General Information about Dublin, Dublin

Smirting is a combination of the words smoking + flirting, geddit? It started when people had to go out for a ciggie after the ban was enforced, and got chatting to fellow smokers outside on the street, eyes meeting across a cloud of blue nicotine... ;) So you may just meet a local hottie in this way!!

REMEMBER - Since March 2004, you CANNOT smoke inside bars, cafes or restaurants, or anywhere where people are working (e.g. taxis, offices etc.)
The legislation is officially known as the Public Health (Tobacco) Act, see link to it below for a summary.

You may smoke in outside in the street or in designated smoking areas, but never inside a place where people are working (includes offices, bars, restaurants, shops, shopping centres, taxis, etc)

Dublin City in Ireland, is going through a transformation. The roads are full of men working hard at putting down Tram lines. Very soon, only Trams will be the only Transport into the city (Other than, Police, - Guards, Ambulances etc)

Even in the pubs you will be able to take in a lung full of fresh air, as the whole of Southern Ireland, has a smoking Ban in any public buildings.
Whilst I was out there, I listened to the radio. The DJ was complaining, that now no one is lighting up, you can smell other peoples farts!

That seems a good enough argument to me, to let Smoking be allowed in pubs again!

If you are a smoker & you love a Lager when you light up, then try to go to Southern Ireland in the summer months so that you can sit outside, though you can bet it will pour down with rain then too!

If you get a chance, or the weather permits, do visit Dublin Zoo.
Apart from seeing Monkeys & Tigers, you will also get to see the 'African' Safari. It is amazing.
If you are lucky to have warm weather, make sure you put the sunblock on, as the Safari part of the Zoo, does not have much shade.

'D4' apart from being a kind of connection lead for Japanese electronic devices, is a postcode of Dublin, on the southside.

It contains most of the Capital's embassies, seats of learning and swathes of the 'upper middle class'. 'D4' has therefore become something of a generic term for anybody in that particular socio-economic group, even if they live outside of the postcode. It is said that these people have their own accent. it is certainly different to the more common Dublin accent. I think it sounds like a cross between recieved English home-counties and American teenager slang.

A D4 person is most likely to say something like "I had to spend...like...300 Euro on a round of drinks..but..like...you know...my flat in Ballsbridge rises by that every day..like" (not since the celtic tiger died...ha ha)

'D4' is therefore also applied to any pretensious person, or anyone who considees themselves ' a cut above the rest '.

In general Southsiders (of the river Liffey) are considered to be the richer / more culturally inclined / literate Dubliners. As Dublin had changed howerver the divide these days is more on East / west lines. The Suburbs closer to the coast (East) tend to be quite a bit more expensive and middle-clss than the western ones.

I saw a wonderful advertisment recently that was posted on the DART railway bridge that straddles the river right near the centre of the city. It read "Are you a North Cider of a south Cider". This clever little add for Magners cider`was a pun : if you swap the 'C' for an 'S' then it begins to make a little more sense.

True Dubliners themselves would never have to ask which you might be - but in essence a native of the North side of the city (as in north of the river Liffey) would be working class with a real inpenetrable Dublin accent. A south sider would be middle-class with a more urbane and cosmopolitan outlook. The accent would be somewhat less harsh.

These are of course crass sterotypes, but it provides a staple of any discussion amongst Dubliners who are at least united in the love of the 'ole drink - be it Magners or the more traditional black stuff.

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One of the greatest things about Dubliners is their wit, humor, and love of plays on words. The most tangible example I've found is the various statues around town that have been re-dubbed with playful poetic names. Here is a photo of the statue of Molly Malone (famed fictitious fishmonger) which Dubliners popularly call "The Tart with the Cart", most likely due to her buxom cleavage!! She's found on the corner of Grafton Street & Nassau Street near Trinity College.

Also, is the photo of "The Fag on the Crag" (statue of Oscar Wilde on a rock located inside Archbishop Ryan Park which can be seen from the site of Oscar Wilde's parent's home on northwest corner of Merrion Square).

Other examples, of which I have no photos - so sorry, are "The Floozie in the Jacuzzi" (it's been removed from its original location on O'Connell Street and is awaiting relocation - it was known as Anna Livia, in homage to James Joyce's nickname for the River Liffey) and "The Hags with the Bags" (a statue of 2 frumpy ladies with shopping bags at their feet near the Ha'penny Bridge), and "The Prick with the Stick" (statue of James Joyce located at the juncture of North Earl Street and O'Connell Street).

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Here are a few more photos of street performers I came across on Grafton Street. The first guy was performing in front of the Laura Ashley store with a glass ball that he was rolling along his hands, arms, shoulders to some beautiful music. We saw him several times throughout the week so he's probably a regular.

The second guy was dressed up in period garb but I'm not sure what the purpose was except maybe as an advertisement for something? LOL - I'm not sure!

A statue to earn a dubious but comical nickname is a monument at the bottom of Grafton Street representing Molly Malone, a fictitious fishmonger featured in Dublin's anthem, Molly Malone, who is shown, with ample cleavage, wheeling a cart.

The statue was erected to celebrate Dublin's millennium in 1988 (although Dublin was more than 1,000 years old at the time), and is generally known in Dublin as "The Tart with the Cart", "The Dolly with the Trolley", "The Trollop with the Scallop", "The Dish with the Fish" or "The Flirt in the Skirt"!

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It's on O'Connell Street, in line with the Spire. So, what's so peculiar/different about it, you may be wondering, right?

After all, no harm in thinking of the Almighty, hey? Of course not, especially when you look upon Him as your Guardian Angel :)

The funny thing however, is the sign below it. Read it for your amusement, it reflects some Dubliner's version of the English language!!!

Dubliners are a funny bunch of people....we tend to take whats called the "***" out of each other....which is basically just making fun of each other....so dont take offence to anyone taking the *** its our way of breaking the ice so to speak.

There are many accents in Dublin....north, east, west and south Dublin have there own accents.....any americans coming to Dublin will probably find this very strange......

Friday and Saturdays nites are big nites out in Dublin its the END OF THE WEEKEND its the two days of the week that we all get to let our hair down...we work hard and play hard......so dont be surprised to see all the bars and clubs packed every weekend......make sure you book in advance in any nice restauraunts youve noticed while strolling around the streets during the day :0)

On my walk out to Kilmainham Jail, I encountered several of these silhouette signs, alerting residents and visitors alike that this is indeed kitty country. I didn't see any free-roaming felines but at least I was aware they might be crossing my path at any minute...