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Hoops Upside Your Head (Vol.3, No.4 1994) Shamrock Rovers fanzine.

August 11, 2010 by Donal

Following on from Only Fools and Horses (Bohs) last week, here’s another League of Ireland fanzine, Hoops Upside Your Head. I’d intended to scan up a loaned copy of No Way, Referee! from Bray Wanderers, but a tip of the hat is due in the direction of the Irish Election Literature Blog, for linking me to the scans of this one. Nice work.

This fanzine comes from the 1994 season. It includes a great piece on away trips to Limerick, a report of a trip to Zabre, a piece on the incompetence of the FAI, and even an offer to send ” SRFC.bmp” to those who send a blank formatted diskette to the fanzine. Ah, the novelties of the early 90’s!

Well worth a read. As ever, best read in Full Screen. We welcome scans of League of Ireland fanzines, mail me at donal.ofalluin.2009@nuim.ie to get in touch.

Posted in Football Articles, Social History | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment »

A Random Drop Inn: The Workman’s Club

August 10, 2010 by Donal

The Workman's Club is right next door to The Clarence.

These are brave times to open a pub.

When I heard the site of the old Workman’s Club on the quays was to become the home of a new boozer, I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve always had a soft spot for Workman’s Clubs (The one in Inchicore comes to mind, is it the last on the go?), and have drank in a few ‘across the water’. On the wall by the bar here, an old relic of the Workman’s Club survives, informing members of the need to get the £40 membership in as quickly as possible.

It’s not a wall but, as I thought, but rather a door that opens up to reveal a large stage area, where gigs will soon be taking place (look out for the Hard Working Class Heroes Festival, long-established in the city). Like the bar, the design is minimalist. With the exception of a piano and a few candles, the bar is a straight up tables and chairs affair. I’m happy to see the piano works/

I mistake an old couple in the corner for lost tourists. Rather, they turn out to be old punters of the actual Workman’s Club, and they are full of questions for the bar staff. At our table, the lads are all happy with the Guinness, Ciaran in particular. On first sip, it is unfaultable. The music here is well within the indie school of rock, ranging from Lykke Li to The Clash in the time we’re here.

I venture upstairs. The view looks down over the Liffey, and the upstairs has a design completely unlike that downstairs, opting for a purple look and decorated with art and snaps by Dublin artists and photographers. There’s plenty of room for dancing, and an open window (soon to go, apparently) allows a glance out at what will hopefully become a smoking area. It’s sizable, and you can just peak at Essex Street in Temple Bar from here.

Being a Sunday, we were soon off to Pygmalion for half price drinks, but on first glance this one is a winner. The lovely brick work front of the pub looks great and it’s nice to see one of the buildings in the city I can’t recall seeing used in donkeys years find a purpose. It’s simple, pretty cool without trying too hard and the Guinness (€4.50 a pint) is thumbs up. The music is right up my street, and the place is a welcome addition.

Shame about the neighbours.

Posted in Pubs | Tagged , | 4 Comments »

Sinn Féin Rebellion Handbook (Irish Times, 1917)

August 9, 2010 by Sam

Sad state of affairs when it takes the Boston Public Library (4,811 km away from the GPO) to digitize such a historically valuable document. Read the 308 page booklet here.

The Rebellion Handbook was published by the Irish Times in 1917, and is based on articles carried in the Irish Times in May 1916. The handbook provides a fascinating insight into the Easter rising. It is one of the key sources and contains a wealth of information, including an official list of casualties, names of prisoners, photographs and a map showing the key locations in Dublin.

The handbook contains 308 pages of information. It includes:

* facsimiles of documents
* articles from the Irish Times
* photographs of principal rebels and government & security personnel
* a detailed account of the events in Dublin and around the country
* detailed list of buildings destroyed
* official and rebel documents
* names and personal details of 1,306 casualties (including 300 deaths) from army, navy, RIC, DMP, civilians and rebels.
* full account of court martial hearings and execution of 15 rebels
* names, addresses and occupations of over 3,000 rebels arrested and interned.
* a detailed Whos Who of the people of the time.
* full court details of the Casement trial.

It remains one of the most detailed accounts of the rising, and is an essential resource for those studying the people and events of this tumultuous event.

Front cover.

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Saving the pram. (July 18, 1951)

August 9, 2010 by Donal

A promotional image for the current run of The Plough and the Stars at the Abbey.

