AIMSIR
Bhí sé gaofar agus fuar arís on our 434th Saturday on the street as we entered the second week of our campaign group’s tenth calendar year.
DAOINE
B’iad Bróna, Orla, Deirdre agus Steve an foireann inniu. The funeral of a strong supporter of the Moore Street conservation campaign, Eamon McGrath, was taking place that morning in Greystones, Co. Wicklow. He was only 67 years of age. Mel Mac Giobúin has posted a lovely and fully-deserved tribute to him on the SMSFD community page and many other tributes have been posted on line. We’ve included two photographs of him in this album taken at different times during his active support for SMSFD.
One of our flags remained all creased from getting a soaking in a previous week so Eileen took it home last week to wash and steam-iron it. It was relayed to Orla who brought it in early and sat in a cafe to watch Eamon McGrath’s funeral service broadcast from Greystones.
When the service was over, she went to collect the table and gear from our friendly store, thinking to be early but found Steve already erecting it in the street!
People were soon stopping to sign the petition as usual though in smaller groups due to the cold and wind, no doubt. They were also asking for updates (see Uasdátú below).
Pauline Masterson told us while signing that her husband Peter had been a “messenger boy” for Scully’s butchers, doing deliveries by bicycle around the city. “Messages” in Dublin parlance meant “collections/deliveries” and a child called by others to join a street game might reply as she passed them: “I can’t, I havta get messages for me Ma” (‘I cannot as I’m obliged to get some items from the shops for my mother’).
Many of the businesses had sturdy bicycles with an open frame container at the front, often fitted with a basket to carry the deliveries. Sometimes the firm’s name would be professionally painted on a panel below the crossbar. Some of the boys (nearly always boys) did that work part-time, after school hours (only up to 14 years of age for most) and at weekends. The frames were heavy and riding them could be hard work, especially going uphill or against a head wind. Occasionally, out of sight, a younger sibling might be taken for a trip sitting in the basket and perhaps even another on the crossbar.
UASDÁTÚ
We’re still trying to find out what exactly it is to which property speculator Hammerson are objecting in their seeking High Court adjudication against Dublin City Council for agreeing to list six buildings in Moore Street as of historical preservation status. That is, if Hammerson truly had no intentions to demolish building or internal walls …
The case is expected to be heard in March. Wouldn’t it be ironical if it coincided with the anniversary of a previous High Court decision on 18th March 2016, that the whole area is a historical monument? Sadly the Minister of Heritage appealed that decision and in February 2017 the Court of Appeal ruled that the High Court did not have the power to declare a national monument.
Remember, you can be our media, scaip an scéal.