Blog Archives - Reading the Signs

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Graffiti Marketing

31/3/2015

I was in Dublin earlier today.

I spotted this on Camden Row – off Camden Street – when out and about for a short search and photo mission.

Recruit Ireland do not appear to have an office in this area so this could well be marketing by graffiti – there is quite a bit of wall art in the general area.

I have seen wall art on a company’s own premises advertising their products. I think that this is the first time that I have seen ‘Graffiti Marketing’.

I now know a bit about Clean Graffiti; Reverse Graffiti; Street Art Advertising; and, Corporate Graffiti – I knew nothing before this.

Rabbit Hole Promotions appear to have done quite a number of installations.

The Flying Apostrophe

31/3/2015

French Bread At It Is Best

I have done quite a few blog posts regarding missing apostrophes.

For a change, I found an apostrophe where it had no right to be….

Terence MacSwiney b. 28.03.1879

30/3/2015

Yesterday’s update from Stair na hÉireann advised of the birth of Terence MacSwiney.

It was a prompt to put all of the photographs relating to Terence MacSwiney in one place.

Reducing To Nonsense – Chapter 3

28/3/2015

Variety Cooked

Does this mean cooked in a variety of ways?

Or maybe they only do food of the cooked variety? Even though ‘variety’ would not be a word that I would have used in that sense.

As I understand Salami, and Chorizo are not cooked. But they are a pizza topping. Help……..

Sex Change on the Northside

27/3/2015

Another namesign spotted on a walk.

I remember a while back hearing a resident of St. Luke’s Cross referring to Alexandra Road as School Hill – probably a throwback to the old location of St. Patrick’s School.

As for why there is a plaque saying Alexander Road, I have no explanation.

Help.

Sᵀ AИTHOИY’S VILL AS

26/3/2015

Today, walking home from Mayfield, I spotted this namesign on the Old Youghal Road, near Dillon’s Cross.

The backward N’s grabbed my attention.

That prompted more study and I spotted the odd ‘O’ or maybe ‘0’ and the larger gap between ‘L’ and ‘A’.

Maybe it is a reflection on me but I like to think that there is a reason and a story as to why these were incorporated in the sign.

Maybe there is a romantic in me.

Pulling The Chocolate Over Your Eyes

25/3/2015

Uniform standards for the Certification of Food Products as Organic, I understand, was introduced in U.S. only in 1990 and the following year in the EU. Fairtrade was launched in 1988 and standard certification was introduced in 2009.

For the purpose of this blog post, the web has provided me with more knowledge on the subjects than I had known before. They both are titles that I had assumed the standard without actually knowing what it means – in exact detail as to standards.

So before the adoption and implementation of uniform standards, any company could claim to be ‘organic’ by their standard which might differ from another – and if their standard differed from mine as a consumer, that was just a matter lost in translation.

It appears that ‘ethically sourced’ is not yet certified and is, somewhat, at the discretion of the company.

When I saw this sign in the English Market earlier today, I thought that there were two possibilities.

Maybe the chocolate is not ethnically sourced but there was a desire to get aboard the ‘ethically sourced bandwagon’ and so a deliberate decision was made to use the word ‘ethically’ rather than ‘ethnically’. Many will not spot the odd word. Most of those who do will assume a typo.

But having read of lack of standardisation regarding ‘ethically sourced’, I do not think it is a deliberate typo – just a normal typo.

p.s. I like the ‘Love & Laughter’

What is Freezer Food?

24/3/2015

Does a Deep Freezer need food to keep it powered as an alternative to electricity?

Frozen is an adjective so it can describe a state of food – ‘Frozen Food’ – that is in regular use.

Freezer is a noun. So ‘Freezer Food’ must be ‘Food for a Freezer’.

Or maybe it is food that cannot be eaten immediately but must spend some time in a Freezer.

Help……..

