Particular streets in Dublin

Phoenix3

Most of the well known streets in Dublin were overflowing with Characters, Famous shops or particular people that frequented them. Ther must be loads of memories?

Bring em on

aidan_dunne

First one that always springs to mind for me when someone asks these kinds of questions is 'The Diceman' who used to hang out on Grafton Street. Didn't he die from AIDS or something in the end?

Remember being a young kid up from "de country" ( ) for the day and seeing him for the first time and being scared shítless of him. I'm sure he scared many a young kid, both from Dublin and further afield, over the years!

murphaph

Remember mad mary on O'Connell St? She stood where the spire is now IIRC. All religious she was.

stovelid

murphaph wrote:

Remember mad mary on O'Connell St? She stood where the spire is now IIRC. All religious she was.

Was she the lady that used to dance around?

trout

murphaph wrote:

Remember mad mary on O'Connell St? She stood where the spire is now IIRC. All religious she was.

little bit of respect please ... we knew her as the other holy Mary

some people maintain she is closely related to an RTE news reader, but I don't know if that's true ... anyone know ?

murphaph

stovelid wrote:

Was she the lady that used to dance around?

That's the one. My cousin swears she lived on Pottery Rd, Deansgrange. Her son is/was reputed to dress like Jesus. I think they had lead plumbing in that house.

DublinWriter

trout wrote:

some people maintain she is closely related to an RTE news reader, but I don't know if that's true ... anyone know ?

I remember asking the same question about her in a thread around two years ago.

Rumours were she was a budding opera singer who had a nervous breakdown and got religion. I think one poster replied with her true story.

I remember her later years when she had completely lost her voice and used to prance around mouthing the words to Ave Maria.

Also don't forget Scary Old Crucifix lady (the one originally on the original cover of the Hothouse Flowers 'People' LP, until she threatened to sue the HHF as she didn't sign a release).

There's also TCD Legend, Matt the Jap.

Before my time there was Bang Bang/Keys.

They were known as 'characters' back then in the same gentle understated Dublin way that raving alcoholics were described as being 'fond of the sup'.

murphaph

Pat Ingoldsby was often on the bus I got into town.

DublinWriter

murphaph wrote:

Pat Ingoldsby was often on the bus I got into town.

An absolute 24-carat solid-gold gentleman.

I remember stopping him on Nassau St. a few months ago in rush hour 5pm pedestrian traffic, as for the past 15 years I had the last couple of lines of a poem he wrote burned into my brain and I was trying to find out which one of his numerous books it was from.

He thought a minute, and recited the poem to me completely from memory right there and then with commuters eddying around us. He told me which book it was from (an early one, long deleted) and wished me luck finding it.

He shook my hand and thanked me for remembering it.

I did eventually find it from a book dealer in the states and paid €40 for it.

A nicer guy you will not meet.

stovelid

DublinWriter wrote:

There's also TCD Legend, Matt the Jap.
.

Haven't seen MTJ since I left TCD. Often wondered if he was still about.

monkeyfudge

murphaph wrote:

That's the one. My cousin swears she lived on Pottery Rd, Deansgrange. Her son is/was reputed to dress like Jesus. I think they had lead plumbing in that house.

I'd imagine that's right... the Deans Grange bit anyway. I'd often see her getting on and off the bus up that way when I was going to college in Dun Laoghaire.

Another famous one was, although before my time, Bang Bang... who was a guy who would jump out at you and shout 'Bang! Bang!' while pretending to shoot you.

Victor

murphaph wrote:

Pat Ingoldsby was often on the bus I got into town.

Saw him only last week on Westmoreland Street.

Dyr

I dunno but out our way we had our own local legends as kids, there was a guy in the cousins block called Jogger because he jogged around the field a lot. Then there was The Witch who was tormented/feared by us because we thought she was a witch. And some mad oul wan whos name i cant remember but is still knocking around to this day. funny how kids build their own pantheon of nutters that adults would never notice

Also dogs became legends when you were a kid for some reason. Either for being exceptionally old or viscious.

Cormic

monkeyfudge wrote:

Another famous one was, although before my time, Bang Bang... who was a guy who would jump out at you and shout 'Bang! Bang!' while pretending to shoot you.

