The Dublin Community Blog

Here’s a thought for pub owners across not only Dublin but the world based on my brief stint in one today. Lads, have a thought about the music you pump into your hostelries for the teeming masses.

The reason I say this is that today I was in a pub I’ve been in during the day before. I needed some quiet space to write for a while and this spot had proved to be just the ticket before. Today? Girls Aloud and the feckin’ Lighthouse Family-a-go-go. The level below? Sky News on full blast with a riveting piece on cohabiting couples in the UK.

The only reason I got ever so slightly agitated was that the last time I was there during the day there was no music, no tv and instead the quite restful sounds of the traffic and the canal and it made for a great spot to have a pint and think (one of the traditional pastimes indulged in when visiting Irish pubs in the olden times!)

It just seems to me that owners all too often these days confuse “ambience” and “atmosphere” with any old music (quite often a sticky copy of “Now 28″ under the bar) or the prattle prattle prattle of news or sports tv… Maybe we could have non-music areas in pubs just like the old non-smoking sections of restaurants?

Can we start a campaign?

R

One of the best kept secrets in Dublin seems to be the food market in Temple Bar’s Meeting House Square. I say it is one of the best kept secrets because if you have ever tried to get some fast food in Dublin city center around lunchtime on a Saturday you will find yourself at the back of a long queue waiting for a tray full of half-cooked re-heated mush while at the same time hidden away in Temple Bar is a weekly food market selling a variety of organic and fresh foodstuffs, from sushi and vegetables to hot dogs and burgers. It is generally busy with tourists but you can still pick up a quick snack to eat as you browse the other stalls or wander further afield in Temple Bar to the other markets, a book market and a clothes market.

The book market is held in Temple Bar Square itself and seems to have gotten smaller over time and I personally have never bought anything there but during the summer there are street performers in the main square where the book market is held so if you don’t find any interesting books you may well find something else to pass the time.

The clothes market is one I have only passed through twice. Small and less busy than the others because of its location in Cows Lane away from the main Temple Bar area. It seems to be mainly small local designers with clothes and jewelery.

NO surprises there then. Dublin fared very badly in a nationwide litter survey carried out by the Irish Business Against Litter.

While towns all over the country made great gains, Dublin is classed as a litter blackspot.

Smithfield was described as an ‘absolute disgrace’; the Quays ‘unsightly’ and Moore Street as an ongoing problem.

Blame was laid on Dublin City Council but I don’t think that is entirely fair because to me the people who walk along dropping litter as they go bear more responsibility. Can you blame a local authority for the dirty b*stards that live within their areas.

Certainly there is no doubt that local authorities have a responsibility to keep our streets clean, but it’s an uphill and expensive job in Dublin and this is backed up by what I see everyday.
The worst thing about this is that more money than is right is already spent cleaning up after the lazy b*stards I have alreay mentioned. Let us be clear about this, this is money that could be directed to say playgrounds but is spent brushing-up streets, clearing up illegal dumping, and all it takes is for people to have some civic pride. However that pride is lacking.

Should I expect people to have that pride, not at all, but I do expect people to know that dropping the wrapper from their chips in the middle of a street and not in a bin, is wrong, unsightly and makes our communities a litter bug’s dream and an eyesore to live with.

There have been a couple of occasions where I have lifted people’s discarded rubbish and went after them saying ‘oh excuse me you dropped this! And in most cases I have been told to ‘f*ck off’.

Charming indeed but not nearly as charming as their compulsion to pollute our streets.

Since my daughter was small NOT dropping litter has been what I consider an important lesson and one that would later become the bane of my life on washing days, she holds litter in her pockets. Well thats the way it should be.

Now back to the Irish Business Against Litter, wouldn’t it also make sense as I posted about here before to negotiate with Dublin City Council to have commerical rubbish collections lifted in the early morning.

When they do this, I will probably take their campaign (as good as it is) more seriously.

Yesterday, one of my friends phoned me on her way home from the Porterhouse after dinner and a couple pints. She happened to stop by O’Sullivan’s Pub on Westmorland Street (sorry if I spelled it wrong) and wandered in at the sound of live music. Since John had wanted to go back to the Porterhouse, we were up for some live music in a pub. And this was a pleseant surprise. The musician was pretty good (guy with a guitar) and it was more of a group sing event. He took requests and then asked the audiance to participate. The musician is there every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday! The music was in the front part of the pub which is pretty small.

