Friday pick-me-up

Recently online I’ve seen people moaning about changing the clocks as we head into the period of the year that has the least daylight. I get it – in my office I’m surrounded by gray (walls, desks, cabinets, carpet, everything) and looking out the window to a gray sky and clouds doesn’t help much. But, as with many things, if you take a moment to look around every day, you start to notice things to appreciate. This year, I’m noticing that the shrubs around my house really come into gorgeous reds and oranges in November (rather than October, like the trees). And November has some of the best morning and late-afternoon light. Plus, as someone who appreciates a good lamppost – November is really their time to shine (uh, as it were).

There’s no better time of year to appreciate a good lamppost, or the warm glow of a streetlamp in tree branches, or a light in the arch of a building – all of which can be done on your way home of an evening, if Management simply cannot allow you to work from home.

Take a moment, or slow your steps briefly, to look around as you go about your afternoon. What you see may surprise you.

I know it’s especially dark in Ireland in November – making up for the days when it was light until nearly 11pm in June – but if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to play with camera features to get shots like these after work!

Off the top of my head- a handful of things to do in Dublin…

City Centre

Trinity College/Book of Kells http://www.tcd.ie/Library/bookofkells/ (I also love the Long Room, part of the Book of Kells tour- https://www.tcd.ie/Library/bookofkells/old-library/)

Kilmainham Gaol http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/dublin/kilmainhamgaol/

Christchurch http://www.christchurchdublin.ie/

BUT ALSO:

Viking Dublin http://www.dublinia.ie/

House of Lords @ Bank of Ireland College Green (http://www.timeout.com/dublin/attractions/venue/1%3A5172/house-of-lords, interesting info here: http://www.dailyedge.ie/five-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-bank-of-ireland-on-college-green-2048-Jul2010/)

Dublin Castle http://www.dublincastle.ie/

Chester Beatty Library (don’t let the name put you off- one of my favorite hidden gems, described by the Lonely Planet as not just the best museum in Ireland, but one of the best in Europe): http://www.cbl.ie/

Museum of Decorative Arts & History @ Collins Barracks (particularly excellent) http://www.museum.ie/en/intro/arts-and-history.aspx

Museum of Archaeology http://www.museum.ie/en/intro/archaeology-and-ethnography-museum.aspx

National Gallery of Ireland http://www.nationalgallery.ie/

St. Stephen’s Green http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/dublin/ststephensgreen/

Grand Canal and the Grand Canal Way: http://grandcanaldublin.com/?page_id=9 and http://www.irishtrails.ie/Trail/Grand-Canal-Way/18/

Powerscourt townhouse http://www.powerscourtcentre.ie/history/

Georges Street arcade http://www.georgesstreetarcade.com/

St Patrick’s Cathedral http://www.stpatrickscathedral.ie/index.aspx

Irish Museum of Modern Art http://www.imma.ie/en/index.htm

Dublin City Hall: http://dublincity.ie/dublincityhall

Casino in Marino: http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/casinomarino/

Shrine (and remains) of St. Valentine: http://www.carmelites.ie/stvalentine.html

The Waterways Ireland visitors centre in Grand Canal Dock: http://www.waterwaysirelandvisitorcentre.org/plan-a-visit.aspx

National Wax Museum: http://www.waxmuseumplus.ie/

There’s even great information on the unique bridges of Dublin (which each have their own story, as you might expect): http://www.bridgesofdublin.ie/

National Concert Hall https://www.nch.ie/Online/

Olympia Theatre http://www.olympia.ie/

Vicar Street http://www.vicarstreet.ie/

Abbey Theatre http://www.abbeytheatre.ie/

Gate Theatre http://www.gatetheatre.ie/

Whelan’s http://www.whelanslive.com/

Brazen Head (oldest pub in Ireland) http://www.brazenhead.com/

Grand Canal Theatre: http://bordgaisenergytheatre.ie/

Gravedigger ghost bus tour: http://www.thegravedigger.ie/

Further out:

Glasnevin Cemetary http://www.glasnevintrust.ie/

National Botanic Gardens: http://www.botanicgardens.ie/

Phoenix Park http://www.phoenixpark.ie/

James Joyce Tower and Museum, Sandycove http://jamesjoycetower.com/

Padraig Pearse museum, St. Enda’s Park, Rathfarnham http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/Dublin/PearseMuseum-StEndasPark/

