There is no real ice rink in Dublin. But there is in Dundalk for some reason. Sometimes they put up these temporary things in parking lots around Christmas (there was one in Howth last winter), but it's hard to believe there is no permanent rink here. Until now that is! Apparently they are building one attached to Charlestown Shopping Mall on the north side fo the city. They're even starting up a hockey team to be based there!
I'll have to check this out at some point.
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Sunday, 14 June 2009
Skerries from Shennick Island
Once in a while when the spring tide is at its lowest you can walk out to Shennick Island with the water only to your calves. Lovely little spot, with its own martello tower. Of course you can only spend an hour or so there or you have to get rescued by the lifeboat people. As several people had happen to them a couple of weeks ago.
Smithfield, Dublin...stuck in a rut
I'd been hearing about this part of town called Smithfield quite a bit. Well, apparently there is a 'market' there and there's quite a bit of new development and a couple of galleries.
The Motor Tax Office is in the area, so I managed a look around last week. Hmmm, not sure what the fuss is about, but there's something drastically wrong in Smithfield. Lots of new housing developments, mainly 5 story apartment blocks, looking out over a large public square. Commercial units on the ground floor of all of the buildings. So why are there no commerical outfits occupying these spaces? It seems like a bit of a vicious circle...lots of vacancies in the apartments, so the shops never really opened, and because the shops didn't open then nobody wants to live there. The place was deserted. There was a Subway open, but many of the other shops looked half finished or in suspended occupancy. Even the large hotel facing onto the square has closed. An ambitious development that just ran out of steam.
Looks like another failure in urban planning in good old Dublin.
Here's another bloggers take on it.
The Motor Tax Office is in the area, so I managed a look around last week. Hmmm, not sure what the fuss is about, but there's something drastically wrong in Smithfield. Lots of new housing developments, mainly 5 story apartment blocks, looking out over a large public square. Commercial units on the ground floor of all of the buildings. So why are there no commerical outfits occupying these spaces? It seems like a bit of a vicious circle...lots of vacancies in the apartments, so the shops never really opened, and because the shops didn't open then nobody wants to live there. The place was deserted. There was a Subway open, but many of the other shops looked half finished or in suspended occupancy. Even the large hotel facing onto the square has closed. An ambitious development that just ran out of steam.
Looks like another failure in urban planning in good old Dublin.
Here's another bloggers take on it.
Saturday, 13 June 2009
Fingal or Dublin?
So, I have to admit that I'm not quite sure where we live. North Dublin is a strange place in terms of municipal services. Our postal address is County Dublin, but we are served by Fingal County Council. Some services come from Dublin Regional Authority, and some from Fingal County Council. Finding out which is which can be a nightmare.
When I first arrived back in August I had to get a PPS number, which is your work permit / tax number. The address on the government website said go to Balbriggan Social Services office, so off I went. Got there and they told me that it's been handled by Dublin County for the past 3 years. Great, thanks for updating the website. So off I went to the city, no great hassle.
Last week I had to visit the Motor Tax office to get my driving learner permit. I walk in to the main office in Dublin (near Smithfield, but that's another story) and there's a big sign saying you must apply for the license in your home county. Seeing as I really have no idea what my home county is, I took a number and sat down. Lo and behold I was in the right place, and now I have my very own Irish driving permit (provisional).
Anyway, here's what Wikipedia has to say about the local government structure...'At present, many organisations, state agencies and sporting teams continue to operate on a "County Dublin" basis. Subsequently, much confusion exists around the legitimacy of the new counties - though they do have administrative county status, the only protected recognition of a county within the Republic of Ireland. County Dublin is now defined in legislation solely as the "Dublin Region" under the Local Government Act, 1991 (Regional Authorities) (Establishment) Order, 1993,[1] and this is the terminology officially used by the four Dublin administrative councils in press releases concerning the former county area.
Yeah, I'm still confused.
When I first arrived back in August I had to get a PPS number, which is your work permit / tax number. The address on the government website said go to Balbriggan Social Services office, so off I went. Got there and they told me that it's been handled by Dublin County for the past 3 years. Great, thanks for updating the website. So off I went to the city, no great hassle.
