As an 80s teenager who grew up in Dublin, I find this to be a rather bittersweet video. Grateful to see it again, and yet so sad that such a wonderful era is now gone. And lovely to see the inimitable Thom McGinty who was such a kind and caring man. Used to bump into him on Botanic Road a lot when he was on his way into town.
God I miss Dublin as it used to be. I remember popping in to The Alchemists Head every Saturday to check out the comics. Remember the smell of Hops? Better days.
Great times..... I remember all the buskers and street acts in the video. Use to be in Grafton St most Saturdays going to freebird records and sound celler just to flik through the records. Thanks for putting this video up really enjoyed a trip down memory lane.
what a gem.. I was busking in Ireland heard so much about the diceman.. now I was able to see his work... thank you and the young Little John... oh what a gem
@@roderickmcdonnell3725 I emigrated in 1982 country was broke ,abortion referendum main item in politics while the place was falling apart, up to 80,000 emigrated in a few years ,it took 8 weeks to get a phone line to your house,FF ,Chatholic Church and the GAA ran the place
Yes. I lived in Ireland in the 1980s. Massive unemployment and poverty, huge emigration and still lots of physical and sexual abuse of children by clerics and others. If people were happy they were probably on Valium (which was a common prescription drug back then).
I was in Cork in the early/mid 90s and there was a fantastic 3 piece band of kids (siblings I think) all about 11-12 years old. They were playing Beatles songs (Hofner bass and all) and they were brilliant. They had a crowd watching them on a sunny day and the atmosphere on the street was great. The guards came and ran them at the direction of a shop owner who’d called them. I heard multiple people saying they were going to go into that shop and that they now wouldn’t. I overheard a few say they’d never spend a red cent in that shop again. The fact that they were both talented and just kids that had the guards called on them annoyed people especially. The atmosphere draws people to an area. It’s incredibly shortsighted to try and get rid of buskers.
I'm glad to see this , theres not an awful lot of social capture from this time , a video camera was not in everyone's pocket. It took effort . And now people think what they had for lunch is valuable blog material, I'm glad someone was active , the problem is to everyone then , it seems pointless, I'd argue it's very much not now , I deffo appreciate it's there to access, so a long time coming but thanks 🙂
Wow 😃 I was busker on Grafton and Henry Street... For some years, nothing change, I was arrested, have a lot of problems, junkies problems, shit gardai problems and everyday I only try do my best to everyone. And I recorded everything I will download here on my channel Thanks very much for this video give me a lot of answers...
Great video of a Dublin in the rare auld times, "Appils n rdinges, Appils n rdinges" ironic that a country so clebrated for it's contribution to the Arts was still using old British bylaws to ban the public playing of music and performance on the street but it was ok to dispose of rubbish anywhere you liked on that very street. I notice how cocky the cops were back then and wore uniforms that actually fitted them unlike today where it appears that a one size fits all has been introduced.
Same here, too many memories. If I went to Dublin now I would just be depressed at how many of the heads I used to call into are just not there anymore.
Hats off to yezz for fighting for buskers, because of you their is a fabulous busking scene on Grafton & thereabouts in Dublin which is regularly filmed by Sean at "Dublin City Today" & Seamus Traynor at "Buskbeats"
I remember Busking in Cork, had no probs. I was only there a few days thou' so maybe over time the dark blues maybe have shrouded me. Pity, of all places - Ireland to ban Buskers!! Crazy.
Even this is so far from me at that time we lived in Great USSR but as human as my Uzbek Muslim heart feels nostalgic time ....My best wishes for all human being...🙏🇺🇿🇰🇿🇰🇬
RIP The #Diceman what a great character sadly missed. Great video, you now need a license and audition to busk in Dublin, there were coordinated gangs (scangers) sending kids out taking the Mickey and just getting up and literally singing the same song all day, no other repertoire just to get people's money.
I was born in the 80's and now I busk in the city centre , Bray , Dun Laoghaire and my home town of Ballyfermot but I remember as a very young child seeing people in town doing street art and the buskers and street artists , Allie sherlock is probably the most famous busker in Dublin right now and Jacob Koopman...!! Mark G Ballyfermot Dublin Eíre !!
