Save Moore Street Awareness Week 383 – 29 January 2022

Bhí sé ag bagairt báistí (it was threatening rain) ach níor tháinig sé (but it didn’t come) agus uaireannta gaofar (and sometimes windy).
 
PEOPLE
Bróna, Daniel and Diarmuid were our team for today.
Columb Fogarty died a homeless man in Dublin on 16th January, one of two men to die homeless in Dublin this month. Columb is reported to have “died of natural causes” but we find it difficult to understand how it can be considered so for a man of only 47 years.
 
Columb was a recovering drug addict who did charity work with the homeless and also ran a programme on community radio. In that capacity some years ago he interviewed Diarmuid from our campaign group and Eamon McGrath from the Save Moore Street 2016 group. Columb relapsed some time after that. A few days before he died, Columb came to our stall to speak to us again about the campaign and to wish us well.
 
Among many Irish people who came to sign the petition, Mary Doyle, relative of the Pooles and many other interesting people historically (see last week’s album) dropped by to say hello and we spent a while talking to another Irish couple with a near-teenage son who was amazed to hear of all the history in this small area. A lovely Mauritian and Polish couple with their Irish-born children stopped too; the Mauritian husband knew about the campaign and had signed the petition in the past – he was very supportive (their children are growing up at least triangularly). A Nigerian came to sign the petition and had a long chat with Bróna and Daniel and was also very supportive.
 
CAMPAIGN UPDATE
As we reported previously, DCC’s Planning Department approved two of Hammerson’s applications on Moore Street and is holding fire on the third. In other words the City Planning Manager has agreed the demolition of buildings at the Henry Street end of Moore Street and also Nos.12,13,18,19,20,21,22 and 23 – most of the central terrace, which was occupied by around 300 men and women of the GPO Garrison during the 1916 Rising.
 
You will recall that we encouraged people to make “observations” against the Hammerson applications and to pay the fee; those who have done so have the right to appeal to An Bord Pleanála but we are hearing the charge for that is €220, which is shocking. We’ve been a bit busy recently and unable to check for certain. We hear that a submission can be lodged on someone’s else’s appeal for €50, which is also steep. However, it is possible for people to club together to fund an appeal, with a number having submissions on that appeal helping to spread the cost. We would recommend all those appealing (we shall, from our meagre running costs for leaflets etc) to INSIST ON AN ORAL HEARING so that we can all confront them in full view. Unfortunately the deadline is 5th April.
 
The rally last Saturday attracted substantial coverage in a number of newspapers and community radio but was somehow missed entirely by RTÉ. Diarmuid, representing our campaign group was one of the speakers and was recorded, his photograph also appearing on p.2 of the Sunday Mirrror. The rally was organised by the Moore Street Preservation Trust at very short notice but nevertheless attracted over 300, who were addressed by a number of speakers with some live music.
 
TRADITIONAL BAKERS IN MOORE STREET
In older days there was a baker’s shop in Moore Street and we learn that some early baking was left out as charity for the very poor. A bakery is a pretty important thing to have in a street market but the Paris Bakery (including café and restaurant), which was very popular was closed down by the property speculator in 2014. As the street was run down and some antisocial behaviour tolerated, a branch of Anne’s Bakery (and café) found it uneconomical to continue and pulled out. Then there was an application for (yet another!) betting shop in the street, which was thankfully defeated and Anne’s Bakery were held to their lease and had to return. This is one illustration of the interdependency of many things in a street market: mix of independent businesses, street stalls and good social supervision.
 
Today, we bought a traditional Irish white “batch loaf” (see photo). A staff member told us that the loaves are all baked together or a big tray in the oven, which produces loaves in the middle with crusts only on top and underneath, while all those on the outside of the batch have a crust at least on one side in addition to on top and below. So how come we rarely see a batch loaf with no crust on the sides? “The women get in early and buy them”, we were told.

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