I read somewhere on here someone said that Dublin should be avoided. I strongly disaggree based on my current visit. You can find tunes on any night (The Cobblestone is great!) and on the weekends it's like a festival with tunes starting in the afternoon and continuing till late at night with the session hosts changing along the way. When 9 pm rolls around you can head for Hugh's if you don't fancy the tunes at the Cobblestone. The level of musicianship can be stellar, and there's a great critical mass of brilliant players.
Besides the music, Dublin is a world-class city. It's lovely right now in the Graphton Street area with all the Christmas decorations and seasonal buzz. My trips to Ireland seem to begin and conclude in Dublin, I would recommend it to anyone interested in visiting this country.
I'll talk to you guys next when I return to SF... byeeee
Hey, Jack. You're really having nice time over there. I can't believe I was on that little island some months ago since I'm now working very hard in Tokyo, one of the busiest and craziest places in the world.
It's me who said Dublin should be avoided. It was a cozy little town a few years ago but is now over-crowded. Well, I just hate any modern, busy city. I personally prefer Edinburgh.
Anyway, enjoy the rest of your stay. Be careful not to get sick of Super Mac's.
Hehe, I'm pretty sure Edinburgh is still much much better than Tokyo: it's a hell, especially when you take trains early in the morning or late at night on weekends! I know Edinburgh is changing but only very slowly. Dublin is changing as fast as Tokyo.
Returning from a holiday in San Francisco a few years ago I was embarassed at the state of Dublin when travelling by bus along the quays, especially as there were Americans on the bus and the picture of beautiful San Francisco was fresh in my mind. Unfortunately, gombeen developers and politicians have done untold damage to the city-scape of Dublin down through the years, notwithstanding one-off exceptions that only highlight the general architectural malaise. That's my humble opinion anyway.
Jack, Belfast is only 2 hours drive from Dublin with, I'm sure you know, an equally high level of musicianship. I hope you're not going to spend all your money in the Free State.
Granted, I'm a country boy living in London. The last place I want to visit on Holiday is another huge city. The sights and sounds of other parts of Ireland are much more impressive.
I also remember the story I heard that many of the pubs in Dublin are designed to give the "Irish Experience" that the tourisits expect, you know, shamrocks, shillelagh and leprechauns. This was a pub owner lamenting his lost heritage. Maybe a little backwards of me but I like a pub that actually seconds as a hardware store rather than the one built to look like it.
Oh and the other thing, as an Ameircan, the worst thng about Dublin is the Americans vomiting on the streets at half past four.
.
Ah, phonsie, I was born in San Francisco (on Taylor Street, in the Chinese Hospital, right down the street from where my mother's family still lives), and while I'll agree that San Francisco is lovely, with all the pride of the native, it's not so lovely as all that! And incredibly expensive besides.
Anyway, I've never been to Dublin, though I know lots of people from there. Someday I'll have to visit. All my visits have concentrated solely on the west, I have to get north and south too. Hey, Conan, would you squire me around the north? Pleeeease?
I was told by a fellow musician who had spent several months hitch-hiking and playing, that she found the Dubling musicians to be cliquish and apathetic. Do any of you find this to be the case?
Good post, Rab. We're reaping the whirlwind of a philistine authoritarian political and education system. Now that we've got the moolah to tarmac the whole country, sure we might as well do it - especially when there's easy millions to be made by the plutocrats and their cronies. Yes, the Hill of Tara. I visited it for the first time only a few years ago, and I would recommend anybody to visit it before its planned desecration. So Zina, you can take it in on your next visit on the way from the west to Dublin. While I imagine myself as a child of the Enlightenment and I don't want to seem away with the fairies, the Hill of Tara is one of those places where I have felt a strange otherwolrdly kind of "magnetic field". OK, I'd better stop right there.
