AIMSIR
Bhí sé ag cur báistí gan stad, gan staonadh. Bhí na billeoga fliuch but sure we did the best we could in a miserable day with very little trade being made by the stalls on the street until later when the rain stopped (after we’d finished our shift).
Trying to keep the phone dry meant lots of missed photos.
The weather is always an important factor in this open-air fresh food street market, the oldest in Dublin and probably in Ireland.
DAOINE
B’iad Bróna, Eileen agus Diarmuid ár bhfoireann but Emily, a past member of the team, dropped in on us for awhile.
The non-stop rain made it a bad day for trade on the street but despite that a surprising number of people came over to our table under shelter to sign, to talk about the history, the market, property speculators in Dublin, the Government …
Our outrider-leafleters Eileen and Diarmuid were out in the rain or under temporary shelter, distributing leaflets and directing people towards the petition sheets on our table but our leaflets were getting wet. In between customers, it was not ideal for Bróna either, with a wet street to look at.
Nikita Kenny told us about her grandmother, O’Connors-Kenny, who had a stall selling fresh fruit and vegetables on the street, near the ILAC entrance.
Mark, who lives nearby and likes street markets, came to offer us some help and we’ll be in touch. The Polish couple who run the waffles stall nearby gave us some free ones to keep us going.
TOURISM HIGH SPOT
Guinness Storehouse is reported to be the highest tourist destination in Ireland with 1.1 million visitors last year. Imagine if the whole of Moore Street were a vibrant market with cafes, bakeries etc with a walk-through history experience along the upper floors of the 16 buildings in the 1916 terrace, through which the GPO Garrison tunnelled in 1916!
Last year Kilmainham Jail was rated of higher tourist interest than the Greek Acropolis. Both the Guinness Storehouse (no longer Irish-owned) and Kilmainham Jail are some distance from the city centre, while the Moore Street area is actually right in the middle of it.
From tourist surveys, culture and history are the main areas of interest (in Ireland it is not likely to be the weather or the cuisine).
Of course tourism is not the main reason for safeguarding historical artefacts and place of historical importance, especially one of world heritage significance such as the Moore Street Battleground, but it does show that our heritage can be safeguarded while paying for its own maintenance.
UASDHÁTÚ
We have received an acknowledgement from Dublin City Council of our Freedom of Information request regarding engagements between the Council’s legal representation and Hammerson, the property speculator regarding the latter’s High Court case against the Council. We’ll see how we get on with that.
No further information on our appeal to An Bord Pleanála against the Hammerson planning permission granted by DCC.
Ná déan dearmad: keep sharing our posts from time to time!