Rathfarnham Castle (and Rathfarnham Castle park) http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/Dublin/RathfarnhamCastle/

If parks are your thing, Bushy Park is nice for a walk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushy_Park,_Dublin) and of course there’s always Marlay Park (http://www.dlrcoco.ie/parks/marlay_information.html or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlay_Park). And for the fearless, there’s the Hellfire Club (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montpelier_Hill and http://www.abandonedireland.com/hf.html)

Howth Castle: http://www.howthcastle.ie/

Malahide Castle and Gardens: http://www.malahidecastleandgardens.ie/ (Dublin bus do a wonderful day tour to Howth & Malahide Castle)

National Maritime Museum of Ireland in Dun Laoghaire http://www.mariner.ie/ (and while there, the promenade is not bad, either)

compiled in reaction to having seen this tweet with photo of an article by Damien O’Reilly of RTE’s “Countrywide” in the Farmer’s Journal: https://twitter.com/AodhBC/status/514045902693351425/photo/1 Yeah, Dublin has nothing to offer visitors… (with thanks to friends who have made suggestions after seeing what I had so far)

Diversions for a few days in Dublin :)

GPO and the millennium Spire, O’Connell Street, Dublin

Yeah, I couldn’t resist the alliteration. But I received another email- from a different friend, this time- saying that a friend of mine was planning a trip to Dublin this summer and did I have any recommendations for things to do/places to go? (I know. I lived there for more than 10 years, and she goes now that I’ve moved back. I’ve pointed this out to her, fear not, dear readers). Naturally I was delighted to put together a list…

Things to do in Dublin!:

One of my favorite Dublin attractions that seems to get less attention than many others is the Museum of Decorative Arts & History– well worth the visit, it’s in Collins Barracks, which is an amazing building, and features an excellent exhibit on the 1916 uprising against British rule plus many other fantastic exhibits.

National Photographic Archive appears to be moving from Temple Bar to the main National Library on Kildare Street, but NLI often has interesting events which might be worth attending.

Dublin Bus have a number of excellent sightseeing options. I highly recommend their open-top hop-on hop-off tour of the city, which starts just around the corner from the GPO on O’Connell Street (where the Easter Rising of 1916, which led to Irish independence, occurred) and includes Dublin Castle as well as a stop at Guinness Storehouse (though entrance to the Storehouse is additional). Also well worthwhile is the North Coast and Castle tour.

Round tower at Glendalough

There are also a lot of day tours to Glendalough, a beautiful monastery in the green hills of Wicklow, but I highly recommend the Grey Line tour, which stops at Avoca Handweavers, which the other Glendalough tours don’t do and is very well worth the visit (we took several of these Glendalough tours over the years trying to find one that went to Avoca- where they filmed “Ballykissangel”- but this is the only one that actually did, though others listed it as a highlight of their tours).

National Gallery of Ireland has a fantastic collection of both Irish and international artists.

Jeanie Johnston Famine ship with Samuel Beckett Bridge on the River Liffey

I lived in Tralee when they were building the Jeanie Johnston famine ship. I did some research on ships like it for my B.A. dissertation, and I love the fact that it’s now open as a museum on the River Liffey in Dublin. It’s definitely one not to miss.

Finally, my favorite hidden gem- the Chester Beatty Library is an amazing museum built from one man’s private collection, which often has incredible temporary exhibits (I’ve seen the art books of Henri Matisse there, and a special exhibit featuring DaVinci’s Codex Leicester).