Zina, any time you want to come to the North let me know and I'll give you the grand tour! I don't know if I'll be "squiring" you though; people might get the wrong idea. :¬)
Went busking in Templebar one Saturday night - bout 8 of us playin tunes
had to leave after 11.30 coz of all the vomiting hen and stag parties milling onto the streets.
it s a sh*t hole.
if you're a visitor check out the sessions in hughes and the cobblestone, you won't be disappointed
I think every major city has it's dark side, you have to keep it all in perspective. As a visitor obsessed with ITM and Ireland, I have an overall romantic view of the place. The uncontrolled development breaks my heart, and the changing attitudes are becoming more apparent as well. But it would take a lot more to destroy the country's beauty and appeal. I did see the vomiting drunks at 3 am, and the girls waiting for their dates to finish pissing in alleys and side-streets,(if you didn’t have a date you just piss anywhere,) but all I had to do was walk a bit further to re-install my romantic views. If I lived there for a few years I'm sure it would get worn down, but I won't know for certain unless I actually move there. I did have the time of my life while visiting though.
One night I was waking back from the Cobblestone late at night and I passed over the Half Penny Bridge and under the arch where a busker was instructing a couple of drunks on where to piss so it wouldn't run right through his staging area. As I passed him I said, "It must be tough doing gigs in the toilet."
Longnote: I only wish I had time to visit other cities there. My modus operandi is to stay in each place as long as possible in order to get a chance to know people. If I can help it, this won't have been my last trip to Ireland -- I'll make it to the North yet -- as well as other parts of the free republic as well.
Why avoid Dublin?
Why avoid Dublin?
I read somewhere on here someone said that Dublin should be avoided. I strongly disaggree based on my current visit. You can find tunes on any night (The Cobblestone is great!) and on the weekends it's like a festival with tunes starting in the afternoon and continuing till late at night with the session hosts changing along the way. When 9 pm rolls around you can head for Hugh's if you don't fancy the tunes at the Cobblestone. The level of musicianship can be stellar, and there's a great critical mass of brilliant players.
Besides the music, Dublin is a world-class city. It's lovely right now in the Graphton Street area with all the Christmas decorations and seasonal buzz. My trips to Ireland seem to begin and conclude in Dublin, I would recommend it to anyone interested in visiting this country.
I'll talk to you guys next when I return to SF... byeeee
# Posted on December 5th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Dublin's great. Where's Graphton Street, Jack?
# Posted on December 5th 2004 by Johnny Jay
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Ok ok... Grafton Street. Wise arse!
hahaha
# Posted on December 5th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Hey, Jack. You're really having nice time over there. I can't believe I was on that little island some months ago since I'm now working very hard in Tokyo, one of the busiest and craziest places in the world.
It's me who said Dublin should be avoided. It was a cozy little town a few years ago but is now over-crowded. Well, I just hate any modern, busy city. I personally prefer Edinburgh.
Anyway, enjoy the rest of your stay. Be careful not to get sick of Super Mac's.
# Posted on December 5th 2004 by slainte
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Unfortunately, Edinburgh is not as cosy as it used to be either.
# Posted on December 5th 2004 by Johnny Jay
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Hehe, I'm pretty sure Edinburgh is still much much better than Tokyo: it's a hell, especially when you take trains early in the morning or late at night on weekends! I know Edinburgh is changing but only very slowly. Dublin is changing as fast as Tokyo.
# Posted on December 5th 2004 by slainte
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Cape Town's fantastic, despite what Country Boy says. Everyone come here!
# Posted on December 5th 2004 by Q
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
I'm sure that London is good too, in spite of the fact that Country Boy lives there.
# Posted on December 5th 2004 by Johnny Jay
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Returning from a holiday in San Francisco a few years ago I was embarassed at the state of Dublin when travelling by bus along the quays, especially as there were Americans on the bus and the picture of beautiful San Francisco was fresh in my mind. Unfortunately, gombeen developers and politicians have done untold damage to the city-scape of Dublin down through the years, notwithstanding one-off exceptions that only highlight the general architectural malaise. That's my humble opinion anyway.
# Posted on December 5th 2004 by An Goban Saor
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Jack, Belfast is only 2 hours drive from Dublin with, I'm sure you know, an equally high level of musicianship. I hope you're not going to spend all your money in the Free State.
# Posted on December 5th 2004 by LongNote
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Granted, I'm a country boy living in London. The last place I want to visit on Holiday is another huge city. The sights and sounds of other parts of Ireland are much more impressive.
I also remember the story I heard that many of the pubs in Dublin are designed to give the "Irish Experience" that the tourisits expect, you know, shamrocks, shillelagh and leprechauns. This was a pub owner lamenting his lost heritage. Maybe a little backwards of me but I like a pub that actually seconds as a hardware store rather than the one built to look like it.
