O’ Connell Street, Dublin
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Is it time to give up on O’Connell St as a boulevard showpiece? The locals and businesses opening there seem to prefer it as a one-stop shop for tat and crap. There’s always Dame St as the city’s main thoroughfare. It arguably has a greater claim to the title anyway. People visit Dame St!
When I saw the bridge cordoned off for repairs, I thought, oh goody they are going to give it a clean up and make over. But I was very disappointed that it wasn’t the case. O’Connell Bridge is still as bad as it was when the whole street was in a dire condition!
I like the idea of Dame Street being more of a main street than O Connell street. When you look at it there’s a lot of untapped potential with the majestic bank buildings there which of course are empty and dark after banking hours but money dictates what will get the best streets and places which is unfortunate. While O Connell Street has been laying low due to neglect Dame Street has a lot of potential as a few of the banks have or have been mulling the idea of selling their branches there. While O Connell Street is more about defence of what is left, Dame Street has the chance with adequate ideas and planning to become a great street.
Out of curiosity, does anyone know what is going t happen to the old Eircom building. It has been vacant for ages. I can understand the Fingal offices being vacant for various reasons known to all but the reason for the Eircom building being vacant is less known.
@Conorworld wrote:
Out of curiosity, does anyone know what is going t happen to the old Eircom building. It has been vacant for ages. I can understand the Fingal offices being vacant for various reasons known to all but the reason for the Eircom building being vacant is less known.
I think they are looking to let it out again. Ground floor has been rehabilitated ad interim, decent job by Tom de P as discussed some time back.
the O’Connell vs Dame Street debate should be irrelevant if policy was implemented. I believe the goal should remain the copperfastening of Christchurch – Parnell as the civic spine meaning both are “Main Street, Dublin”
Dame street has a more European feel to it. O’Connells street just doesnt have that main street feel to me as say Dame street has coming up to Trinity college. O’Connelss street feels like a through road to get to a destination. The shops on it are just so shitty and drabby.
I wished they never took down those London planes, those trees were fine:mad:
I disagree, I think the public domain is great. Its just hasnt been followed through with a concerted effort to improve the retail offer and introduce other uses.
@StephenC wrote:
I disagree, I think the public domain is great. Its just hasnt been followed through with a concerted effort to improve the retail offer and introduce other uses.
I think that’s a fair point and the redevelopment of the street’s offer must address this.
This proposed shopping centre at the north end of O’connell street is a massive missed opurtunity to create a cultural centre for the local communities.
Hear me out.
Some people are calling the east parts of parnell street and Cathal Brugh street Dublin’s “chinatown”, and Parnell street and Moors street are also an immigrant area. Why is it that this development that will change rundown area’s just next too these communites wont serve them at all but will be aimed at dragging tourists and soutsiders too the northside?
If anything the whole concept of an immigrant area a “chinatown” should be premoted and protected. Such sites should be used to inhance the area and not forcefully evict the communities that are there. So what if people think its a ghetto, its better to premote it and help it than to alienate it.
It allready has the Gate Theatre and the Ambasador. Imagine if everything in that area was grabbed by the same influence of being a cultural area. It might even keep the Abbey in the same place? Imagine a walking along a street on the northside and smelling different restaruants instead of bus exhaust? Would it be better than another behemoth shopping space?
I would love to see this whole area be premoted as a sign of the future of ireland etc etc.
But in truth, even if this was done it would make money, up the rent and eventually force the entire area to move away.:mad:
Also, if we did make a Chinatown in dublin, that thin lizzy song would finally make sense!:rolleyes:
@Denton wrote:
If anything the whole concept of an immigrant area a “chinatown” should be premoted and protected. Such sites should be used to inhance the area and not forcefully evict the communities that are there.
But the character of the area, which you now think should be preserved, has only developed because of the shopping centre hanging over the area for years.
So what you want is a repeat of Temple Bar, where the threat of the bus station hanging over the area caused an artistic community to develop on the back of the low and shortterm rents, and in the end it was deemed that this character was worth preserving in itself? But in the end the artist / bohemian character of the place wasn’t kept anyway and we know what happened … So who’s to say the current immigrant character of Moore St / Parnell St. could be preserved?
@Devin wrote:
But the character of the area, which you now think should be preserved, has only developed because of the shopping centre hanging over the area for years.
So what you want is a repeat of Temple Bar, where the threat of the bus station hanging over the area caused an artistic community to develop on the back of the low and shortterm rents, and in the end it was deemed that this character was worth preserving in itself? But in the end the artist / bohemian character of the place wasn’t kept anyway and we know what happened … So who’s to say the current immigrant character of Moore St / Parnell St. could be preserved?
No one actually.
And Temple Bar may be a tourist hot spot but if you want pubs, foreign film, tattoes, records and comic books its one of the best area’s to go to for that. Its still got the same feel to it, even if it is for money.
Denton while I applaud your pro-immigrant sentiments; it does seem a little unfair on the Chinese community, they are harassed by constant and unsympathetic fiddling with the visa regulations, it is almost impossible for them to get proper residency and they suffer continual casual and occasional severe racism and now we expect them to provide a tourist attraction!
In fact, international, Chinese communities, when they are given a chance to establish themselves, are extremely pro-active in supporting cultural institutions and providing cultural infrastructure, but we should not over-estimate the security of the Asian ethnic area on Parnell St, or anywhere in Dublin. In fact, Parnell St provides a stern lesson in this regard, before it was an Asian area, it was an African area and that was ended by official and un-official racism and xenophobia; the asylum-seeker population was forcibly dispersed and, for example, what is now the BOOZE-TO-GO on Georges St and Parnell was once Forum, one of Dublin’s coolest bars: Forum was forced to close after the patrons were attacked by thugs with pool sticks and the owner was deported.
In short, if official Ireland becomes less capricious about immigration legislation and a little fairer about long-term status and we are careful about combating racism and xenophobia, we will benefit from a Chinatown and an interesting and unusual Chinatown since our Chinese community is from midwestern China, not Shanghai, it might be on Parnell St, it won’t be on Moore St and it might be on or near Capel St. but the details of the North OCS development won’t be the deciding factor.
If anything the new development will draw people into the area – and if it was handled properly this could have great knock on effects, by bringing people into the area, for the (fantastic) restaurants on Parnell Street, what should be done by the City Council is something to protect and enhance the organic development of the multicultural mix on parnell street and not a big fake official state sponsored multicultural centre – it’s inauthentic
Agree that there should be more cultural elements to the carlton redevelopment though – man does not live on shops alone. The development should be a 24 hour operation not 9-5;30
One of the most immediate requirements to breathing a bit of life into the Parnell St-Bolton St-Capel St-Wolfe Tone St zone would be if Bus Atha Cliath could find it within itself to recognize it as an area which has merits for some form of Public Transport service 😮
No matter what ethnic grouping we establish there,they will require Public Transport as an INTEGRAL part of their community ?
Currently anybody working or living in the area has to trek to Parnell Square or O Connell St to avail of the Omnibus and even further if seeking the Train.
Anybody with a little interest should walk around the place and wonder why the absence of public transport..??? :confused:
@GrahamH wrote:
The GPO with six columns.
Always the stickler for detail. :rolleyes:
(:D)
The story of how I found that image is too long and unfunny to post. Suffice to say, it’s not my leg and I remain untattooed.
(If I had to pick a Dublin building to have as a tattoo, I suspect Carrisbrook House would get the nod.;))
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