Liffey Cable Cars - Pointless Gimmick or....

[lostexpectation]

your kidding?

[hutton]

Originally Posted by hutton

Breaking News

Amidst the gloom of projects stalling, Dubliners will be glad to hear that one project is set to go ahead - albeit now in a slightly revised form...

Originally Posted by lostexpectation

your kidding?

I had thought I was, yet regrettably my perverse sense of humour has been matched only by a perverse sense of reality:


Cash in place for liffey cable car

By Cormac Murphy

Friday July 10 2009

THE COMPANY behind the Liffey cable car proposal has the money in place to fund the project, it has been revealed.

Despite the difficult economic conditions, the Liffey Cable Car Company is ready and able to proceed with the €52m 'Suas' scheme.

And the firm is even planning similar projects in other cities in Ireland and in New York.

The ambitious proposal would see cable cars gliding over the Liffey at heights of 80 metres.

All the company needs is the go-ahead from Dublin City Council after it lodges a planning application and it can proceed, said Paddy Duffy, who has been working with the company on the plans.

The tourist attraction, which is inspired by the London Eye, is the brainchild of developer Barry Boland.

"Mr Boland is not looking for any public money at all. He has the sizeable amount of money necessary for the project already in place," Mr Duffy said.

"The next step would be to approach Dublin City Council, to see if the officials will support it. That is where the project is at the moment," he added.

The company is looking to hold pre-planning consultation meetings with the local authority.

If given the go-ahead, Suas will run from Heuston Station to the Docklands.

A presentation of the plan was made to the economic special policy committee earlier this year and was well received by councillors, Mr Duffy said.

"The team was very heartened by the positive reaction of the engineering committee of the council when they presented it to them," he added.

comurphy@herald.ie

- Cormac Murphy

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/c...r-1816070.html

[marmajam]

must be looking for publicity 'cos there's more chance of Elvis Presley crashing a UFO into the Loch Ness monster than of this being approved.

[hutton]

Originally Posted by hutton

Cash in place for liffey cable car

By Cormac Murphy

Friday July 10 2009

THE COMPANY behind the Liffey cable car proposal has the money in place to fund the project, it has been revealed.

Despite the difficult economic conditions, the Liffey Cable Car Company is ready and able to proceed with the €52m 'Suas' scheme.

And the firm is even planning similar projects in other cities in Ireland and in New York.

The ambitious proposal would see cable cars gliding over the Liffey at heights of 80 metres.

All the company needs is the go-ahead from Dublin City Council after it lodges a planning application and it can proceed, said Paddy Duffy, who has been working with the company on the plans.

The tourist attraction, which is inspired by the London Eye, is the brainchild of developer Barry Boland.

"Mr Boland is not looking for any public money at all. He has the sizeable amount of money necessary for the project already in place," Mr Duffy said.

"The next step would be to approach Dublin City Council, to see if the officials will support it. That is where the project is at the moment," he added.

The company is looking to hold pre-planning consultation meetings with the local authority.

If given the go-ahead, Suas will run from Heuston Station to the Docklands.

A presentation of the plan was made to the economic special policy committee earlier this year and was well received by councillors, Mr Duffy said.

"The team was very heartened by the positive reaction of the engineering committee of the council when they presented it to them," he added.

comurphy@herald.ie

- Cormac Murphy

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/c...r-1816070.html

So who is Mr. Paddy Duffy???

Well being the helpful sort, hutton thought is might be informative and add just a little bit of background information...

When not penning Fianna Fail anthems titled "The Man They Call Ahern", Paddy gets around...First from the Irish Times last year when the scandal broke as to the Fás junkets:

Originally Posted by Irish Times, front page

Associate of Ahern flew twice to US as Fás guest

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

COLM KEENA and ELAINE EDWARDS

PADDY DUFFY, the close associate of former taoiseach Bertie Ahern,
travelled to the US as a guest of Fás in 2004 and 2006, although he
had no official role with the authority.

The cost of Mr Duffy's trips - one of which cost €4,562 - was charged
to the Fás Science Challenge project, which spent over €600,000 on
transatlantic travel for the director general of Fás, Rody Molloy, his
wife and senior Fás executives in a four-year period.

As pressure grew on Mr Molloy yesterday in relation to expenditure
controls at Fás, Taoiseach Brian Cowen said he knew Mr Molloy to be an
excellent public servant.

"I have every confidence in him," Mr Cowen said. Fás is the national
training authority and has an annual budget of €1 billion.