Sara Keating, for The Irish Times, recently wrote a fantastic piece on the background to some of the props in the current production of The Plough and The Stars at the Abbey. You’re only a click away if you want to read it.

One of the props dealt with was the pram belonging to Mrs. Gogan. She discussed the pram with prop maker Eimear Murphy.

The pram being used for the looting in Act Three is one of the oldest props at the Abbey. An original Victorian pram, it was used in the very first production of the play and every production since. Over 100 years old, it is in a delicate state; “one of the wheels is just taped on at this stage”, Murphy says. It was also badly damaged in the fire of 1951, so that while the frame of the pram is original, its casing isn’t. With its delicate frame and unique wooden handles it is totally authentic, and has been especially reserved over the years for The Plough and the Stars

The fire? Well, on July 18 1951 a fire ripped the home of the Abbey apart.The great history of the Dublin Fire Brigade compiled by Tom Geraghty and Trevor Whitehead noted that in was the busiest night of the year for the Brigade, with nine crews fighting the blaze.

What had been the former Mechanic’s Institute and City Morgue was just a gaunt dangerous skeleton festooned with The Plough and the Stars posters, and the ghost of Yeats was left to haunt an eerie smoke-filled chamber.

Flann O’ Brien (Or eh…Myles na gCopaleen) dealt with the fire in his excellent Cruiskeen Lawn column on July 25, 1951. Writing about plans to stage some major plays in the Peacock, he quipped that.

At the moment the company purports to be playing The Plough and the Stars in the Peacock. Why not Juno in the Peacock?

Or why not Autumn Fire?

No, I’m probably wrong- The Plough is probably the right play. After all, it brought the house down.

Excellent.

The photograph below is a gem, showing Fireman Frank Brennan salvaging the above mentioned pram from the ruins of the Abbey.

Thanks are due to the Dublin Fire Brigade Museum for the use of the image. What survived of the pram can be seen on stage in the current run of the O’ Casey play.

Posted in Dublin History, Social History | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Belle and Sebastian

August 7, 2010 by Donal

This Grand Canal Theatre lark is going well so far, isn’t it? Along with Joanna Newsom, here’s another one for my list. I must have been chilling in the west the country when this one was announced, as it went completely over my head.

Not alone did Belle and Sebastian produce one of those albums you play all the time and nobody else in the house minds (Dear Catastrophe Waitress), but they’re also the subject of a comic book entitled Put The Book Back On The Shelf (Forbidden Planet stock it), which is quite cool. Fitting enough, when your bands name is a nod in the direction of a children’s book. Music (from my room) and comics (from the room next door) kept this house busy in days gone by.

The Glasgow bands brand of indie-pop works for me, and obviously millions of others. To quote a friend….

How could something from Glasgow sound so Edinburgh?

They’d be chuffed.

Belle and Sebastian roll into town on Friday December 3rd.
Tickets range from €39.50 to €44.50, from the usual sources.

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Dublin’s War Memorials

August 7, 2010 by Sam

(I wish I could take credit for the following information and pictures. Major kudos to those behind the Irish War Memorials website. Check it out.)

It is well known that Dublin is dotted with memorials to those killed in the 1916 Rising, the Great War and WW2.

But did you know that we have plaques and monuments dedicated to those who lost their lives in the Korean War (1950-53), Cypriot War of Independence (1955 – 1959), Palestinian Revolt (1936 – 1939), Afghanistan War (1879 – 80), Sudan conflict (19th century) and the 1867 Rising? I certainly didn’t.

Dublin has two memorials marking The Korean War. The first, a bronze plaque in St. Matthew’s Church on Irishtown Road, is dedicated to Thomas Hankey (Rifleman 1st Batt. Royal Ulster Rifles. 6th Airborne Division) who was killed in action on the 7th June, 1944 and Bruce Samuel Hudson (Lieut. Royal Artillery) who was killed in action on the 23rd April, 1951.

Hankey and Hudson Memorial, St. Matthew's Church. (Picture - Michael Pegum)

The second is a Memorial Cross in the grounds of  St. Mary’s Church of Ireland on Anglesea Road. It honours men from Donnybrook who fought in WW1, WW2 and the Korean War.

