursday 22nd Sept.

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Some Dublin ads here from 1942, taken from the Lord Mayors Guide Book for that year. Notice the wartime ad promoting domestic tourism! From Trinity to the Zoo and more besides, these are just a sample of the great ads contained inside the book. More soon.

(more…)

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Interesting news today, in that it appears Nick Griffin, leader of the British National Party, is on his way to Dublin.

The Jewish Chronicle online was among the first news websites to run the story, it’s report noting:

Nick Griffin has been invited to speak at a Trinity College Dublin event.

A university spokeswoman confirmed that the British National Party leader is set to appear at a Philosophical Society meeting on October 20.

According to a post on the personal blog of the party’s media officer Simon Darby, Griffin was invited along with a “BNP delegation” for a debate titled: “This House Believes Immigration Has Gone Too Far”.

The university did not confirm if there would be any other outside guests at the event.

Mr Darby said: “Let’s all hope the students in Dublin hold their nerve against the inevitable, liberal fascist onslaught against free speech.”

Yet, we needn’t be worried by Nick. As far as he’s concerned, we’re more than welcome to pop over and back to the ‘mainland’ when we feel like it.

‘We are certainly not going to shut the doors to the Irish, because the Irish, as far as we are concerned, are part of Britain and fully entitled to come here.’

This could get interesting.

Update 1: There is a Facebook page in opposition to Griffin’s appearance at Trinity College Dublin over here.

Update 2: This great article on student activism in Dublin in the late 1980s includes information on previous controversial appearances from the far-right at Trinity. It’s well worth a read.

The previous year a provocation by the organized right in TCD also badly backfired when their invitation to David Irving resulted in hundreds of people blockading and then trying to storm the building where the debate was to take place. Again there was co-operation from campus unions, importantly security refused to cover the event leaving it up to a couple of senior academics to try and enforce discipline on the night. At this point in time we had the confidence to simply ignore them.

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A nice nod to both the capital and The Clash from de’brudder, the ever-talented Luke Fallon. If only he’d update his own blog. I couldn’t design a birthday invitation myself, never mind anything else…..

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Spotted this doing the rounds on Facebook, Anto Social with a new one. Tongue very much in cheek here. Neilstown, Ballyfermot and more besides get a look in too, as well as the glorious Palmerstown I call home.

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Two lovely new prints from Maser for the Dublin Contemporary exhibition at Earlsfort Terrace. I popped along to have a look on Monday and must say it was three hours very well spent, get along and enjoy. Maser’s Daniel O’Connell piece on the ground floor is excellent and worthy of a look.

The below will make sense after you visit the exhibition.

This piece pays homage to The Liberator, Daniel O’Connell.
I left my apartment off O’Connell street, heading towards Drury Street when I noticed a sign I’ve seen for years
“Why go bald”.
It’s my favourite neon sign in Dublin.
It’s message inspired me.
It made perfect sense.

To the mother stuck in an abusive relationship.
To the self consious teen I once was.
To the employee who hates their job.
To the addict who thinks there’s no hope.

Condition your mind. “Emancipate Yourself”

-Maser

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Who saw that coming? Not us.

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I’ve always loved the street-art one finds in Dublin, and there’s no denying we have a wide-range of talent in the field here in the capital. As part of Dublin Contemporary 2011, A New Space Dublin have come together with the project to see 22 new and exciting pieces of street art added to the capitals walls and hoardings.

…..Dublin Contemporary 2011 has collaborated with ANEWSPACE (Dublin) to commission a host of Irish and international artists to cover 22 urban sites in what amounts to a restlessly creative walking tour of the city. From the Iveagh Gardens to Camden Street, Aungier
Street to St. Stephens Green Centre, Temple Bar to O’Connell Street, Dublin is literally awash with the radically accessible, communicative potential of the street

The participating artists are:

Conor Harrington Cork (IRL)/London (GBR)
D*Face London (GBR)
DMC Belfast (IRL)
Escif Valencia (ESP)
FOES CREW : KUBE ROIK OMIN Dundalk (IRL)
James Early /input out Dublin (IRL)
Jor Dublin (IRL)
Mark Jenkins Washin gton DC (USA)
Maser Dublin (IRL)
Morgan Dublin (IRL)
Prefab (collective ) NYC (USA)
Will St Leger Dublin (IRL)
RASK (TDA) DROGHEDA (IRL)

Photos from the project and more information on it are available from the A New Space Tumblr at http://anewspacelivestreets.tumblr.com/

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In recent weeks, an art installation in Temple Bar at Exchange Street made a re-appearance. Where once pages of the Ryan Report were pasted onto the hoardings, it was pages from the Cloyne Report which were pasted up recently, with the haunting words ‘CHILD RAPE’ pasted above the report.

Unsurprisingly, someone took a disliking to the piece, and it appears many of the pages have been scraped from the hoardings. On more than one occasion I have seen individuals scraping pages from the piece. It’s been interesting to watch visitors stop to read from the report, or to see native Dubliners breakdown to tears reading it as I have passing by. It’s powerful stuff.

….the Cloyne Report excavates the dysfunction, disconnection, elitism….the narcissism that dominate the culture of the Vatican to this day.
The rape and torture of children were downplayed or ‘managed’ to uphold instead, the primacy of the institution, its power, standing and ‘reputation’

– Enda Kenny.

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The Irish Independent report on the naming of the referees for the 2011 All-Ireland Senior and Minor Football Championship finals at Croker makes for interesting reading to say the least. Paradigm Hughes of Ramah, any relation of Pádraig Hughes from Armagh? Who knows.

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We've come a long way.....

There’s a great report over on The Irish Times website about a Crumlin school which has ditched books for iPads.

According to Blake Hodkinson, principal at St Kevin’s College in Crumlin, this system is 40 per cent cheaper than buying books. Until now the school has provided all books at a cost of €20,000 per year, with €4,000 of that contributed by families.

The report can be read here. It’s hard not to be jealous, when all you could do for fun is class was draw facial hair on people in your history books.

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