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Vikki's - Improving the Streetscape

17/9/2013

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Sunday's Well Road

Cloghane

Last weekend, I spotted this painted roller shutter on Vikki’s café at the Old Post Office on Sunday’s Well Road.

It is definitely a more welcome addition to the street scape than the plain green roller shutter next door.

Would it not be good if any planning permission for a roller shutter included a condition as to artwork?

Why stop there? Why not include a condition in any temporary hoarding permit? Why not make it conditional upon any premises seeking a rates rebate when the property is idle and available for letting that the shopfront and any roller shutter be decorated with appropriate artwork.

The roller shutter on the café and the wall art in Cloghane show that images can be made to suitably blend in – so it can be understated.

I remember when we were in Barcelona some years ago, the had the cow parade on display and it did add to the city.

Imagine if the roller shutters and vacant properties were decorated. This combined with decoration of utility company cabinets similar to the Dublin Beta Project, would definitely lift the colour and the mood of the city.

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Super Puzzle - Inside and Outside

16/9/2013

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“Use hand and head – Training kid’s flexible for their proportion on the hands and eyes. Develop
them imagination ability. Make a teaching
fairyland.

Design munificent – It can be assemblage detached over and over and over and looks like
veritable. It needn’t any assist tools.

Perfect in workmanship – Materials are daintiness. Safety and slightly. Full of colour
printing.”
Cover of Box

The photograph was taken while a child was playing with the contents of the box – an assembly kit of cardboard pieces.

To the disappointment of translators everywhere, it gives weight to the argument that manuals and instructions are ignored in the first instance.

The fact that it was purchased by an adult suggests that the image on the package is much more important than the writing.

With thanks to KH for submitting the photograph.

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Great William or Great Street

15/9/2013

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I always understood it as the street of Great William O’Brien.

I cannot remember why I understood it as that. It has just always been so. I never even had a hint of an excuse to question this – until recently.

Stopped at traffic lights, I read the translation of the sign.

The light went on in my head and a blog entry was being mentally drafted as to another glitch of translation. In my mind, there was no doubt that it should be Sr Liam Mhór Uí Bhriain and not the Great Street of William O’Brien.

I did stop for a while to confirm my understanding on the internet but even Wikipedia had no title of Great with
the patriot, William O’Brien.

‘Cork nationalist politics were exciting and turbulent in the faction-ridden years following the death of Charles Stewart Parnell who was MP for the city, 1880 - 91. The most colourful and volatile figure at the turn of the century was William O'Brien who was commemorated in a corporation name change in Blackpool - from Great Britain Street to Great William O'Brien Street!’

John A. Murphy

‘Mallow Lane through Blackpool village had become Great Britain St in the early years of the Union, but in 1905 the north end of it became known as the unwieldy monicker ‘Great William O’Brien Street’, after Parnell’s great
rival, author and organiser. The signs were duly cast in Merrick’s foundry with the name rendered in Irish as ‘Sráid ‘Liam Oirdeirc Uíbhriain’ (sic). This is intended to emphasise the illustriousness of the man rather than the
significance of the street. It is said that when the signs were erected ‘one of the councillors asked “would you mind telling us what is ‘great’ about Willie O’Brien?” and got a smart answer: “wasn’t he as great a man as Queen Victoria anyway”’'

Tom Spalding – Layers: The Design, History and Meaning of Public Street Signage in Cork and other Irish Cities

So maybe neither the Street or William O’Brien were Great – maybe they were both just as good as The Brits……

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Pride

14/9/2013

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At the start of the year, I signed up for a short course in Freelance Journalism. It was much more geared towards online activity than I had hoped for and expected.

At week two, we were encouraged to set up a blog.

Approaching the end of my fifth decade on this planet, I was happy to have avoided Facebook, Bebo, Twitter and the like. I was less than enthused with the notion of setting up a blog – things personal and private should remain private – or so I was raised.

To get the best out of the course, this blog was borne and has given me some enjoyment.

Nominations for the Irish Blog Awards opened some months ago. Anyone could nominate a blog. This site was nominated and I put the link towards the bottom of the side bar – remember that anyone (including the author) could nominate.

Today I was reading Grandad and read that the Blog Awards shortlist had been announced. A quick check on the Blog Awards website, brought a smile as I was one of 33 shortlisted in the Newcomer category.

I need to do many technical things like back-up; allow subscriptions; and, figure out Twitter and Facebook links. But I must be doing something right.

There are no Mixed Messages with this post – pride, happiness, satisfaction all come within the same category.

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Has the Wonky Tan salon expanded?

14/9/2013

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I posted a blog entry a few months ago about the Wall Art on the Camden Palace on Camden Quay and Pine Street.

Reading Come Here to Me yesterday, it appears that the franchise for the Wonky Tan salon has also opened in Dublin.

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Dublin City Council (and Leonard Cohen), Take a Bow

13/9/2013

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A Street Library?

We’re trying out a new way of testing ideas directly ‘on the street’, calling them Dublin City Council ‘Beta Projects’.