Mr Molloy said on radio yesterday that the expenditure was related to
the Fás Science Challenge programme which links up Irish students and
apprentices with top science institutes in the US, including the Nasa
space centre in Florida.

Mr Molloy said a $942 game of golf at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
Resort in Orlando in January 2005 was part of a process of developing
relationships with people in the US.

He also defended the expenditure of $410 at a beauty and nail salon in
Cocoa Beach, Florida, in August 2005. "Getting into detail of the
preparation of somebody for a particular event, again the amount of
money in terms of the total package is very, very small," he said on
RTÉ's Today with Pat Kenny show.

Fine Gael spokesman on enterprise Leo Varadkar, called on the Tánaiste
and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan to
"back or sack" Mr Molloy and his board. Documents released to The
Irish Times by Fás under the Freedom of Information Act show Mr Molloy
travelled to the US 11 times between November 2003 and November 2007,
with his wife accompanying him on five occasions. The total cost was
€67,917.

The majority of the flights cost several thousand euro, with a flight
for Mr Molloy to Houston in April 2007 costing €8,966.43.

In November 2007, a Fás executive and his wife flew around the world
at a cost of €12,097. "The individual in question, who was at an event
in Tokyo, on official business . . . then at his own expense spent
some time on the way back coming back through the US," Mr Molloy said.

Mr Duffy was flown to Atlanta, Georgia, in January 2004 at a cost of
€4,562. The cost of a 2006 flight for Mr Duffy paid for by Fás, this
time to Florida, is not known.

Mr Duffy, who acted as an adviser to Mr Ahern up to 1999, is now a
public relations consultant. He told The Irish Times he was heavily
supportive in a voluntary capacity of the Science Challenge, and was
invited by Fás on both trips. Fás is currently the subject of an
inquiry by the Dáil Committee on Public Accounts.

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...486547029.html

Secondly from the SB Post:

Originally Posted by Sunday Business Post, 2002/03/31

http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/...y395283728.asp
Second episode involving former advisor
Sunday, March 31, 2002
By Pat Leahy

Paddy Duffy has been associated with Bertie Ahern for much of the Taoiseach's political life, but this is the second time in three years that he has caused him severe embarrassment.

Duffy resigned from his post as a special adviser to Ahern in June 1999 when it was revealed that he had been been a director of a public affairs and lobbying company, Dillon Consultants, for a number of months.

Dillons had advised NTL, which had bought Cablelink from the state, and Duffy had attended meetings between the Taoiseach and representatives of NTL.

Duffy's versions of events later differed from those supplied by Dillons.

Duffy said that his installation as a director of the firm was due to mistake and misunderstanding, although he himself had signed the necessary form which was lodged in the Companies Office.

It later emerged that the company had described him as one of `our people' and boasted of his political connections months before he signed up as a director. The Public Offices Commission later found that neither Duffy nor the Taoiseach had complied with their obligations under the Ethics in Public Office Act.

Answering questions on the matter in the Dail, the Taoiseach described Duffy's version of events as "so stupid it is probably believable".

Although Duffy did not reveal it at the time, he was also a director of a company called The Right Word. Since his departure from government he has developed The Right Word into a successful public affairs consultancy. He has recruited a number of former political and civil service employees to work with him in his Harcourt Street offices.

According to the company's website, Duffy and co "have worked at the very highest levels of government and the public service and the private sector . . . . they know intimately how government and business work, how policies are determined and put into effect.

"[The company is] keenly aware of . . . the broad remit there is to democratise and make accessible channels of government decision-making . . . The programme pace and impact, [sic] are always those desired by the client."

The Right Word declined a request from The Sunday Business Post for information about its clients last week. It refused to say whether it numbered any publicly-funded bodies among its clients.

Before joining Ahern as a full-time operative, Duffy was a teacher and the founding principal of a gaelscoil in Ashbourne, Co Meath. He joined Ahern in the Department of Finance as press officer, and when Ahern became party leader in opposition Duffy held the title of chef de cabinet.

He became special adviser on Ahern acession to the Taoiseach's office, working principally in the areas of cultural affairs and speechwriting.

He also composed what was for a time the Fianna Fail theme tune, The Man They Call Ahern.

And thirdly, from Phoenix:

Originally Posted by Phoenix Magazine, Feb 24, 2006

1916 STREET BATTLES

"Developer of the year 2005" Joe O' Reilly of Dundrum Shopping Centre
fame who must be wondering about his deal with the Corpo to buy the
O'Connell St /Moore St parcel of property, given the phalanx of rival
developers, politicians, conservationists and 1916 patriots lined up
against him.

