Come Here To Me!

This looks interesting. This Saturday one of the NAMA buildings in the city centre is going to open its doors, with that temporarily occupied space playing home to a day of discussion around NAMA, its roles and functions and the possibilities around NAMA buildings. Unlock NAMA are the group behind this venture, and in their own words “Unlock NAMA is a campaign to access NAMA properties for social and community use and to hold NAMA to account”

There is a lengthy write-up from Unlock NAMA at politico.ie which you can read here, outlining more about Saturday.

The location of the building will go out on social media at 9.30am on Saturday morning, so keep an eye on facebook.com/unlocknama and follow @unlocknama on Twitter.

Full Programme:

12 noon: Conor McCabe (author of Sins of the Father) on NAMA and Property Speculation in Ireland
2.30pm: Andy Storey (lecturer in politics and international relations) and Michael Taft (research officer, UNITE) on the Anglo: Not Our Debt campaign
4pm: Unlock NAMA: What buildings does NAMA have and how can we identify and gain access to them?

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At the Abbey Street/Capel Street junction, this gem from street artist Canvaz stands. It seems a fitting day for it to go here, with 1.25 Billion Euro going to senior unsecured bondholders during the course of the day. Have a good one folks.

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A lovely looking plaque on Upper Stephens Street, just off Aungier Street which celebrates the location of the world’s ‘first pneumatic tyre factory’.

(c) David Hawgood

From Frank Hopskin’s great Hidden Dublin:

(Scottish-born) Dunlop came to live in Dublin in April 1891, (first in) Mount Merrion and then 46 Ailesbury Road where he lived for the reminder of his life. He resigned as director of the Pneuematic Tyre Co. and Booths Cycle Agency in 1895 and sold the bulk of his shares in the company … Dunlop, whose invention revolutionised the bicycle and motor car, died on 23 October 1921 and is buried in Deansgrange Cemetery.

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This is a fascinating interview with Conor McCabe, author of Sins of the Father, historian and blogger over at Dublin Opinion. It was recorded by Dublin Community Television, and makes for fascinating listening.

“If this was Star Wars, the IFSC is the Death Star.” Right you are Conor.

Conor will be giving a talk on Thursday March 1st at 1pm at the Central Library in the ILAC Centre, entitled From independence to the IMF: the Irish economy and the forces that shaped it, 1922-2010.

Part 2 is here.

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Recognise the image above?

A trip to Archbishop Marsh’s Library really is a must for all Dubliners. Right next to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, it’s amazing how many of us have never visited the oldest public library in Dublin. The library was established in 1701, and it’s first librarian was Dr. Elias Bouhéreau, a Huguenot refugee.

The books of Elias Bouhéreau, some of which had fled with him, were among the earliest added to the library. Books sit quietly in libraries for generations, but at Easter 1916 some of the historic books of Archbishop Marsh’s Library were hit by a hail of machine gun fire, and the bullet holes can be seen today.

The library have a wonderful Facebook page, which just like the National Library Flickr account, shows the potential of new media for great old institutions. Recent photos have included everything from the above image to medical books of the 1640s and more besides. We recommend popping over for a look, but also I can’t recommend visiting this incredible library enough.

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There’s always interest in posts which look at vintage book covers, and here are a few of my favourites of the family bookshelf scanned up. These will interest those of you with an eye for design as much as the history lovers among you. Personally I love the image of Leinster House on the front of John B.Keane’s book, as well as this colourful cover for Borstal Boy, the “bawdy swaggering outrageous bestseller.”

John B. Keane- Letters Of A Successful T.D (1967)

Brendan Behan- Borstal Boy (1958)

Oliver St John Gogarty- As I Was Going Down Sackville Street (1968)

(more…)

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Interesting stuff this, video footage of a recent commemoration in Dublin for colonel Gaddafi.

A bit of digging brought out this announcement for the event:

On Sunday, the 18th of December, 2011, at 2pm in the Garden of Remembrance, Dublin, The People of Ireland will have the opportunity to pay their respects to the memory of their friend, comrade and great support, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, and to the memory of all the Noble Patriots of Libya and Ireland, who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend their countries from imperialist attack and domination.

Anyone wishing to bring along the national flags of the Irish Republic and of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya are welcome to do so, along with any items of green clothing you may have, such as scarves.

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Champion Sports. If there’s one positive to this recession, it’s the bargains.

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This is sheer brilliance from the lads at Storymap and Shane MacThomais, historian at Glasnevin Cemetery. It tells the story of a UVF man buried among some of our own ‘patriot dead’.

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Interesting photo posted to Facebook, the inevitable fall out with local business for Occupy Dame Street?

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