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Posts Tagged ‘Fade Street’

Why is Fade Street called Fade Street?

Posted in Dublin History, Social History, tagged , , , , , on January 17, 2011| 4 Comments »

Jonathan Swift: unlikely to appear in Fade Street.

Finished the exams (YES!) for a few hours now, and I decided to mark it by picking up a book from the library that I wasn’t actually obliged to read. Post exams, reading is actually a pleasure again. I went with a work from the Civic Trust, as they’re among my favourite Dubliners. I’ve always loved the irony in their offices being located so close to the Wood Quay monstrosity.

They’ve published some excellent studies of individual Dublin streets, looking at the development of the street and the factors that make them unique, with a particular focus on architecture. I ran with the Thomas Street edition,my great-grandmother was from Cornmarket and I’ve long been fascinated by the Liberties.

The information provided on Number 34 Thomas Street was particularly interesting:

The site of Frawleys is also significant, as it was formerly owned by the Quaker, Joseph Fade. Fade established himself in business on the site around 1715, and rapidly became one of the city’s most important bankers, having two streets named after him: Joseph Lane, which has subsequently been demolished and Fade Street, both off South Great George’s Street.

The book noted that Fade had been mentioned in some of the poetry of Jonathan Swift, and a look around revealed one example quite quickly. Within Will Wood’s Petition To The People Of Ireland (1725) there is mention to Fade and another famous Dublin banker of the day.

You will be my thankers,
I’ll make you my bankers,
As good as Ben Burton or Fade
For nothing shall pass
But my pretty brass,
And then you’ll be all of a trade.

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Fade Street: First Impressions.

Posted in Reviews, tagged , on November 12, 2010| 5 Comments »

This is the Irish economy between the time they came up with the idea for this show and now.

Jesus, those lads in RTE are going to be hard pressed for spots now. Shebeen Chic, Pygmalion and The Market Bar all featured in the first episode of Fade Street. This was more or less marketed as ‘The Irish Hills‘, but my reason for watching it was more an interest in how the city herself was presented, and not the four protagonists.

I’d told a couple of mates I was going to watch this with the aim of a little write-up, and the texts come in thick and heavy. One of the lads is such a student his gaff is tellyless, and he comes down hard on the whole thing. “It’s about as real as The Rock and The Undertaker having a scrap on top of a steel cage” he reckons. Another seems to like it. Facebook is divided.

They’ve done more than borrow a basic idea from The Hills, they’ve basically gone for the exact same plots. God forbid anyone worked in a shop, here we have a couple of interns that are living in a city centre Dublin apartment. Interning, as many students know all too well, is working for free.That ain’t gonna pay the rent. Montrose will.

This isn’t documentary, or mockumentary, but acting-passed-off-as-real-lifeumentary. “Do you want to come in and see the apartment? Sure, follow me” We follow them up the stairs into the new apartment. The cameraman is there before us, and films them coming up the stairs. Likewise, when the boss rings (from the style magazine), RTE have a camera set up in her office. Handy! There is very little ‘real’ about what you’re watching you think.

One thing I do like is the camera work. Dublin looks great here. I can see a good few ‘Come Here To Me types’ (we don’t refer to readers as ‘Come Here To Me types’, swear) watching it for this stuff alone.

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