Originally earmarked to be redeveloped by Paul Clinton's Carlton
Group, the lot, which includes the former Carlton Cinema, is
potentially one of the most lucrative redevelopment opportunities in
Dublin's City Centre.

However, Clinton, is challenging the Corpo's right to sell these sites
to O' Reilly on foot of a 2001 compulsory purchase order – something
Clinton is also contesting.

Then theres the hoo-ha following the "rediscovery" that 16 Moore St, a
house in the middle of the site, was the final headquarters of the
1916 leaders. In the midst of this bear garden has come the council's
decision to extend the submissions deadline from January to March on
whether to preserve the building.

Following a campaign by An Taisce and the National Graves Association,
city councilors decreed by vote that the historically significant
Georgian building be
preserved.

However last summer it was noticed that in the intervening two years
the building had become effectively derelict and was missing a large
part of its roof.

Another campaign was started, including unlikely bed-fellows, ex-mayor
and sticky Thomas Mc Giolla, Shinner Daithi Doolan, and Labour
Councilor Dermot Lacey. Also involved is An Taisce's Dominic Dunne,
conservationist Mark Leslie, and the National GravesAssociation.

Minister Dick Roche then requested that the council list the building
as a protected structure; something the Corpo duly commissioned
conservation architect Grainne Shaffery to look into.

Separately, the campaigners received an intriguing letter sent on
behalf of Joe O' Reilly from The Right Word PR company's MD, Paddy
Duffy - formerly Chef de Cabinet of Bertie Ahern.

Duffy wants the campaigners to "work with us in trying to achieve a
sensible and worthwhile outcome to the immediate challenge of No.16
Moore Street", while at the same time noting that "we consider the
possible listing of No. 16, at this juncture, to be
an unnecessary extra legal complication".

However the real bombshell came just before Christmas when Grainne
Shaffery reported back to the city council and recommended not just
preserving no. 16 - but also the three other terraced houses around
it.

Now Corpo officials are expected to finally report to councilors at
April's meeting - just days before the 90th anniversary of Easter
1916.

As you can see, Paddy is a man of many talents - including, yet not covered in media as far as I know - he actively lobbied against ACA/ Architectural Conservation Area status for Grafton Street. Regrettably for him on that one, he lost... Ah shucks...

[PVC King]

What rent are they paying?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4197938.stm

I still reckon he was right on the 1916 house, the value of that historical event was the willingness to sacrifce one's blood not where one may or may not have been arrested.

But on this project not even €4m a year rent would justify it

[rumpelstiltskin]

Well if they can avoid ruining vistas or making this whole thing unsightly, I don't see why people are so opposed to it. People always complain that Dublin just copies other cities. Well this is pretty original. If they did it in London and it was a success, lots of people would be in favour of it, though it would be accompanied by bitching to the effect that Dublin can never do anything original.

[gunter]

Originally Posted by rumpelstiltskin

Well if they can avoid ruining vistas or making this whole thing unsightly, I don't see why people are so opposed to it. People always complain that Dublin just copies other cities. Well this is pretty original.

That is a good point, this would be original!

. . . what other city has a clothes line running down it's front lawn?

[rumpelstiltskin]

That's the point, your condemnation includes the phrase "what other city". What vulgarity would compel somebody to put a FERRIS WHEEL next to the most famous parliament building in the world, ruining the panorama? Might as well just stick a giant red nose on big ben. What insanity caused somebody to plonk a BIG SPIKE right in the centre of the main street in Dublin? Doesn't it just look like a syringe? What UTTER MADNESS caused somebody to put, of all things, a GLASS PYRAMID in the middle of one of the most historic buildings in Paris? Why not put a glass sphynx on top of the Arc de Triomphe while they're at it! And how uncivilised must have been all those who ruined the historic low rise streetscape of New York by plonking monstrosities like the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building right in the middle of them? BARBARIANS!!!!!!!!

