Just as the signatures on the petition to save Merchant’s Arch were hitting the 30,000’s, news emerged that iconic Dublin pub the Cobblestone could potentially be replaced by yet another hotel.
The Cobblestone is an institution in traditional Irish music and culture – we’d just recently been delighted to cover it as one of the spots in Dublin returning to live music as restrictions eased.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUQwQ21MaPE/
If you have a friend visiting Dublin looking for a bitta trad, it’s the number one spot you’d send them to. It’s a truly unique venue, and a key part of Dublin’s cultural landscape. The petition to save the Cobblestone has reached almost 20,000 signatures, and the reaction on social media has been huge.
The petition states:
The Cobblestone is far more than just a pub. It is a bastion of Irish culture. People come from all over the world to share and learn Irish music, song, dance, language and storytelling.
Here are just some of the Twitter reactions to the news:
https://twitter.com/jacknolan__/status/1445850189160280071?s=20
With #SaveTheCobblestone trending a video of Finbar Furey spontaneously borrowing a guitar to perform Paddy Dear at A Celebration of Traveller Music #5 there is 2016. The Cobblestone was the only one of 15 venues willing to host the CTMs apparently /1https://t.co/dnnrpZjRcf
— Andrew Flood (@andrewflood) October 7, 2021
My dad worked in the Cobblestone in the 80s and about five years ago we went there for a pint and he stopped what he was saying as he walked in and went “JAYZUS ITS EXACTLY THE SAME”
— rude dude with attitude (@CheeseNolan) October 7, 2021
I’ve played in the iconic Cobblestone bar for over 20 years. It had music 7 days a week- unique in Dublin. It’s under threat. Please RT and sign the petition. 🎶🎻🪕 https://t.co/0cde4tRBe8
— Marion McEvoy (@marionmcevoy) October 7, 2021
https://twitter.com/DublinGhostSign/status/1445868939594981378?s=20
https://twitter.com/markohalloran/status/1446049785908273154?s=20
One signer of the petition wrote:
The Cobblestone is a key institution in Ireland’s grassroots cultural infrastructure. It’s a world-famous venue and has fostered generations of traditional and folk musicians in Dublin. It epitomises real, living culture and is too important to lose.
If you’d like to sign the petition and find out more about the proposed development on the site of the Cobblestone, you can do so HERE.
Header image via Instagram/cobblestonepubdublin
READ NEXT: This Dublin restaurant has combined lasagne and pizza and it sounds divine