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Posts Tagged ‘dublin’

Want to live in Dev’s old gaff?

Posted in Dublin History, Social History, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on February 21, 2011| 2 Comments »

Dev’s residence at the time of the Rising- 34 Munster Street

Day dreaming about winning the lotto and buying a house over the weekend, I came across the above on Daft (considering I have about as much a chance of winning the lotto as buying a house it was about as far fetched as daydreams get.) The house above is 34 Munster Street, Phibsoboro; Dev’s place of residence at the time of the Rising, and yours for just €290, 000. Phibsboro was a hotbed of activity around that period, with Dev, Harry Boland, Dick McKee, 15 year old Fianna member Seán Healy and 18 year old James Kelly amongst it’s residents involved in the fighting during Easter Week. Whilst Dev’s political legacy is “somewhat complicated,” his influence on Irish history is still felt today. If walls could talk…

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“The Brain of Every Riot and Disturbance”

Posted in Miscellaneous, Politics, Social History, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on January 27, 2011| 1 Comment »

“For many years past, Liberty Hall has been a thorn in the side of the Dublin Police and the Irish Government. It was the centre of social anarchy, the brain of every riot and disturbance.” The Irish Times. (pg 191, Easter 1916, Townshend)

Neither Kenny nor Gilmore.

Reading through Charles Townshend’s excellent book “Easter 1916,” I picked out the above quote about Liberty Hall and thought to myself, how times really have changed. While DFallon’s recent post on Hawkin’s House challenged the myth, some still call it Dublin’s ugliest building, while others hold it in reverence. Although in this climate, the plans to see it torn down are unlikely, SIPTU have been talking about redeveloping as recently as last August. Personally I’d hate to see it removed, not because of it’s architectural significance or visually appealing exterior (or lack thereof,) but because of the historical relevance of the site and the significant difference it would make to Dublin’s skyline if it was replaced.

"And the banner read..." Originally posted here by DFallon

With the next government looking likely to be made up of a collaboration between Labour and Fine Gael, the current occupants of Liberty Hall, (SIPTU, who to be honest have been about as Anarchic as Tory Boy,) look fully set to have one foot in Leinster House. Not discounting the fact that due to Social Partnership, they have been bedfellows with the Government for over a decade, for the next four years or so, the party they have official ties with are to share power with a party whose roots are seeped in the fascist tradition. Dark days indeed.

"Vote Labour," Reclaim the Streets, 2002

I dread to think that in the next couple of weeks, a new banner will appear on the side of Liberty Hall, calling on the people of Ireland to vote Labour. Lets just hope it isn’t accompanied with an image of Joan “Joe Higgins eats babies” Burton. “The brain of every riot and disturbance” indeed.

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Cineworld Unlimited Card – 3 month review

Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged , , on January 4, 2011| 8 Comments »

I’ve always loved the cinema. I enjoy nothing more than escaping from life for a couple of hours and watching a decent film.

The only thing that has stopped me going regularly is the price. I can’t afford to pay €9 (Savoy, 15 and over) €8.60 (Cineworld, student after 5pm) or even €6.50 (Screen, student) nearly every week to see a film.

After considerable debate and cost analysis, I decided in October to sign up to Cineworld’s Unlimited Card which costs €19.99 a month. For that price, I can go to as many films as I want per month at their cinema on Parnell Street. I’m really glad I did it. I’ve saved a considerable amount of money, saw films which I wouldn’t have seen in the first place and have used the card to my advantage on many cold or wet winter days.

Since October 16, I’ve gone to 13 films in Cineworld. I’ve kept a little movie diary to keep account of my savings:

Oct 16 – The Social Network (€8.60)
Oct 25 – Red (€7.10)
Oct 27 – Easy-A (€8.60)

OCT: €24.30 – €19.99 = €4.31

Nov 11 – Jackass 3D (€8.60)
Nov 15 – Another Year (€7.10)
Nov 19 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (€8.60)
Nov 24 – Chico and Rico (€8.60)
Nov 30 –  London Boulevard (€8.60)

NOV: €41.50 – €19.99 = €21.51

Dec 3 – The American (€8.60)
Dec 10 – Unstoppable (€7.10)
Dec 15 – The Tourist (€7.10)
Dec 20 – Monsters (€7.10)
Dec 22 – Meet the Parents: Little Fockers (€7.10)

DEC €37.00 – €19.99 = €17.01

Total Costs: €102.80 – 59.97 = €42.83

If i had paid each time to see every film above, it would have cost me just over €100. With the Unlimited Card, it cost me just under €60.

 

(c) Cian Ginty

I’ve done my best to give a critical and honest look at the advantages and disadvantages of the card.