War memorial. (Picture - Michael Pegum)

John David Foster. (Picture - Michael Pegum)

James Lane, a past pupil of Belvedere College, who was killed in the Cypriot War of Independence is commemorated in a plaque dedicated to alumnus who were killed in wars both at home and abroad:

Belvedere War Memorial. (Picture - Michael Pegum)

At the Law Memorial in the Chapel in St. Columba’s College, Whitechurch, there is a plaque to 2nd Lieut. John Anthony Law who was killed in Palestine on the 9th September 1938:

Picture - Michael Pegum

The following memorials are dedicated to Irishmen killed in Afghanistan (1879 – 80):

Kelly Memorial, Sandford Church, Ranelagh. (Picture - Michael Pegum)

Cumming Memorial, St. Patrick's Cathedral. (Picture - Michael Pegum)

Henn Memorial, St. Patrick's Cathederal. (Picture - Michael Pegum)

St. Patrick’s Cathedral is also the home of the Royal Irish Regiment China Memorial:

Royal Irish Regiment China Memorial. (Picture - Michael Pegum)

Tucked away in the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham is a memorial to the 16th Lancers who were killed in action in Soudan (1884 – 5):

16th Lancers Soudan Memorial. (Picture - Michael Pegum.)

Finally, have a look at this plaque dedicated to the Fenians who fought in the 1867 rising in Tallaght:

Fenian Men Memorial, Tallaght. (Picture - Michael Pegum)

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A day at the Dublin Horse Show.

August 6, 2010 by Donal

Bright sunshine and serene sky had encouraged the ladies to don the lightest and most attractive frocks. As a leading social event, the day was attended by every favourable circumstance, and was in every way a success.

So noted The Irish Times of August 24, 1911. The “splendid gathering” that is the Dublin Horse Show has remained a staple of Dublin life, though the Royal Irish Lancers and the sort are long gone from the scene. Yesterday, I made my first visit to the show, and what I found was an event even larger than I had expected.

I must say, I never fully understood the social significance of the Horse Show before visiting it myself. My mother, a child of Ballyfermot, recalls attending the Horse Show as a child with her father. Yesterday, it was clear the event draws people from all across the capital and beyond. The crowd is probably best described as international in composition, and pub rumours of waiting lists for hotels in the area suggest the Horse Show is safe for the forseeable future. With over 300 stalls, several packed bars and dozens of catering vans and even restaurants on site, the amount of employment generated by the show is staggering itself. The show runs smoothly, but only as a result of the hard work of countless staff.

Continue Reading »

Posted in Events, Reviews, Social History | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

Watts was a different kettle of fish altogether.

August 6, 2010 by Donal

adifferentkettleoffishaltogether art space on Ormond Quay.

The adifferentkettleoffishaltogether space at Ormond Quay was previously Watts Gun Shop. There for years, I was always fascinated by it. A bit like Rory’s Tackle Shop in Temple Bar (still there and with a snap of a happy Amy Winehouse in the window…), it was a bit of a throw-back to a much older Ireland.

Today, it is an art-space used by Mannix Flynn and Farcry productions. Most ironically, in 2006, they staged an exhibition there where……well, I’ll let them explain it

In 2006 Farcry constructed an arms dump and, along with members of the public, actively engaged with a process of placing firearms beyond use. It was a cultural mirroring of the John De Chastelain process that had begun with the provisional IRA. Over a period of 4 days 200 people entered the building on Ormond Quay and saw for themselves upfront, close and personal what it was that we were letting go of. The gun has been phased out of Irish politics and a new process of achieving aspirations has begun.

Anyway, in the last few days this showed up in the family and I thought it worth posting. If anyone has a photo of Watts back in the day please post it!

'With Compliments' card from Watts, 18 Ormond Quay Upr.

Posted in Dublin History, Miscellaneous | Tagged | 7 Comments »

The United Irishmen

August 4, 2010 by Donal

The first Irish national to score in the new Lansdowne Road? Dave Mulcahy. A nice goal against Manchester United, and no doubt a mantlepiece photograph for decades to come.

Saint Patrick’s Athletic played in the last soccer match in Lansdowne before renovation, so how fitting one of our own would be the first Irish player to pop one in. Sure Jonny Evans got one for United (You know, that team everyone was cheering for….) before Mulcahy, but he’s from ‘up there’.

Whatever you make of the poxy Calcio Moderno, or modern game, there is no denying the mess the Football Association of Ireland made of it tonight. Was that fixture designed to promote the Irish domestic game? Did they not consider the fact that before earlier this week, many of these lads have never played together? For the second time in a week, a Dave Mulcahy goal felt more like a victory in itself.