This photo was actually from Leo the doorman’s last night at the International Comedy Club. Good times…

Then of course there’s evening entertainment- Whelan’s is Dublin’s oldest music venue, and one of the best, on Wexford street (whelanslive.com seems to be having difficulties this evening, but tickets.ie should also have their concerts). There’s a great website that is usually pretty good for showing events/concerts/shows that are on, entertainment.ie. Then of course, there’s comedy on every night of the week in Dublin. Sunday nights Simon O’Keeffe runs the Capital Comedy Club upstairs in the Ha’penny Bridge Inn that usually has an excellent lineup and is a great night. Monday nights there’s excellent improv comedy upstairs in the International Bar on Wicklow Street – http://www.international-bar.com/comedy.html. Tuesday nights I’d recommend Andrew Stanley’s Comedy Mish Mash, also upstairs in the International, which is usually experienced comedians test-running new material and generally having fun (and Andrew provides biscuits- aka cookies- during the interval); though there is also the Battle of the Axe upstairs in the Ha’penny Bridge Inn on Tuesday and Thursday nights, which is something of a Dublin institution and can be good fun (though be warned, it is kind of an open mic night). Wednesday is another night for the Capital Comedy Club (see above), or alternatively what is effectively the original comedy club in Dublin, the Comedy Cellar, which celebrated 25 years last year or the year before. The website isn’t necessarily always up to date, but it’ll give you a good idea of what’s on. Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights the International Comedy Club takes over upstairs at the International Bar; Saturday nights there’s also comedy at the Bankers on Trinity Street, around the corner, which has a good lineup and is a good alternative especially if the inter is sold out (which it can be).

For any knitters, if you want to buy Irish yarn, I recommend the Studio Donegal yarns, which are genuinely spun in Ireland (in Kilcar, Co. Donegal, to be exact, which is where a friend of mine is from) and aren’t as crazily expensive as many yarns can be in Ireland. Easiest place to pick some up is probably This is Knit in the Powerscourt Townhouse (which is also a great place to look around the shops, though generally way overpriced- it’s just off Grafton Street, so very central). There’s another delightful yarn shop in the Swan Centre in Rathmines, but it’s a bit harder to get to as it’s not in city centre (well worth a stop if you’re out that way, though)

Places to eat!:

I absolutely love Carluccio’s on Dawson Street. Staff are fab, food is delicious, prices are reasonable for Dublin and service tends to be excellent. And it’s just off Grafton Street, near most of the main attractions in city centre.

O’Neill’s Bar is also excellent- reasonable prices for big portions and they serve dinner until 9 or 10pm, which is a bonus if you end up wandering around too long and miss dinner. Can be quite busy, since it’s very central and offers some traditional Irish fare, so consider yourself warned, but it’s a good spot and often has Irish music on as well (with no cover charge. Huzzah!).

For lunch I love Metro Cafe– best tuna melt in Dublin, and a great menu, with generally lovely staff and good service. Plus it’s just up the street from Powerscourt Townhouse (and about 2 blocks from Grafton Street), so it’s easy to get to.

On the opposite corner from Metro Cafe is another little cafe called Busyfeet which also does an excellent lunch, and has a mighty fine lasagne for dinner

I’ve heard great things about Simon’s Place cafe, though I never got in there myself. It’s right at Georges Street Arcade, though, which you must visit while you’re in town.

And no list of recommendations would be complete without a mention of the delightful Cake Cafe– be sure to make time to pop in here for coffee and one of their baked treats. Yum!

Enjoy…

Summer birds

I was looking out the window this morning and realised that the two summers we’ve spent living in Rathfarnham have been partly defined by two different types of birds. Last year, a grey heron (the guy above) used to always call when he was flying by our corner of the apartment building on his way to and from Rathfarnham Castle Park (my mother swears he used to practically peer in the windows, too. I did see him very close to the building a couple of times, in fairness)

This year was partly defined by a family of black birds. Early in the spring, I noticed a couple of black birds flying back and forth between the woods across the road and the (thankfully unused) chimney of the hardware shop in Rathfarnham village with pieces of branches and bits of grasses on their way to the chimney. Soon enough, they had clearly built a nest in the chimney, and for the next few weeks we kept half an eye on it as we went about our business. We saw when a couple of the baby birds finally ventured to the top of the chimney, and one day three of the siblings plus momma bird were perched on the edge of the chimney and after some time convinced a fourth to climb out (he didn’t stay out long, though). We watched them teaching the littlest to fly, and although he seems curious about the world around him, he wouldn’t venture very far from the nest. As the summer went on we expected them to leave the nest area behind, but they seem to often come back for the night. I looked out this morning and two of them were perched on a lamppost outside, and it occurred to me that they may be leaving the area soon with the cold weather approaching. They certainly livened up our summer (they are so cute, I could watch them for hours…).