Oh and the other thing, as an Ameircan, the worst thng about Dublin is the Americans vomiting on the streets at half past four.
.
# Posted on December 5th 2004 by scottcantrell
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Ah, phonsie, I was born in San Francisco (on Taylor Street, in the Chinese Hospital, right down the street from where my mother's family still lives), and while I'll agree that San Francisco is lovely, with all the pride of the native, it's not so lovely as all that!
And incredibly expensive besides.
Anyway, I've never been to Dublin, though I know lots of people from there. Someday I'll have to visit. All my visits have concentrated solely on the west, I have to get north and south too. Hey, Conan, would you squire me around the north? Pleeeease?
# Posted on December 5th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
I was told by a fellow musician who had spent several months hitch-hiking and playing, that she found the Dubling musicians to be cliquish and apathetic. Do any of you find this to be the case?
# Posted on December 5th 2004 by Graewulf
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Sorry - Dublin (no "g") :?)
# Posted on December 5th 2004 by Graewulf
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Jack, it's Hughes', not Hugh's.
# Posted on December 5th 2004 by MacCruiskeen
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Read this from yesterday's guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,1364782,00.html
# Posted on December 5th 2004 by Rudall the time
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Good post, Rab. We're reaping the whirlwind of a philistine authoritarian political and education system. Now that we've got the moolah to tarmac the whole country, sure we might as well do it - especially when there's easy millions to be made by the plutocrats and their cronies. Yes, the Hill of Tara. I visited it for the first time only a few years ago, and I would recommend anybody to visit it before its planned desecration. So Zina, you can take it in on your next visit on the way from the west to Dublin. While I imagine myself as a child of the Enlightenment and I don't want to seem away with the fairies, the Hill of Tara is one of those places where I have felt a strange otherwolrdly kind of "magnetic field". OK, I'd better stop right there.
# Posted on December 5th 2004 by An Goban Saor
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Slainte said, "Tokyo: its a hell especially when you take the trains early in the morning or late at night on the weekends."
Man, dont I know it!!
Brad
# Posted on December 6th 2004 by Ani Trec-Noc
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Zina, any time you want to come to the North let me know and I'll give you the grand tour! I don't know if I'll be "squiring" you though; people might get the wrong idea. :¬)
# Posted on December 6th 2004 by Conán McDonnell
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Oooo, that sounds like fun, Conan. Both the wrong idea and the tour. ;)
# Posted on December 6th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Went busking in Templebar one Saturday night - bout 8 of us playin tunes
had to leave after 11.30 coz of all the vomiting hen and stag parties milling onto the streets.
it s a sh*t hole.
if you're a visitor check out the sessions in hughes and the cobblestone, you won't be disappointed
# Posted on December 6th 2004 by anniejryan
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Jack,
I hope you made it to Bewley's on Grafton for a nice cup of tea before they closed. What a shame...
Cheers,
Bob
# Posted on December 6th 2004 by Laughtonb
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
I think every major city has it's dark side, you have to keep it all in perspective. As a visitor obsessed with ITM and Ireland, I have an overall romantic view of the place. The uncontrolled development breaks my heart, and the changing attitudes are becoming more apparent as well. But it would take a lot more to destroy the country's beauty and appeal. I did see the vomiting drunks at 3 am, and the girls waiting for their dates to finish pissing in alleys and side-streets,(if you didn’t have a date you just piss anywhere,) but all I had to do was walk a bit further to re-install my romantic views. If I lived there for a few years I'm sure it would get worn down, but I won't know for certain unless I actually move there. I did have the time of my life while visiting though.
One night I was waking back from the Cobblestone late at night and I passed over the Half Penny Bridge and under the arch where a busker was instructing a couple of drunks on where to piss so it wouldn't run right through his staging area. As I passed him I said, "It must be tough doing gigs in the toilet."
# Posted on December 7th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Longnote: I only wish I had time to visit other cities there. My modus operandi is to stay in each place as long as possible in order to get a chance to know people. If I can help it, this won't have been my last trip to Ireland -- I'll make it to the North yet -- as well as other parts of the free republic as well.
# Posted on December 7th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Why avoid Dublin?
Dogbreath: it's Hughzez actually.
# Posted on December 7th 2004 by Phantom Button