We WANT your input. We WANT you to get
involved.

Could something like this begin to provide an ‘onstreet library’

Would an ‘onstreet library’ be useful in some
way?

How? Why? Why not?

Any suggestions

Is Art Here Good?

We’re trying out a new way of testing ideas directly ‘on the street’, calling them Dublin City Council ‘Beta Projects’.

We WANT your input. We WANT you to get
involved.

Should traffic light boxes have pieces of art on them? Is it good for the street? Is it good for the artists? Is it good for those who pass them by?

Why? Why not? Any suggestions?

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Good Deed Day - Melanie Kate Moretti

12/9/2013

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One of the very many cards on the wall of St. Bridget’s Well outside Liscannor was this one commemorating Melanie K. Moretti and promoting the twelfth of each month as ‘Good Deed Day’.

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Extending Eyelashes

11/9/2013

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MacCurtain St

Last week, I was walking down MacCurtain St and was somewhat puzzled by the signwriting on the beauty salon.

I could not imagine one extension being on more than one eyelash.

It would mean that both eyelashes on one eye had to be fixed together (open or closed) or even more bizarrely, the lashes on the left and right eye were attached in some way.

The salon in Blackrock village may have got the message across more appropriately but correct spelling alone does not keep a business afloat.

Blackrock

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Crosses are for Remembrance

10/9/2013

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Photo Taken 19 July, 2013

“Better by far you should forget and smile

Than that you should remember and be sad.”

Christina Rossetti

Photograph taken 29 July, 2013

When I started this blog earlier in the year, it was conceived as communicating my thoughts on public notices, advertisements, signs and anything visible to the public.

I have created separate sections for Cork City Council commemorative plaques, roadside commemorative crosses/signs, and grottoes among others. More are to follow including from outside Cork.

Generally, taking a photograph of what is on public display is a simple matter of fact task.

However, when up and down to Kerry during the Summer, I did stop to consider my luck on more than one occasion.

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Receipt of Donation or Income.

9/9/2013

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A few weeks ago, we took the Cliffs of Moher Walk. We started close to the Moher Sports Field and availed of a car park that had been constructed at someone’s house.

We did make the €2 donation but it did make one wonder why it is
described as a donation:
-         If a donation, then maybe not income upon which tax might be
paid
-       Possible different legal obligations if a contract in place as would be if consideration of even €2 offered and accepted. Maybe one has more onerous responsibility to a customer to a simple visitor.
-          Or maybe there may be an expectation that Joe Public might be more inclined to pay a suggested donation than a non-attended pay booth.
-         Or maybe something else totally different.

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Up The Rebels

8/9/2013

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We were out for a walk this morning and I noted some supporting signs, flags and bunting for the match this afternoon.

The Maple Leaf in Blackrock appears to be really getting behind Cork by extending the rebellious streak to their spelling.

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Encouraging Street Art

8/9/2013

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I spotted the wall art on a boarded up window recently on a house on High St.

I suppose a stencil will allow for swift application of the art. However, if the stencil is reused too often, I think it could reduce the wall art to graffiti.

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Fancy Goods

7/9/2013

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It is interesting to contemplate that there obviously was a time when use of the words ‘Fancy Goods’ was considered likely to encourage customers to enter.

In this time of Unique Selling Points and Memory Hooks, I suspect that its effectiveness as a marketing tool may be limited.

But then again, as has been commented more than once, it is not that I will ever be anyway near a marketing expert.

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Speciality .... or is it?

6/9/2013

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Cork Coffee Roasters, Bridge St

While heading for a coffee earlier in the week, I stopped when reading the sign.

In my head, I had drafted a blog entry along the lines of whatever speciality is held, it does not extend to
spelling.

From checking the online dictionaries, it would appear that I need to refine that to spelling in English English as opposed to U.S. English.

"specialty noun (specialties) 1 chiefly US a speciality. 2 law a deed that is a contractual document and which must be signed by its maker in the presence of a witness, or, if it is executed by a company, by a director and the secretary or by two directors, or executed by a seal if the company has one.

ETYMOLOGY: 15c in sense 2: from French especialte, from especial special."

Chambers Dictionary

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Spike Island - Visit or Stay?

5/9/2013

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I was in the lift at County Hall yesterday and spotted this advertisement.

It got me wondering as to whether it was necessary to include the word return. It is not as if many would be swimming back or finding another means home.

If the word was not there, I doubt if there would be many who would think that there was even the slightest chance that they may need to find overnight accommodation on the island or find their own way back from the island.

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MIXED MESSAGES.

Vikki's - Improving the Streetscape

Super Puzzle - Inside and Outside

Great William or Great Street

Pride

Has the Wonky Tan salon expanded?

Dublin City Council (and Leonard Cohen), Take a Bow

Good Deed Day - Melanie Kate Moretti

Extending Eyelashes

Crosses are for Remembrance

Receipt of Donation or Income.

Up The Rebels

Encouraging Street Art

Fancy Goods

Speciality .... or is it?

Spike Island - Visit or Stay?

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