1.It now takes 2 minutes instead of 10 seconds to get a taxi
For the past 7 years getting a taxi was as simple as just putting your hand out and watching 6 cars battle for your fare. I actually had to wait 3 minutes for a taxi the other day! Lets just hope we don't go back to the days where you had to pay 50 Euros just to bribe somebody to take you home on a Saturday night.
2.There seem to be tourists absolutely everywhere these days
Walk into any of the pubs around Grafton Street and you'll hear the big fat yanks talking about the magical par they got at the K Club or 6 French people saying what a load of "merde" the food here is.
3.Rush hour is Back.
Builder vans, frustrating waits as the rain descends and the M50 being packed again after 6 years of pretty OK traffic are all sure signs we are improving economically.
4.You can't book a restaurant any Friday or Saturday night for love nor money
There is more chance of booking a restaurant at the weekend in Dublin than winning the Euro millions. All the best places are now booked weeks in advance and full of pretty young things eating lobster eggs benedict.
5.The shops are heaving
People have given up the past time of window shopping that has been so popular for the last 6 years and instead of just heading to town for a coffee they are piling into the shops throwing heaps of cash on the plastic again.
6.You can't find a decent place to live for love nor money
We've profiled a couple of shit holes in Dublin that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. This one at 850 possibly being the worst. We don't want to go back to a property boom but loads of homeowners slowly getting out of negative equity has to be a good thing.
7.Families are coming home
I know a bunch of people who were forced to leave to London, America and Australia to find work. Most were single when they left but are now aiming to return to Ireland to raise their kids in the country they love.
8.Everywhere You Look Stuff Is Being Built
It might be a fraction of where we were before things went pear shaped in 2007 but there is no dount that we are starting to build stuff again. The traffic down on Dawson Street as the Luas finally gets it's connection or the 10-20 cranes you can see on the Dublin skyline are all good things.
9.People are talking about going Skiing this year
When the shit hits the fan on your personal finances one of the first things to get cut are the personal holidays. We had to put up with "staycations" for the last few years but lets be honest and say that a bit of skiing or a trip to Miami is what we all really dream of!
10.New Car Sales Are Flying
Along with the housing market the one thing that got hit hard was new car sales. You'd struggle to see many 2008-2013 cars on the road but people are seriously starting to splash the cash on cars again.
Looking for a sp00k this Halloween, you won’t need to stray too far from the capital It’s perhaps unsurprising that was first settled around the 7th century and has gathered a few scary stories and haunted spots in that time. Through the years Dublin has been the setting of all manner of crimes, from graphic […]
Comedian and actress Rosie O’Donnell became an unexpected hero last night in Dublin, performing the Heimlich manoeuvre with her friend Kiki and her cousin on a 90-year-old woman who was choking during dinner at the Dylan Hotel. O’Donnell, currently in Dublin preparing for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, recounted the dramatic incident in an audio message, […]
Looking for a sp00k this Halloween, you won’t need to stray too far from the capital It’s perhaps unsurprising that was first settled around the 7th century and has gathered a few scary stories and haunted spots in that time. Through the years Dublin has been the setting of all manner of crimes, from graphic […]
Comedian and actress Rosie O’Donnell became an unexpected hero last night in Dublin, performing the Heimlich manoeuvre with her friend Kiki and her cousin on a 90-year-old woman who was choking during dinner at the Dylan Hotel. O’Donnell, currently in Dublin preparing for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, recounted the dramatic incident in an audio message, […]
Looking for a sp00k this Halloween, you won’t need to stray too far from the capital It’s perhaps unsurprising that was first settled around the 7th century and has gathered a few scary stories and haunted spots in that time. Through the years Dublin has been the setting of all manner of crimes, from graphic […]
Comedian and actress Rosie O’Donnell became an unexpected hero last night in Dublin, performing the Heimlich manoeuvre with her friend Kiki and her cousin on a 90-year-old woman who was choking during dinner at the Dylan Hotel. O’Donnell, currently in Dublin preparing for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, recounted the dramatic incident in an audio message, […]
Robin Gill: The Irish chef behind acclaimed London restaurants returns to Dublin for a burger pop-up collab with Dash Burger This Saturday at Hen’s Teeth from 17:00 Robin Gill’s voice carries the easy lilt of someone who grew up within earshot of Dublin Bay, though his culinary career has largely unfolded across the Irish Sea. […]
Robin Gill: The Irish chef behind acclaimed London restaurants returns to Dublin for a burger pop-up collab with Dash Burger This Saturday at Hen’s Teeth from 17:00 Robin Gill’s voice carries the easy lilt of someone who grew up within earshot of Dublin Bay, though his culinary career has largely unfolded across the Irish Sea. […]
Dublin is glutted with literary magazines. They’re ten a penny; if today’s penny is actually €15 each. In 2017 Justine Carbery wrote in The Irish Independent “literary journals proved to be constant stars in a fluctuating market. Ireland, with its rich history of independent literary magazines, finds itself in rude health today with many new […]
(and Always) It’s never been more vital to support Queer-Owned Spaces in Dublin. Put your money where your morals are as often as you can. As someone who has worked in hospitality, I know that the people who run our bars, restaurants, and cafés shape the atmosphere more than the decor or the playlist ever […]
Parliament Street is set to become traffic-free from Friday, July 4th, as Dublin City Council moves ahead with the next phase of its city centre transport overhaul. The plan will see the street permanently reallocated for walking and cycling. It is also set to include the introduction of green spaces, public seating, and improved pedestrian […]