OUR TEAM today was pared down to the minimum with Bróna and Diarmuid but then Orla joined us and pitched in so that we were sailing and flags (and other things) flying.
Bhí sé ceathach scaití agus gaofar go maith, so much so that the strings holding the ends of the banner were torn loose and at one point a bunch of our leaflets made a bid for freedom, having us chasing down the road after them with some passers-by helping.
UPDATE
The property speculator Hammerson came back to Dublin City Council with responses to issues raised about their planning application for the area and the application is open for observations again. We recommend that everyone make an objection by way of observation; unfortunately there are three applications by Hammerson for the street, each costs €20 to object and must meet the deadline. Please see advice on making an observation further below.
Please note only those who have made observations will be permitted to appeal to an Bord Pleanála if the Application is approved.
PEOPLE
A lot of street traders we don’t often see on the street these days were there today – probably having a meeting about plans for the area.
Facebook friends of Bróna’s often come down on a Saturday to meet her in person at our table for the first time. One such today was Maura Brennan, who told us she worked in Moore Street herself for a while, in a butcher’s called Tyrell’s Baby Beef (No.13 and at the north end of the street) as a cashier. She wore hot pants and high boots, which were in fashion at the time. Maura observed a man standing outside looking in for a few days in a row and expressed concern to her boss. He went out to confront the man. Her boss came back in saying the man was the butchers’ union representative who said that Maura would have all the other butchers in the street out of business!
Maura had her solidarity portrait photo taken for our album.
A Dubliner who emigrated to Canada and other places was glad to be informed of the existence and location of the O’Rahilly Monument. She has a daughter in Myanmar who has elected to remain there with the people in their difficult times.
Igor Grdaković, originally from Croatia but a Dublin resident for years as his accent testifies was very concerned about the threats to the history and the street market in Moore Street. He wants to share the story and we took his solidarity portrait; he spoke to us a little in Irish and bid us “slán”.
As we were packing up we got a late rush for leaflets and petition signatures, including a young family (with four children) from Belfast, who knew about the O’Rahilly Monument but not where it was. We were of course glad to tell them. One of the boys told us that he is “in rang a sé ar scoil” – clearly going to a Gaelscoil there.
If you want to support the campaign, apart from registering objections through the official procedure, you can let your local political representatives know but most of all – scaip an scéal!
As well as Irish, people who signed were from Croatia, Romania and Venezuela.
The following is our advice on THE DCC PROCEDURE FOR MAKING OBSERVATIONS
1. Go to the Dublin City Council website
2. To make an observation you need to register with the Council (this is free)
3. Find section on Planning Applications and click on that OR just go straight to planningsubmissions@dublincity.ie
4. Find “Make an observation” and click on that
5. Enter the Planning Application number (choose or do all 2861/21, 2862/21, and 2863/21 — Hammerson has made three Planning applications for different parts of the area)
6. Follow the prompt to “Make an observation” (we advise you to type your observation up beforehand)
7. Copy your text which you typed earlier and paste into the box
8. Confirm
9. Follow the prompts to make your payment(s) on line or pay by following instructions from DCC staff over the phone.
10. You may also email the objections or post them (but don’t miss the deadline of 5th December!).
11. Observations may also be made in writing by email or by post (but must be paid to be registered).
12. For research, look for documents dated 19/10/2021 and 20/10/2021
• Additional Information Response Maps/Drawings.
• 2861/21 – pp. 21, 22, and 23
• 2862/21 – pp.1 and 2
• 2863/21 – pp.12 and 13
WHAT TO WRITE
We recommend that people look at what Hammerson plans for the area and think what they feel about them. What will be in place to commemorate the 1916 battle there, when 300 Volunteers occupied the whole terrace, tunnelling from house to house? How will the stalls and shops survive on the middle stretch if the whole quarter becomes a building site for perhaps two years? And even the shops and stalls at the south end of the street? What access will there be for cranes and constant lorries? Property developers tend to rent to chain stores rather than independent traders like most of them there at the moment – what would that be like? Do people want a new road from O’Connell Street cutting through the terrace right up to the front door of the ILAC shopping centre which, coincidentally is also half-owned by Hammerson? What about the planned hotel on O’Rahilly Parade? And a Metro station entrance? What will that mean to the history of that lane and the O’Rahilly monument there (which is deliberately not signposted)?
And if people object to something, give reasons why and if possible, give alternatives.