Strange Famous… Sage Francis at Whelans, 17 April 2011

As I write this I should probably point out that I’m sitting at my desk at work, looking out the window at a gorgeous sunny day, trying not to do too much chair-dancing to AOI tune (by one Sage Francis) “Masturbate Your Brain”, and the memories from URI are threatening to overwhelm my proper brain function (I still have the Art Official Intelligence version on cassette tape from the late ’90s in a box in my room. The copy I’m currently listening to is on Sage Francis’s disc “Sick of Wasting…”, picked up for a whopping (cough) €10 at Whelans Sunday night). 🙂

Sunday night Whelan’s on Wexford Street (Dublin’s oldest music venue, I’ve been told) played host to “cult American hip-hop poet” (per Hot Press) Sage Francis while he was this side of the Atlantic, visiting Ireland and Scotland with his mom (aww). Many years ago, in the late 1990s when I was attending the University of Rhode Island, Sage used to organise a poetry night on Mondays at the student-run coffeeshop where I used to volunteer, and I distinctly remember going to see him do a gig with Art Official Intelligence at the Ocean Mist in South Kingstown (I thought that was around 1998, but the internet is only coughing up an AOI gig there in 1997, so who knows… early alzheimer’s and all that ;)). So, needless to say I was a tad on the hyper side on the way in to the gig (but hiding it well, I like to think, at least in front of other people. My poor long-suffering friend Mags had to listen to me all evening occasionally bouncing and quietly going “yay!!”, though.). On the way in, I was glad to see a young lady in front of me on the way in who replied to the bouncer’s “how are you this evening?” with a “Great! I’m so excited I get to see him!” (pointing at Sage’s name on the ticket). YAY. I love hyper fans. 🙂

The set itself was fantastic, as anticipated. I was especially delighted to hear “Crack Pipes”, “Sea Lion”, “Makeshift Patriot” (of course) and “Bridle”. The crowd seemed really into it, too, and everyone around me was at least enthusiastically bopping their heads and generally singing along. When the music wouldn’t play for the last song, “The Best of Times” (one of my favourites, I have to say), Sage went ahead with it a cappella, the crowd clapped along to the beat and everyone who knew the lyrics seemed to be singing along. Fantastic stuff. Both friends that I had convinced to go had a brilliant time and said they would see him again, which is always a good result! Afterwards I was impressed to note that Sage stayed to talk to everyone who wanted to talk to him (and there was quite a crowd), and signed anything anyone wanted signed (including the back of the hyper fan who’d gone in to the venue ahead of us). Of course I stuck around to say hi and bought the CD he was selling (“Sick of Wasting…”) and it was great to see him again after all these years (and got to say hi to his mom, too. Yay!!).

Sage Francis albums are on sale at Tower on Wicklow Street, online at towerrecords.com or in the online store at strangefamousrecords.com. And as per usual, I took a load of photos at the gig hoping one would come out OK, but a few did, so they’re up on my flickr if you’re curious.

Update 23 April: I’ve set up a separate set for photos from the gig here so they don’t get buried on my flickr. Thanks, y’all. 🙂

There’s a fire just waiting for fuel… :)

In fairness, Ani DiFranco could have opened with almost anything and the tear ducts probably would have been set off – but when she strode onto the stage in the National Concert Hall last night and started into “Fuel” from her “Little Plastic Castle” album, I suddenly had something in my eye, it being one of the two songs I was secretly hoping to hear (but most definitely not expecting).