(more…)

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It wasn’t always Oxegen and the Bernard Shaw

Posted in Miscellaneous, Social History, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on December 1, 2010| 9 Comments »

"A man’s ambition must be small to leave his name on a shithouse wall.” Maser lad, this doesn't apply to you.

By now you’ll have noticed that we’re fans of street art, and in particular a figure that goes by the name of Maser. We’ve covered pieces of his that have appeared around the city in the guise of his project with Damien Dempsey, his pieces at the Bernard Shaw and appearances at Oxegen. So I couldn’t help but grin when I spotted this in The Hophouse on Parnell Street the other week. I’m not sure if he is still tagging on bathroom walls, but when you consider Banksy pieces are selling for millions worldwide, with councils knocking end walls off houses with murals on them to flog to American arthouses, maybe I should have pulled this jacks roll dispenser off the wall. Could be worth a bomb some day…

The Hophouse. An institution in itself.

Himself and Damo might like this next pic, someones birthday cake from last week, I’m sure he won’t mind me putting it up here. All I can say is, his parents have great taste.

Love your cake today

http://www.maserart.com

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I’m sure Damo and Maser would be honoured

Posted in Events, Miscellaneous, Politics, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on November 27, 2010| 3 Comments »

You took what was not yours,
went against your own bible,
you broke your own laws,
just to out do the rivals.

Damien Dempsey, Colony

"Greed is the knife and the scars run deep." Print from the recent Maser/ Damo collaboration at today's demo, as spotted by Comrade O'Carroll

Whilst the lyrics of the Damien Dempsey’s “Colony” refer to imperialist colonisers like England, Portugal and Spain, the above lyrics may just as well refer to our own dear leaders. Poisonous and clueless shower the lot of them.

With one third of CHTM nursing a bad headache from his birthday last night whilst on a plane to the Basque country for some football tourism, it was up to the remaining two thirds to take to the streets today, alongside an estimated 100,000 others. Irish media are using a figure of 50, 000 but I defy that, the ICTU demo last year had 120, 000 and this certainly came close to that. From my viewpoint, it took approximately an hour for the march to stream past before I joined in the left block towards the back. Impressive showing it has to be said. Lets get the same outside the Dáil on budget day.

(kudos to http://www.aaocarroll.org for the pic!)

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“You can’t buy our history” part II

Posted in Football Articles, Miscellaneous, Social History, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on November 25, 2010| Leave a Comment »

In an article way back in April, when the IMF was still a bogey man the government used to terrify the unions, I wrote a quick piece on an auction taking place at the famous Whyte’s on Molesworth Street. On sale at that auction was a 1929/ ’30 Free State League winners medal- won that year by Bohemian FC.

So, when I heard the below picture was on sale at an auction in Dalymount with all proceeds went to Bohemian FC, my ears pricked up. What better way to satisfy three of my favourite things; Bohemians, history and photography than by buying this. I may have paid a little more than I thought I planned to for it but I myself think it was worth every penny.

Words cannot describe how chuffed I am to have this in my possession (click for larger image)

You may not be able to buy a clubs history, but you can hold onto a little bit of it, and thats what I feel like now. I don’t really feel like I own this picture, indeed, when Bohemians iron out this little blip it our history like I’m sure we will, I’ll most likely donate this picture to the club. Or maybe that’s just my optimism, hoping that the torrid time we’re going through is just a blip. But what else do we have to hold onto?

Autograph of J. McCarthy (fourth from left in main picture)

I’ll be getting it framed and mounted in the near future. When I get that done, I’ll check back in here, and give you some history behind a great era in Bohemians history, not unlike the one just passed. A bit of trivia before I go; the shed- like structure in the background are the old dressing rooms. Because of the corrugated iron on the roof, the structure got the nickname “The Hut,” now the name of the pre-game drinking hole in Phibsborough favoured by many a Bohs fan.

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“Called the Mayor of Dublin a gowl…”

Posted in Miscellaneous, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on November 18, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I don’t think I have to say anything here other than… The Rubber Bandits. In Temple Bar. Brilliant.

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There’s a Tempest a comin’

Posted in Events, Miscellaneous, Music, tagged , , , , on November 11, 2010| 2 Comments »

With all this weeks madness keeping us busy, I neglected to plug the visit to Dublin of an exceptionally talented lyricist and rap artist, a woman who Scroobius Pip has lauded from the high heavens and who tore the Electric Picnic a new one with her performance last summer. I’m talking about Kate Tempest. Brought to my attention by my brother a few months back, I had a listen to a couple of her tracks on youtube and was blown away.

Kate Tempest visits Dublin this Sunday

Slam poetry is something that you either get or don’t. I never really got it until I heard a man by the name of Marty Mulligan stun The Stables in Mullingar into silence with a four minute piece sometime back in 2003 or 2004. So when I heard that himself and my brother were bringing her over, I’ll admit it and say I was f*cking chuffed.