[marmajam]

Originally Posted by rumpelstiltskin

That's the point, your condemnation includes the phrase "what other city". What vulgarity would compel somebody to put a FERRIS WHEEL next to the most famous parliament building in the world, ruining the panorama? Might as well just stick a giant red nose on big ben. What insanity caused somebody to plonk a BIG SPIKE right in the centre of the main street in Dublin? Doesn't it just look like a syringe? What UTTER MADNESS caused somebody to put, of all things, a GLASS PYRAMID in the middle of one of the most historic buildings in Paris? Why not put a glass sphynx on top of the Arc de Triomphe while they're at it! And how uncivilised must have been all those who ruined the historic low rise streetscape of New York by plonking monstrosities like the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building right in the middle of them? BARBARIANS!!!!!!!!

you need to cut down on those 'rage' pills you're taking rumpelstiltskin.

they're not doing you any good at all.

[alonso]

Originally Posted by gunter

That is a good point, this would be original!

. . . what other city has a clothes line running down it's front lawn?

Barcelona has one across it's port and up to the Olympic stadium? i know it's not quite the same but y'know

rumpelstilstkin does have a point in fairness. I abhorred this when i first heard about it. now i won't be too quick to condemn it until i see the full impact on renders etc. Although if i recall correctly the pylons required to support this were brutal and it was their impact on the footpaths in their vicinity that really got me annoyed - although if they pedestrianised the quays around them it might be ok. The clothes line didn't really bother me from what i remember. Anyone got any pld pics?

gimme a minute

k from good ol' archiseek



call it aging, call it time, or call it the recession, but i dunno. The initial lunacy I tarred this project with has morphed into a more considered why not? But God those pylons are truly truly horrific. If they can't do anything about that then it just has to be trashed...

[gunter]

Originally Posted by rumpelstiltskin

That's the point, your condemnation includes the phrase "what other city". What vulgarity would compel somebody to put a FERRIS WHEEL next to the most famous parliament building in the world, ruining the panorama? Might as well just stick a giant red nose on big ben. What insanity caused somebody to plonk a BIG SPIKE right in the centre of the main street in Dublin? Doesn't it just look like a syringe? What UTTER MADNESS caused somebody to put, of all things, a GLASS PYRAMID in the middle of one of the most historic buildings in Paris? Why not put a glass sphynx on top of the Arc de Triomphe while they're at it! And how uncivilised must have been all those who ruined the historic low rise streetscape of New York by plonking monstrosities like the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building right in the middle of them? BARBARIANS!!!!!!!!

My analogy might have been dubious, but yours are off the wall completely

You made a good point about the originality of the cable-car idea.

I do agree with you on that point. It would be better to have an original attraction, even if a bit flawed, rather that go for pale copy of someone else's attraction.

Unfortunately, the visual impact of the giant, ungainly, supports looks (to me anyway) to be too big of a price to pay. I don't think Dublin needs a new attraction that badly.

Maybe if the supports were sculpted up a bit, or set behind the North Quays, it would have less negative impact of the primary Liffey vistas.

If you check back, you'll see that I've actually never said a bad word about this proposal, and that 'clothes line' jibe could have been interpreted either way

[hutton]

Originally Posted by gunter

Maybe if the supports were sculpted up a bit, or set behind the North Quays, it would have less negative impact of the primary Liffey vistas.

Eh you can keep such tawdry shite on the southside, thank you very much

My primary reservation about this is that should it look awful, it would be private hands and impossible to remove and therefore remain a permanent blight on Dublin's central binding element, the quays.

Why not simply fix existing attractions, such as the Smithfield tower, now closed for two years? Or the fountain in South King Street? Or wash clean the Liffey's fine cut granite stone walls and police and maintain the bridges such as Macken St and the boardwalk - this last one's a really radical thought, and therefore unlikely to happen

[GrahamH]

Ah lads, you're letting the side down here. Not the side of architecture, design or good planning, but sanity! I knew the "it'll generate X amount of jobs" line would take down some men on Archiseek eventually. It happens to the best of us. But for those of us surviving, please, keep focused! Some day it'll all be over - keep looking forward to that glorious day.

[lostexpectation]

theres a dramatisation of eiffels towers being made on Discovery you can acquire, awful dialogue but interesting to watch

[marmajam]

Originally Posted by lostexpectation

theres dramatisation of eiffels towers being made on Discovery you can acquire, awful dialogue but interesting to swatch

true

[Global Citizen]

Originally Posted by hutton

.....Smithfield tower, now closed for two years....

Why ?

[StephenC]

Why indeed. Could it be that Dublin's skyline is just not interesting enough to attract the volumes needed to maintain the attraction....ugly cable car take note.

[GregF]

Kinda mad...........but at least it's sorta original..........well at least it's not another big London wheel.