Second song “angry anymore” from her “up up up up up up” album finished with a comment that songs about family were at best “hopeful”, and of course grinning that the media had a field day with a song that said she wasn’t angry anymore when she had made her name with angry songs. “Manhole”, from her 2005 release “Knuckle Down”, was another happy surprise (it being the second song I was hoping against hope to hear). A set that also included “Alla This”, “Smiling Underneath”, “Lag Time”, and “Reckoning” largely showcased a lot of songs so new they haven’t been released on an album yet, including a marriage song and “If You’re Not”, which inspired laughter and much applause at the line “If you’re not getting happier as you get older/ then you’re fuckin up”. Another new song she’s written recently while living in New Orleans references the destruction wrought by Katrina and the Gulf oil spill, and registers her disappointment with Barack Obama in a line to the effect that “dude could be FDR but he just shuffles his feet”. When someone cheered at the opening of “Smiling Underneath” from her 2008 “Red Letter Year” album, she started laughing that she was surprised anyone could recognise it with the guitar – when she and her producer husband were doing the tracking on the album, he muted her guitar, and she laughed saying “only the love of your life can mute your guitar”. Another entertaining moment came when someone shouted something unintelligible early on in her set, and she laughed, saying “hear what you wanna hear”, going on to say that in the midst of the din of people requesting songs at a lot of her shows, she always hears a voice saying “play what you wanna play!”- a comment that garnered a round of enthusiastic applause from the audience at the NCH. She finished her set with a labour song from the 1930s which she had updated “in the folk process”, “Which Side Are You On?”- which seemed incredibly appropriate these days.

Of course, the crowd weren’t going to let her go that easily, and when she came out to do her encore and started with “Gravel” from “Little Plastic Castle”, the place erupted – and she started laughing, and said something to the effect that we were so nice to listen so politely to a night of new stuff. The encore was finished out with “Both Hands” (from 1990’s “Ani DiFranco” album) and “Untouchable Face” (from her 1996 release “Dilate”) had the audience singing along, bopping around and clapping rhythmically at the choruses of the songs- a development which seemed to greatly amuse the Little Folksinger.

A wonderful night seemed to have been had by all. A little clip of “If You’re Not” (from a different performance, not last night’s) for your enjoyment…:

Happy Hallowe’en! :)

You’d never know, based on the amount of fireworks I’ve seen across the skies of Dublin the last few days, that fireworks are, I believe, technically illegal in this country. There are a million reasons I love Dublin at Hallowe’en, but seeing loads of fireworks across the skyline from our balcony? Yes please.

Also, one of my favourite Hallowe’en amusements is a memory of running into a couple of yanks in Rathmines one Hallowe’en night. They heard the fireworks, and asked if they were bombs, which cracked me up (the possibility never would have even crossed my mind) – so every so often, fireworks go off and I just can’t resist going “OH MY GOD – was that a BOMB?!”. *snigger*

Happy Hallowe’en/samhain (whichever you prefer), folks.

Support Good People… :)

There are a few hard-and-fast rules I try to live by. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Don’t waste your time and energy on people who don’t deserve it. And one of my favourites, Support Good People. It is to that end that I happily note that esteemed Dublin film director Shimmy Marcus (from a family some of whose other members kindly tolerate my hyperactive dorkiness with grace) has a new film out, “SoulBoy”, which looks like great fun *and* happens to currently be showing at the Screen Cinema. I’ll (obviously) be going during the week (finally), if anyone fancies it- tweet me or whatever… 🙂

Also, the lovely Charlie Connelly has a very funny new book out entitled “Our Man in Hibernia”. I strongly recommend you pop in to Gutter Bookshop if you’re in Dublin and get yourself a copy.

the heron that followed me home…

Went for a bit of a wander in the sunshine yesterday around by Rathfarnham Castle, which was fabulous (of course!). Good crowds at the children’s playground, and quite a few people out walking or playing on the grounds. As I was lounging around by the lake, a grey heron turned up and, after joining in taking bits of bread alongside the ducks, came over by me as if to see what I was up to (taking photos of it, of course).

I love herons. Always have, ever since I read the series of books that includes Dicey’s Song by Cynthia Voigt when I was a kid. Gorgeous birds. After hanging around by the lake watching the heron for a bit, the heron took off and I moseyed on around the castle, which is spectacular.

Wandered down to the Dodder to walk up around by Bushy Park, as is my wont, when lo and behold, who did I spy on the river but none other than “my” heron…

Our paths seemed to be following the same route – I wandered up a bit, he flew along… He flew onward, and I ran across him again further up the river, all the way up to the bridge by Tesco Rathfarnham.

Then, as we were sitting down to dinner, out the window I saw the heron headed back toward Rathfarnham Castle to the lake, presumably to settle in there somewhere for the evening… Lovely.

More photos here, if you’re interested…

“You alright there?”