Reducing To Nonsense – Chapter 2

23/3/2015

Last Saturday, we were out in Ennis with someone who trained as a nurse in Cork. The power of a good slogan was brought home once again when, thirty years later, she was able to remember the comment regularly used with large patients – ‘Don’t Risk It – Let O’Brien Shift It’.

I spotted this van a few weeks back. If I wait any longer, I might come up with even more suggestions for the missing words.

Free Van To Move Into…..

Free Van to Move Around In….

Free Van to Move Your Stuff Into Our Storage…..

Free Van To Move The Earth For You In……

Or whatever you are having yourself

Reducing To Nonsense – Chapter 1

22/3/2015

Of late, I have noticed quite a few advertising signs where, in an effort to get the message across in the fewest words possible, the words, if read on their own, are at least puzzling, and in some cases are completely baffling.

If this is not of interest, as they say reading the sports results, ‘look away now’ – as there are going to be a few more over the coming week.

The ’months in each season’ is often a subject for debate on a high stool. I have always been in the Gaelic Calendar in starting Spring on February 1st. Russians continue winter until the end of February.

Edinburgh Woollen Mills shop in Merchants’ Quay Shopping Centre obviously has its own calendar – their new season appears to be limited to their shop only.

To think that the word ‘stock’ would have only added five letters but quite a bit of sense…..

Haberdashery

21/3/2015

One of my memories was being sent to Roches Stores by my mother. I cannot remember what it was I purchased. But I do remember the directions of the location in the shop – a short way down on the left.

The directions were required because I didn’t believe that there was such a word as ‘Haberdashery’.

When was the last time you heard it used?

More Smiles provided by Capel Street.

Smiling on Capel Street

20/3/2015

Capel Street would probably make the top ten of many people’s Favourite Dublin Streets. I went to college just around the corner and have always had a bit of a grá for the eclectic mix.

A while back we were in Dublin and I decided to give the shopping a miss and so walked down and around Capel Street and it did not disappoint.

What is so special about ‘Sofa’?

‘Cupboard’, ‘Bed’, and ‘Suite’ had an ‘s’ added without need for any additional decoration – but ‘Sofa’ just had to be different.

Capel Street – still making me smile.

No Riding Here

19/3/2015

I remember growing up hearing of and wondering about Tipperary North Rising and Tipperary South Riding.

My logic was puzzled as to why Cork was not similarly split as we had been told it was the largest county – but the City Corporation and County County Council were used as an explanation.

“Council” and “Corporation”, I could somewhat understand – but “Riding” was something else. It was only English but my recollection was of it being more exotic than that.

I knew that there were only two ‘Lord Mayors” – all except Dublin and Cork were just ordinary ‘Mayors’. But it was two – not one.

And Tipperary were lucky enough to be the only county to have ‘Riding’.

Last Saturday, I spotted this car as it was pulling away. I had known of the merger of Tipperary North Riding and South Riding but this was the first time that I had seen (or maybe taken notice) the implication.

I wondered if my eight year old will ever ponder the borough division of a ‘Riding’.

Sight of a Site

18/3/2015

Last year, I took a photograph of the Obelisk Monument outside Drispsey. There was no fingerpost sign.

Exactly two weeks ago, POF was driving past when he noticed the sign saying:

Radharc Luíocháin

AMBUSH SIGHT

It was not until the following Monday that I was able to get there. In that time, a replacement sign had been erected.

The English had been corrected.

Maybe when I pass the road next, they may also have corrected the Irish version.

Dripsey, Co. Cork

“Radharc” translates as ‘Sight’, ‘Vision’ or ‘View’.

“Láthair” translates as ‘Location’, ‘Site’ or ‘Spot’

“Suíomh” translates as ‘Site’, ‘Location’ or ‘Situation’.

Crossbarry, Co. Cork

Drishanebeg, Millstreet, Co. Cork

Dripsey 2014.02.23

Lax Security

17/3/2015

I am not sure they have the security solution to ensure that the apostrophe does not go missing so that TODAY’S busy blogger does not need to rant again.