In another pretty meaningless friendly only last month, Bohs managed to beat a strong Aston Villa side at Dalymount Park. Without ringing up Sherlock Holmes, one can presume the fact Bohemian F.C are an actual football team themselves and not a selection of players from the four corners of the country helped in that one. This might have been a pre-season for Manchester United, granted- but League of Ireland fans know only too well we’re more than halfway through a season.

Hopefully one moment of skill or two from a domestic player tonight will lure a family to their local club this weekend. It was quite sad to hear the usual ‘is the League a pile of crap’ debate open up on Adrian Kennedy tonight. Even a small portion of the money that leaves this country weekly at Dublin Airport to travel to football abroad, if directed into the domestic game, would have a huge effect. It’s the financial instability of Irish football more than anything that holds the game back. Why are clubs with mass community support and history like Derry City F.C kicking a football around the First Division? Money my friends, money.

Can the FAI really complain about the Celtic/Manchester United/Sunderland (Or eh…never mind that one) leanings of most of the nation’s youth, when the way to promote the domestic game is to send a mix-match of domestic players out to be slaughtered? There is absolutely nothing wrong with supporting any of those teams, the SPL and EPL are both entertaining, but no doubt tonight should have been about Irish football.

Roll on Friday, when three points are at stake again. I just hope our lads aren’t too tired.

Any ideas on building support for the domestic game? Anyone? Send your postcards to...

Posted in Football Articles | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments »

The Teachings of Padraic Pearse (1966)

August 4, 2010 by Sam

Earlier in the week, I scanned up the covers of around 20 political pamphlets (from 1963 – 89) that my uncle passed down to me. Here is the first full scanned up pamphlet – The Teachings of Padraig Pearse by A. Raftery (March 1966)

Paddy Carmody (1927 – 1979), who wrote under the pseudonym of A. Raftery, joined the Irish Workers League in 1948. He became a leading figure in the Irish Workers’ Party, then the Communist Party of Ireland; as author of various pamphlets on Irish history.

It is believed that Carmody started using a pseudonym after he was sacked from Dublin Corporation for his political activity. Though he was reinstated after his union fought the case, he never used his real name on any publication after that.

Below is a short obituary from The Irish Times:

Paddy Carmody Obituary, The Irish Times.

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A Random Drop Inn: The Garage Bar

August 3, 2010 by Donal

The Garage Bar- Essex Street, Temple Bar.

Amazingly enough, The Plough and the Stars was sold out. I’ve seen it (Review is here, cheeky plug), but young Kevin hasn’t and presumed he could pay on the door. Alas, you can’t. We wander up to The New Theatre, at the back of Connolly Books, where it is more or less the same for The Quare Fellow. “If you call back in twenty minutes, we’ll let you know of any returns”

Twenty minutes seems time enough for a pint.

Alas, the night is gone. We’re not leaving The Garage now. I’ve often walked past this place on the way to work and heard The Clash pumping out and wanted to head in there and then, and sometimes I’ve gone back post-work for a sneaky one with another ‘just off work’ comrade or two. It’s a small spot, but it seems to have someone spinning vinyl (or at least sounding like they’re spinning vinyl) in it over the whole week. It offers a pretty extensive cocktail menu, at least by the standards of this city. The look of the place is unique, a sawdust littered floor not too common in Temple Bar. It has a charm but.

A Black Russian pops over (Not the start of a joke) to the table from behind the bar, they had one over. I don’t want to touch it, a bizarre hybrid on paper consisting of Guinness, vodka and whatever else. Alas, it is surprisingly ok. On a sunny day visit here before this, I abandoned the ‘usual’ (Eh…just a pint thanks) for a few cocktails out the front in the sun with a friend, while Germans ran around us playing Vuvuzelas. Like a few Dublin pubs, it seems outside is the place to be on a busy night here.

Three rounds are ordered in, and each one passes the test. The Guinness is fine, reasonable in Temple Bar at €4.50, and seems popular enough with punters. It’s the music that’d keep you here, and bring you back. It passes the pint test and the music test, and I really like ‘the look’ they’ve gone for,but for some reason they have the tellies on too. Turn ’em off. A very small complaint that.

A quick glance at the watch, and there’s time for one more. By now, The Quare Fellow is long over too. I’m sure Brendan missed a play or two for a drink.

Posted in Pubs | Tagged , | 3 Comments »

Summer is here…

August 3, 2010 by Sam

Spotted this Bulmers advertising gimmick in the newly opened Ruairi MaGuires in Dundrum last night. (A full review of the bar is on the way.)

The lovely Seamus holding a bottle of 'Summers'

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