Influenced equally by a love of hip hop and a love of great literature Kate Tempest is a rapper,… poet and playwright. She has performed consistently and comprehensively since she began rapping in battles at 16.
Since then she has continued to develop her skills as a writer and a performer, and has made a name for herself in the UK hip hop, spoken word and live music scenes.

She’s visiting Kelly’s in Galway at 8.30 tomorrow (Friday 12th) and The Stables, Mullingar at 10.00 on Saturday before making her way up to us here in Dublin on Sunday.

She’s hitting the new Grand Social (used to be Pravda, I look forward to seeing what they replaced the murals with) at 8.15pm for a half hour set before heading down to Block T in Smithfield where she’s onstage at 9.45. Trust me folks, you need to see this. I know it’s short notice but tell everyone you know… there’s a Tempest a comin’.

The Facebook event page is here.

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A Random Drop Inn: The Auld Dub

Posted in Pubs, Reviews, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on November 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Dropping into a pub like this (by which I mean any pub in Temple Bar) is always a risk. It’s no lie to say that you’d be very hard pushed to find a non- tourist frequenting them, Foggy Dew aside, and maybe that’s for a good reason. So, after a long day of work for me, and a hard days sticking it to the man for DFallon and mate Ois, we decided to head somewhere we’d never been before, and drink a pint to friends injured during Wednesday’s madness.

The Auld Dub

DFallon suggested The Auld Dub, and I agreed, having a mate that works there and being curious as to how the place fares up. The fare was up alright, a pint of Guinness costing €4.85, a good 60c dearer than Brogan’s only five minute walk away. No doubt they sell a good many pints at that price, though we wondered how many half pints of it the floor staff have to pick up at the end of the night. (Its always funny to see someone who has never drank Guinness before order a pint of it, take one taste and then ask for a Heineken instead, not being elitist in the slightest, its more a nod to the advertising power of Diageo; GUINNESS IN IRELAND IS THE BEST THING EVER.)

But anyways, the pub. Suprisingly un-kitsch for a touristy spot, the place looks great inside, a horseshoe bar dominating the interior with a staircase on either side, one up and one down to the (almost spotless, apart fron the “Love United, Hate Glazer” stickers) jacks. Pictures of visitors line the walls, and beside our table, a frame with a dozen or so of the Arthur’s Day beermats from last year takes pride of palce. The pint soured very quickly, I’m not sure why- it wasn’t that we were drinking slowly or anything, but by the time I got to the end of mine, I could have taken it or left it to be honest. So we didn’t stay long and decided to wander down and check out the banners on the Ha’penny and Millenium Bridges instead.

Just as we were getting ready to go, some live music started, a one-man-band idea, one bloke banging away on his guitar, everything from The Virgin Prunes to Green Day to Sting (Roxanne, and a group of what sounded like Swedish blokes seemed delighted, taking the oppurtunity to play the drinking game of the same name.)

Leaving the pub and heading out into the night, we stopped to have a gander at the mystery plaque on the ground outside. Ois had asked the barman if he knew the story behind it but alas, the mystery goes on…

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“Everyone speaks of Babylon, no one remember Rahab”

Posted in Events, Music, tagged , , , on October 12, 2010| Leave a Comment »

The good lads from the Alphabet Set have brightened up the Dublin Friday night skyline with ‘Roots Pon De Corner‘, a new night focusing on the best of “vintage roots, revival, rubadub & steppers” based in The Dark Horse Inn beside Tara St. DART station.

Brigadier JC (Roots Factory, Limerick), Tuathal & t-woc (Alphabet Set, Dublin) are the vinyl selectors on hand. Doors open at 8pm and the music winds down at 12:30am, which gives you ample time to head to that birthday/office/emigration party that you have to show your face at.

It’s free admission (you can’t argue with that) and pints are at a very reasonable €4.

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Sunday Morning Coming Down.

Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged on October 10, 2010| 4 Comments »

There is something about town at 6am on a Sunday morning. Traffic lights change with nobody to even notice, the taxi men have gone home for the most part and in that awkward three hours between the last Nitelink and the first commuter bus, even Westmoreland Street is quiet. You pass Supermacs, Abrakebabra and the sort and see workers cleaning up, but no activity beyond that. The maddest night of the week has passed for them, and unlike Londis on the corner their windows have made it through in one piece.

There is no real activity anywhere beyond McDonalds, where 6am appears a fine time to many Dubliners to grab breakfast. A bizarre mix of people await you inside, ranging from those who have finally given up the ghost on Saturday night and have made the decision to return home to those whose high-vis jackets suggest the working day is about to begin. Coffee flows freely, while the odd drunken youth demands a Coca Cola. Nothing works better with a Bacon Egg McMuffin, I imagine. It’s made fairly clear to punters that McDonalds does not a bus terminus make, and in the course of half an hour numerous people are moved along. I take the tip, grab a coffee and we’re off.