We moved into the new apartment on Saturday, and I have to say I haven’t been this happy in a long time. The views are spectacular, I love the apartment itself and it feels like a holiday home or something. And the neighbours seem very quiet, and not overly nosy, which is a refreshing change- no curtains twitching when the moving van pulled up, etc (which is a night-and-day difference from the old place, where everyone in the neighbourhood seemed to sit around watching each other). Wonderful feeling, delighted we went ahead and moved.

Yesterday my mother had the NTL guy in to fix up our cable television. He was to-ing and fro-ing to his van for equipment, and she didn’t realise he had left the door slightly ajar when he went out to the van until a knock came at the front door. Apparently another resident in the building was passing on the stairs, noticed the door ajar and became concerned that there might be a medical emergency or some such, so knocked at the door enquiring if everything was OK and if she needed any help with anything. She explained that the NTL man was in, and he apologised for intruding, saying he just wanted to make sure everything was alright.

In the old place, they’d be peering out the window all the time out of sheer nosiness, but never once did anyone act out of a genuine concern for neighbours’ well-being. I thought it was lovely.

normal service will resume shortly…

GOOD NEWS! We found a fab apartment. So we’ll shortly be busily packing things up here, moving them to the new apartment, and unpacking over there. It’s gorgeous, with great views and still in walking distance of Bushy Park, Rathfarnham Castle etc. If I could do cartwheels, I’d be doing them all around the house this evening, I’m that thrilled.

Meanwhile, Republic of Loose are doing a couple of gigs in the span of a week in Dublin in April, which I’m looking forward to (and have obviously booked my tickets for) – one at the Olympia Theatre as part of the FM104 Help a Dublin Child gig. Will be excellent to see the ‘Loose in the Olympia again. And a second gig the following Saturday with Aslan and The Coronas, amongst others. Should be great craic!

Finally, the ever-brilliant Rob Smith has organised a fab-looking gig at the Crawdaddy to raise funds for Oxfam to help Haiti – details here and here. Great night for a great cause, for a tenner – win win situation!

Some days you just get lucky…

I had noticed last week that there seemed to be an extraordinary number of swans on the Grand Canal near Portobello Bridge (a sure harbinger of spring, no?). Earlier this week, I decided to leave work a bit earlier than usual and take a little detour up along the Grand Canal on the way home – and really lucked out with my timing, being treated to some spectacular views of clouds turned all different shades of pink with the setting sun. The swans, of course, were stunning against this backdrop, and I had the camera out a good bit (appearance of being a tourist be damned). A lovely Asian fellow had come along to where the swans were as well with a proper camera and kit, and quite kindly waited for me to take my few snaps, which I thought was generous of him. A couple of favourites:

Today’s Public Service Announcement

As those of us who live in Dublin know all too well, we’ve had water restrictions ever since the Big Freeze in December (mind, in South Dublin County, water restrictions have now been lifted. Hurrah!). One of the major causes of the problems with water supply, of course, is that water mains may have burst and need repair.

Twice in the last couple of months, I’ve had to ring the local council (be it South Dublin County or, today, Dublin City Council) about burst water mains, and both times they acted like they hadn’t been notified by anyone else. They couldn’t have been nicer, council workers were sent out immediately and the problems were fixed – but not before there had been unnecessary wasted water, because the burst water mains had clearly been running for some time in both cases.

Yesterday evening, as I was on my way home, I noticed water coming up on the road in the main crossroads in Terenure village. There are a lot of people who pass through Terenure on their commute home in the evenings, so although I planned to ring the council, I suspected with that many people passing through surely someone would have rung them, and didn’t feel too bad this morning when I realised I’d forgotten to make the call. Then I passed through the village on the way to work this morning – and the water was still coming up on the road. Imagine how much water was wasted overnight, that might have been put to good use if someone had rung the council. So I rang this morning, explained where it was, and the woman thanked me profusely (and sounded as though they didn’t have it on the list for work). It had, thankfully, been fixed by the time I was passing through on the way home this evening.

The moral of the story: even if you think someone else might have rung the council about a burst water main, ring them anyway to be sure. It only takes a minute, and it’s a Good Thing To Do. As a citizen, it’s your responsibility. Don’t assume someone else will do it.

