While the size of Ireland’s economy has grown since I left, the size of the parking spaces is still the same. The only space left was between these two behemoths, I was sorely tempted to drive in at speed and scrape steel, but I had a hire car and the owners of the beemers were probably lawyers. Or their wives, it was after all the Brown Thomas multi story. For some reason a lot of people feel the need to extend their egos with large motor vehicles, the likes of which were never meant for the Irish inner city road network. When I was a young lad, farmers had Land Rovers for pulling beasts in boxes around the highways and byways to marts and horse races, note the term Land Rover, for roving the land, not the city. These days it’s the yummy mummy’s and yuppies and anybody else who feels the need to drive a big fuck off jeep, in the city mind, you wouldn’t want to be getting any shit or dirt on the alloy wheels. There should be a test (no gobshites) before being allowed to buy one and you should have to own a horse or something, but the car salesmen don’t give a shite either. No one cares and everybody complains? How does that work?
Apparently there was once two way traffic on the Main Street in Wexford, but the propulsion method was horses, and the only fumes were from manure. This is a classic example of Irish parking, halfway up on the path as if that will make it better, no consideration or thought put into this manouvre. The pram drivers are forced out on the road, into the raging torrent of traffic. Pedestrians and cyclists might squeeze by, but could scrape the paintwork, oh dear. I didn’t notice any scrapes but I walked on the outside, the cyclist who swerved to avoid me while I was taking the picture might have done some damage as he mounted the path and made for the space between a car and a hard place…..bloody photographers, a menace to society!
The balance of justice is obviously weighted in favour of one side according to this sign advertising the services of a solicitor in Wexford. I won’t say the name of the establishment for fear of legal repercussions, but I did note that it seemed to be closed or moving shop, but it was on the Crescent Quay, close to yer man John Barry. Who said the legal profession wasn’t honest? You know that their scales are fixed anyway.
I like this cartoon of Blind Justice…..
In Sweden there is a phenomenon of roundabout dogs, where wooden models of dogs are placed in the centre of roundabouts as a sort of modern urban expressionism. There is even a Swedish artist who made a sketch of a roundabout dog with the head replaced by an alleged image of the Prophet Mohammad. He (the artist) has a Fatwa out on him now for his trouble and police found the plans of this artist guys house in a raid on suspect Islamic terrorists.
In the photo above you have an example of Irish roundabout stealth construction, I don’t know what it is with bricks but if you leave a pile of them around in Ireland they will be put to use as an impromptu building, be stolen or thrown through car windows all usually occurring in the hours of darkness. The Roundabout in question was built by the clever engineers in Wexford as a way to allow the traffic chaos to be moved closer to the centre of the town and gave it the name Corish (as Flann O’Brien said once Corish Iompar Eireann) to “honour” a former Wexford politician Brendan Corish, who was Tanaiste and Labour leader in the 1970’s. He used to live nearby the above construction and in his retirement he used to walk his dog around the area. I don’t know if he would be smiling or frowning at the above image, probably smiling at the cheek of these youngsters, and wondering when and by whom it would be repaired. What he would be shocked about though are the streams of traffic that have taken over the town and country but thats another story.
Mary mac had a bash at the Áras today to celebrate the glorious twelfth and the shared culture of our island, members of diverse organisations were present by all accounts. I wonder did the invites have “the former Vice-Regal Lodge” for the non-Irish speakers.
This is 10th annual bash in the Park, however I don’t think they will be pulling crowds like JPII managed back in ‘79 in the near future, although it is a new approach if you can’t beat them join them, or if you can’t beat them, beat them at their own game and so on.
Judging by the piles of tyres and pallets being shown on Flickr prior to burning
bedecked with tricolours and the initials KAT which means “Kill all taigs” or all Catholics the organisers are trying to broaden the appeal of the twelfth of July celebrations. To whom they are trying to broaden the appeal to is anyones guess the KKK or former Rhodesian Army officers perhaps. I guess I won’t be going up there anytime soon not with a name like Tim, which is the english version of Taig, I also happen to be Catholic by birth as it happens you don’t choose such things at the time, your life usually decides that, or you stick with the crowd that aren’t threatening to kill you and burn flags representing your country at the same time their politicians are signing peace treaties to the beat of the band, ah yes the Orange band and the Lambeg drum.
Hard to see compromise here. Send in the Greens, all that tyre burning can’t be healthy, maybe they should change their name though first.
According to the internet research I had done, the price of Guinness was about €4.20 a pint in Dublin with local variations.
Armed with this info and having the fortune of paying off (leaving) the ship in Dublin I decided to show my fellow off signers a few pubs and compare the prices as an excuse to drink in more than one establishment.
On leaving our hotel (Jury’s Inn on the Quay very nice which seemed to be staffed completely by non-Irish, there were a few lads in suits looking extremely not busy who could have been Irish though.) we proceeded in the rain towards an lár but had to take a treo eile because it started bucketing down with rain, our nearest refuge was “The Flowing Tide” on Lower Abbey Street, price of Guinness €4.10 quality very good, atmosphere good, we had the one there and headed for O’Connell Street, I spied an old pub that I had not been in for years “The Sackville Lounge” and it was our next spot for a pint, 4 Euros for top quality Guinness and friendly atmosphere we stayed for 2!
Then we headed over the Ha’penny Bridge to Crown Alley and Temple Bar, the price of beer jumped by over a Euro just by being on the other side of the Liffey, and the quality was poor in comparison to our first two stops. The barman laughed at me when I complained about the price difference, saying something along the lines of “drink in the other pub then…” arrogant bastard I thought, he was Irish. The pub was full of tourists and I even started a conversation with a Danish couple in my mixture of Swedish and Danish, who seemed to understand what I was saying, I suppose the Scandinavian language is no stranger to Dublin pubs. Still though Flannerys of the Temple Bar €5.25 for a pint of Guinness is too much when it is poured badly and you get lip form the barman into the deal, just what the customers want.
Back in Jury’s Inn the pints were €4.25 after a taxi tour back from town with a Polish driver and a radio show about how black taxi drivers are being victimized and or sexually harassing female passengers, some listening, New Ireland old problems.
Advice to tourists, Dublin is more than Temple Bar, have a look around, you could save a fortune.
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