I remember the smell of leather belts for sale in the Dandelion Market. The Diceman was a Saturday regular on Grafton Street ( usually up nearer the Green ). We were always kinda afraid of him. He was Other. Sad he died of AIDS. As in every high street in every country, Grafton street mainly has international chain stores. You see the same layouts and window displays in different countries. Who remembers traffic on Grafton Street ....
And poor Pat Tierney selling his poems on Grafton Street and the Diceman all drinking coffee ☕️ in Bewleys famous cafe and Hector Grey selling magical goods at the Halfpenny bridge. Then in January 1996 Pat Tierney succumbed in the grounds of a Drumcondra church on his 39th birthday and he bid farewell to this beautiful but cruel world. Time doth makes ghosts of us all 🌻🎩🌻
10.45 >>> my old friend & colleague in Westbury Hotel, Martin Flood, a great GAA football player too. Great food, in the hotel Still Room end of shift 1 a.m. , eh Martin? Smoked salmon & egg sandwiches, desserts.
Population of the Republic of Ireland went down from approximately 4.2 million 1921 to 2.6 in 1961 the 80's and 70's generations never realised their full potential even with the small renaissance in music particularly who is writing the history of these lost generations or is it quick fast to the Digital Revolution?
not exactly. There was no census in 1921 (for obvious reasons). First ever census of Irish Free State was in 1926 (pop.2.97 million). This fell to 2,8 million by 1955. It actually rose from 1965 onwards, reaching 3.2 million by 1975.
I'm Irish and live in Geneva. Man, you could eat your dinner off the streets here. Unusual to see any litter, and if it does appear - it won't be there when you wake up tomorrow. As a result of living here for 30 years, I would rather sell my kids than drop trash on the street. It will stay in my hand, or pocket, until I find a bin.
Aye.. them were the days ! We could eat our fish n chips and crumple up the news paper and toss it gracefully into the side of the road.. Then we finished our last cigarette while stamping the box flat to the path with that satisfying crunch underfoot.. then flick the butt stylishly into the nearest alleyway.. Aye gone are the days when you could just drop your trousers and have a satisfying shite in the side streets after a good meal.. All this political correctness has ruined our happy and free lives, thats what I say !
Ireland has always had a proud tradition of the arts. We’re known abroad for our love of music and culture & tourists seem to enjoy the buskers. This is something that should be celebrated rather than vilified due to out of date foreign laws. We didn’t realise what we had back then. Nowadays Dublin is over run with scumbag junkies.
Loved Dublin back then.... When you weren't listening to 30 different languages as you walked along the pavements or when peopled walked along the pavements and nodded or said hello to each other instead of checking their phones every 2 or 3 minutes . Rare auld times these :)
God forbid you heard more than 2 languages. I’m sure it’s a very challenging thing to hear someone say “hola”. Really though, do you get up in the morning to be offended? Toughen up....
@@drumclaypete Who is being racist? Stop jumping to a conclusion based on you just wanting to bitch and disagree for the sake of it. Don't be a donut all your life. My statement was a fact on how it was then to how it is now. Nothing racist about that princess. Oh and for your blinded information I have a South American wife and I am well aware of what Hola means ... Y usted? Now I would stop there if I was you cos you have already made a twat out of your-self
@@sonnyirish3678 I still don't follow you. And why the word people in quotation marks ? You haven't explained yourself. I still have no idea what you mean about "the great replacement". Can you be more clear for me please ?
There were 2 of them up by the floozy in the jacuzzi in the late 80s. A really old woman with a cross and another slightly younger woman that used to pace back and forwards preaching.
Excellent video, I guess the powers that be had no interest In the real lawbreakers, always hounding the suppressed making them fight against the system.
It's not a crime to be a survivor 😁, its a crime to be a quitter and a leech 🐛, it costs the taxpayers much more to jail 🏣a tryer than wish them well 💐😁👍
Its natural that Irish people or any culture love and remember seeing their town or country full of their own people its heritage but biodiversity helps when different cultures intergrate but u still see people not mixing
I can't be the only one mentally switching "busking" with "wanking" I'm 5 minutes and an interesting documentary is transformed into magnificent experience
I remember commuting from drogheda to dublin city in 95 to work and being told daily i lived sticks lol they couldnt believe i travelled the now 30mins drive to work daily 😂