The base of the Daniel O’ Connell status resembles a public bin, but as such is just in keeping with the general vibe of the street behind him. You wouldn’t envy the street cleaners. Among the more unusual items discarded here, we find a swivel chair (where did that come from?), which is later spotted coming up the street with a merry youngster in the driving seat. Gardaí pass in groups of four or even five, but a lad on a swivel chair doesn’t seem too much of a threat to the peace.

We pass a father and son combination going from shop to shop to drop off the Sunday newspapers. The young lad is flying, Tribunes and Sunday Times left from shop to shop at record pace. His passion for the job at hand isn’t shared by many, and more than a few people on route to work can be heard to mutter “fucking hells…” and the like about the streetscape before them, in a rigged sheep competition kind of astonishment.

Catching the 7.05AM bus out-of-town, you can’t help but be surprised how many people are on the thing. So much for Sunday being a day of rest for workers, the vast majority of these people seem to be off to earn a living. A man who boards the bus on the quays is the ultimate ‘thing I don’t want to see on my way to work’ without a doubt, an idiot who proceeds to burst into song.

“WIMAX, ALL ACROSS THE NATION.
SOMETHING SOMETHING NEW SENSATION…”

This is followed by him telling everyone who will listen that his father from Tipperary “hates the blacks”, and him commenting on the amount of “gays” up by Georges Street. I didn’t have the heart to explain this one to him, and it seems to be rolling eyes all over the bus, at least from those who are awake. A Nokia alarm sound wakes one man who seems to have this to a second, and he’s awake and off the bus for work. When he gets the bus back to town, he’ll probably step out into an unrecognisable city from this morning, and WiMax man will likely still be in bed.

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The Morning After the Night Before

Posted in Football Articles, Miscellaneous, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on October 6, 2010| Leave a Comment »

So there you have it. The morning after the night before. When I posted on Monday, I wasn’t in any great confidence about Bohs chances. I was hoping, praying for a result, a goal in off Ken Oman’s arse would have kept me happy. But what I got last night was Bohs playing their hearts out for ninety minutes and getting the result they, and the crowd, deserved. For those in Red and Black sang solid for the whole game, before and after too, creating arguably the best atmosphere in Dalymount Park this season; the Roar was back with vengeance. And while we wait and plead for Rovers to slip up against Sporting Fingal this weekend, the win last night was not only about the result; something that was amiss seems restored.

After the disaster that was TNS and the Champions League, the defeat to Galway and the drubbing to Rovers in Tallaght, a certain something had been lost between team and fans that seems to have been restored last night; that something being pride and passion. For there is such a thing as playing and losing admirably with a certain pride, that was not what Bohs were doing. They were losing miserably, to Galway. Who had nine men.

Oh Jayo, Jayo- You used to be a...

On the back of last nights victory though, can we say that the tides have turned? The run in for Bohs consists of St. Pats, Galway and Dundalk. Two of those teams we’ve struggled against badly this season. The run in for Rovers consists of Sporting Fingal, Bray and Drogheda. Now under normal circumstances, you would say that the league is a given for Rovers. But after capitulating to UCD last week, and last nights hammer blow from Bohemians suggests that its not wrapped up yet. Could Fingal do us a favour and turn Rovers over this weekend? Could Bohs still win the elusive three in a row? Its hard to know.

Has last nights performance come too late? Keegan and Cronin played like men possessed in the middle of the park, the Rovers middle three barely getting a sniff in, with the majority of their attacking play coming down the wings. Shelley and Oman (silly back pass aside) were solid at the back, and Powell was a constant threat with his storming forward runs. And Jason Byrne, what else do you say only he’s been Bohs only player to score against Rovers in over two years. And what a goal it was.

And while the night was spent on tenterhooks, the elation after the goal (where everyone suddenly found themselves eight steps away from where they started) and the final whistle, with the majority of the Jodi staying and waiting for the team to come out for the warm-down (in what was obviously a feel good exercise orchestrated by Nutsy,) the singing and chanting continuing apace while the players jogged up and down in front sections F&G,  felt special. People were walking into the bar lightheaded and speechless. There were smiles on faces, of disbelief and joy. Smiles that said “We could win it yet. ”

I hope I'm not going to be kicking myself for this...

Three games to go. And while Bohs are relying on Rovers to bottle it again, if the team plays like they did last night, there will be no despair come the seasons end. Much of this season has been spent in pessimism, with horror stories about the Club’s finances and tales of striking players and unpaid bonusses. Win those games and those tales might be forgotten. Win those games and we may speak of Bohemians’ glorious 2010 battle for three- in- a- row for years to come.

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