This pub is more of what I think of as an Irish Pub. It was dark. It was small. The stools were unsteady. The locals were friendly. And there were regulars who knew the bartender’s names and vice versa. There was also an old guy who had his picture behind the bar and a seat saved for him!

I thought that this was a small little pub until I went to the toilet. There was a huge pub behind it the doors leading to the toilets. It has a huge TV which was broadcasting wrestling. It also has a pool table. The chairs are comfy ones and the back part is a little better lit and quieter. It was a place that you could go and have your pint and have deep conversation. Well, as deep as you can have while you’re drinking pint after pint…

Breakingnews.ie is reporting that there are plans to build a new ‘mini Busaras’ in Dublin City Centre. Dublin Bus is to build the new station with a private developer with eight-bays, shops, cafes and a newsagent.

It is hoped the new station will help ease traffic and provide better public transport links for commuters and will be located off Abbey Street.

Just one question, isn’t Busaras off Abbey Street??

But it will be interesting to see where and what they are proposing.

THERE are lots of lovely parks dotted all over Dublin, and one fabulous one near me is the Blessington Basin.

A former reservoir for north Dublin, the Blessington Basin is located in Phibsboro and is absolutely beautiful.

This mosaic is made up from my Blessington Basin set on Flickr with the help of fd’s Mosaic maker, just one of his many fun flickr toys.

  
The pics below were taken during a lovely ramble there this afternoon, do visit the park, you won’t be disappointed.

                 

Congratulations to our very own Rick O’Shea who has gotten a new time on RTE 2FM, 6pm to 9pm. I used to listen to Rick and Ruth Scott in the morning for months until they were replaced and Rick was moved to 10pm to 12pm, a slot I admit I rarely got to listen to. 6pm to 9pm though moves 2FM back up my preset list.

Rick, do you still talk about blogging on your show? Will you be converting your new audience to the ways of the blog and thereby allowing Damien to sell tickets for the next blog awards on ticketmaster to cover your appearance fee?

Google Bono is a new service from those nice people over at Stunned
We know that for a visitor to Dublin an important attraction is the possibility that they may see U2 frontman and international celebrity Bono.

The Bono Probability Positioning System version 2 Google Bono (beta) is a mashup utilising Dublin’s extensive surveillance camera network in conjunction with facial recognition software, Google Maps and advanced probabilty techniques to allow visitors to determine the probability of seeing Bono in any of the most probable locations in Dublin’s city centre in real time.

O’CONNELL Street is full of bunnies. Lots and lots of them and it’s all to publicise the reopening of the Hugh Lane Gallery on Parnell Square.

Dublin City Council says: “The complete exhibition, which is being installed as part of the celebration surrounding the reopening of the Gallery and the refurbishment of O’Connell Street, will be in situ by 27th June, when the last piece will be unveiled by the artist himself. The exhibition is being organised in collaboration with IMMA.”

Created by Barry Flanagan the hares (not bunnies) are sure to impress the young and old alike. What I like most about them is how they have become street furniture with people using some of them to sit down and rest for a while with this massive bronze bunny hanging over them. Make sure to catch them.
The six works which were installed last weekend (20th May 2006) are:

• An Unlikely alliance (Cougar and Elephant); Outside McDonalds
• The Thinker on Rock; Opposite Easons
• Acrobats; Site of Anna Livia Central median
• Hare and Bell; Site of Anna Livia Central median
• Nijinsky; South of Father Matthew Statue Central Median
• Drummer; Nearly opposite old Aer Lingus offices, between trees on final median

Last night’s appalling show at Lansdowne.  What can be said?  The golden age of Irish soccer is hanging up, mildewed and threadbare, in the back of Jack Charlton’s wardrobe somewhere.  Italia ’90 and USA ’94 are all but a distant memory.  What we’re left with is a sham and a mockery, a patchwork quilt of soccer mediocrity.

But all is not lost.  The World Cup is still sure to serve up a fantastic spectacle, and if you ask me, Dublin’s still the place to be watching it.  In particular, the Sugar Club on Leeson Street. 

They’re offering their plush auditorium with an enormous screen and excellent sound system as a venue for a good chunk of the early round matches.   

Five Euro gets you in the door, and puts a pint of cold Amstel in your hand, regardless of whether or not Holland are playing.

Surely the classiest way to enjoy the World Cup.  Details here.