Council numbers:
Dublin City Council: (01) 222 2222 (9am to 6pm)
South Dublin County Council: (01) 4149000
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council: 01 2054800 or burstmains@dlrcoco.ie
Fingal County Council: (01) 890 5000, after hours (01) 873 1415

And of course, there’s always directory enquiries, folks (11811 or 11850)…

It’s all about the little things…

I’ve seen several lovely things over the last number of days which really put a lift into the day – it’s amazing how the small things can really pick you up. Many times over the last couple of weeks I’ve noticed Dublin buses waiting for people to make it to the bus stop – just last week, I was running across & down the road in hopes of catching the bus that had pulled in at the stop down the road, fully expecting him to take off before I got there… and he waited for me to make my mad dash down the road! I’ve heard other people have similar experiences – and it really makes a day so much more pleasant when that happens.

Or, for example, the little scene I noticed on my way to work the other morning. A taxi was stopped in the bus lane, with the driver putting the passengers’ bags in the boot of the car. The passengers were a young couple, who were saying goodbye to a young man whom I presume they must have been visiting. It seemed the two blokes were good friends, and as the girlfriend got into the taxi the two guys gave each other big hugs and said their goodbyes. It took all of a minute, maybe two, and the bus waited patiently for them to say their goodbyes and get settled into the taxi, etc. No horns honked, no one shouted about the taxi taking up space at rush hour, no one made any aggravated noises about sitting there… it was lovely! Unlike what you’d find some other places… 😉

Little lovely things like this are all around us, you just have to keep your eyes open. Like when my mother was walking toward the doors of the local shopping centre laden with bags and a young fella ran from a few shops down to open the door for her. Or the teenager who stopped to empty his pockets of change into a homeless man’s cup a week before Christmas. Or the man my brother saw leaving a cafe with a takeaway sandwich and coffee who passed a homeless man, stopped, and went back to give his lunch to the man on the street. Or the millions of times an elderly lady has gotten on the bus and multiple people leap up to give her a seat. Or the times you see someone in the supermarket let someone with only a couple of items go ahead of them at the till.

I’m not saying it’s perfect, far from it. But there are nice things going on all the time, if you just look around… 🙂

The Big Freeze

Good lord, it’s been cold the last few weeks. And I know, we’ve all discussed the snow and cold until it’s been beaten into the ground (OHMYGODIT’SSNOWINGWE’REALLGONNADIE!, to quote the official appropriate response to the precipitation) but there have been some really lovely things that I noticed which should be noted. First of all, let me say that I think the Irish really shine in an emergency- like during the floods last month, when offers of help came pouring in from all corners of the country and charities received so many donations that they ran out of space for storage before distribution – and people volunteered more space for them, too.

Last Wednesday, as those of us in Dublin know, the buses were shut down at 3pm when the roads were too treacherous for them to continue. Hordes of people had to walk home, and the amount of times I saw people helping each other cross frighteningly icy streets was incredible. I walked from Ranelagh to Templeogue (about 3 miles) on ice (sheets of ice through Rathmines. Really scary) and snow, and it took me about 2 hours to get home. On the way, though, just as I got to Templeogue, a woman pulled over to offer me a lift. Another lovely thing I noticed that I thought was really considerate was that some motorists were using their hazard lights to indicate icy patches to fellow motorists.

There were some wonderful stories over the weekend, too. As the cold got worse, and the snow shockingly continued, tales came out of shopkeepers who were bringing supplies to snowbound members of their communities. The Drimnagh Community Network was going door-to-door offering to help people if they needed paths cleared or supplies brought in (with no charge, of course). At the Gap of Dunloe in Co. Kerry, the town was being kept open by the work of the residents gritting the roads themselves to keep them passable. The IFA offered to grit the roads in Cork (though unfortunately it seems they were turned down by the County Council). The town of Carrickfergus came to our aid when we were about to run out of grit, offering some of their supplies. And everywhere I went, people seemed to be keeping an eye out for each other, warning of slippy bits or jumping to help if someone took a tumble.

Lots of people used it as an excuse to get out with the camera, and of course I was one of many wandering around snapping shots of the snow. Photos are up on my flickr (link to the right). Loads of people were out sledding, too- any hill that was available, and on anything that could reasonably be used as a sled. Shrieks of joy and laughter rang out across Bushy Park, which was mobbed with people yesterday sledding. Wonderful.