Last week I had to visit the Motor Tax office to get my driving learner permit. I walk in to the main office in Dublin (near Smithfield, but that's another story) and there's a big sign saying you must apply for the license in your home county. Seeing as I really have no idea what my home county is, I took a number and sat down. Lo and behold I was in the right place, and now I have my very own Irish driving permit (provisional).
Anyway, here's what Wikipedia has to say about the local government structure...'At present, many organisations, state agencies and sporting teams continue to operate on a "County Dublin" basis. Subsequently, much confusion exists around the legitimacy of the new counties - though they do have administrative county status, the only protected recognition of a county within the Republic of Ireland. County Dublin is now defined in legislation solely as the "Dublin Region" under the Local Government Act, 1991 (Regional Authorities) (Establishment) Order, 1993,[1] and this is the terminology officially used by the four Dublin administrative councils in press releases concerning the former county area.
Yeah, I'm still confused.
Monday, 25 May 2009
Weekend in Skerries
Well, the weather certainly cooperated this past weekend in North County Dublin. Sunny and warm (well, it's all relative). This Sunday was the final stage of the Ras, an 8 day round-Ireland cycling race that ends on Skerries main street. The town was out in full force for the race. I didn't recognize any of the names of the riders, but apparently there were a few stage winners from the Tour de France in the 160 rider field.
Oh, and a shot of the harbour and restaurants / pubs. Taken from the balcony of the Skerries Sailing Club.
Oh, and a shot of the harbour and restaurants / pubs. Taken from the balcony of the Skerries Sailing Club.
Friday, 15 May 2009
Just some photos....
Catherine with the doggies on the beach in Skerries. Adder was going through one of his biting phases, hence the facemask.
The harbour in SkerriesA plug for Irish Immigration
Well, as much as I whine about life in Ireland, I do really love it here. The whines are really only about some quirks, not about the overall place, people, or quality of life.
But I must put in a positive note for the Irish immigration service, known as GNIB.
So, when we decided to move here, as I have an EU passport it was really easy. Catherine doesn't and in most countries that involves a huge amount of preparation, advance form-filling and months of waiting. But not Ireland. No advance paperwork needed, just turn up at your point of entry, and as long as one of the couple has an EU passport you both get to stay. Sort of a 'we'll deal with it when you get here' kind of attitude. There are a series of registration steps that involve a few trips to the dreaded GNIB office in Burgh Quay (it smells of farts), but nothing too onerous. In fact it's all a bit quaint....some of the forms you have to fill in are 5th generation photocopies and of course finding the right information is a bit of a nightmare.
We passed the final hurdle for Catherine this week, when they approved her right to live in Ireland for the next 5 years.
US immigration could take note of this ease of access for legitimate spouses. Just imagine turning up at the US border with your foreign spouse and announcing you're 'here to stay'. Yeah, right. But, in Ireland the response was, 'oh, that's grand, I'm sure you'll like it here'!
But I must put in a positive note for the Irish immigration service, known as GNIB.
So, when we decided to move here, as I have an EU passport it was really easy. Catherine doesn't and in most countries that involves a huge amount of preparation, advance form-filling and months of waiting. But not Ireland. No advance paperwork needed, just turn up at your point of entry, and as long as one of the couple has an EU passport you both get to stay. Sort of a 'we'll deal with it when you get here' kind of attitude. There are a series of registration steps that involve a few trips to the dreaded GNIB office in Burgh Quay (it smells of farts), but nothing too onerous. In fact it's all a bit quaint....some of the forms you have to fill in are 5th generation photocopies and of course finding the right information is a bit of a nightmare.
We passed the final hurdle for Catherine this week, when they approved her right to live in Ireland for the next 5 years.
US immigration could take note of this ease of access for legitimate spouses. Just imagine turning up at the US border with your foreign spouse and announcing you're 'here to stay'. Yeah, right. But, in Ireland the response was, 'oh, that's grand, I'm sure you'll like it here'!
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