I was only talking to one of the guys in work about him the other day. Do I know you?

DublinWriter

stovelid wrote:

Haven't seen MTJ since I left TCD. Often wondered if he was still about.

Indeed he is.

JoeTurner

murphaph wrote:

Remember mad mary on O'Connell St? She stood where the spire is now IIRC. All religious she was.

Oh yes - aka Mrs Dunne. I grew up in Deansgrange and remember her verbal sparring with the priests during mass in the local church. Have moved away from the area and don't know if she's still around....

My missus was on the 46A into town sitting near her one day. Some poor old fella sat beside her and got his ear bent for the whole journey in. A bee had apparently flown into her living room that morning and it was the Lord in disguise.....

Great days in the borough....

Kat1170

Anyone remember a guy who used to go around Cabra in the mid 70's collecting kitchen waste for his pigs in an open backed truck/van. Think he was called Whacker.

Also a guy who used to deliver the evening papers to the houses, used a big old pram to push them around.

tricky D

Master of the Universe, Aidan Walsh would always say he'd send us a postcard.

Then there's the ranter bloke who crashes outside that casino on Lwr Fitzwilliam St. Afaik his daughter disappeared, he left home to search for her, his heart broke and his mind .... and he never went back.

Does anybody actually know what Matt the Jap does? One tale I heard was he was translating the Koran into various eastern languages. Also heard many stories of him checking womens bits in crowded pubs, cheeky bugger.

DublinWriter wrote: »

An absolute 24-carat solid-gold gentleman..... A nicer guy you will not meet.

QFT His sister is just as charming.

Degsy

DublinWriter wrote: »

Indeed he is.

More's the pity,the scumbag.

GAAman

monkeyfudge wrote: »

Another famous one was, although before my time, Bang Bang... who was a guy who would jump out at you and shout 'Bang! Bang!' while pretending to shoot you.

In a book called "Emerald Square" (very good too) by Lar Redmond bang bang gets a paragraph about his epic battle with the kids from the liberties and a country copper,i remember my grandad tellin me this story many years ago and imaginin the big firefight as if it were real

vektarman

Kat1170 wrote: »

Anyone remember a guy who used to go around Cabra in the mid 70's collecting kitchen waste for his pigs in an open backed truck/van. Think he was called Whacker.

Also a guy who used to deliver the evening papers to the houses, used a big old pram to push them around.

Not sure of the 1st bloke but the newspaperman was Mr. Dignam (known as Mr D), I worked with him on his rounds, he also sold the sunday papers outside christ the king church and sold the morning papers at the AIB at the corner of dowth avenue.

dylbert

I remember when I lived in Artane there was a bloke who would run around twirling his arm around over his head like a helicopter, he could be seen running into the city centre and back. I think his name was Laurence but I could be wrong.

Kevski

stovelid wrote: »

Haven't seen MTJ since I left TCD. Often wondered if he was still about.

Matt the Jap died a month ago - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055191118

_blank_

Kat1170 wrote: »

Anyone remember a guy who used to go around Cabra in the mid 70's collecting kitchen waste for his pigs in an open backed truck/van. Think he was called Whacker.

Heh, my dad and his relations were talking about this guy last night, I can't remember his name now, but I just texted my Dad. I'll post back soon as.

dylbert wrote: »

I remember when I lived in Artane there was a bloke who would run around twirling his arm around over his head like a helicopter, he could be seen running into the city centre and back. I think his name was Laurence but I could be wrong.

That's Mad Lar, and he's still around. He has a sister who is equally as mad.

They used to come into the shop where I worked and buy stuff, then come back the next day looking for a refund because they didn't want.

gillybeans

This is in more recent times (in the last 5years)

2-litre Peter! You would always find him on the 39 bus into town...you can smell him before you see him! :eek:

thusspakeblixa

Pat Ingoldsby... Perhaps the only person in the entire city I could stop and talk to out of the blue.
Last Summer I was there looking at his books, when this other fella with a Liverpool jersey came along. Pat says ''What score was the match last night?'' and the guy just laughs and walks off. Pat says ''This city... I just dunno''. So I said, ''yeah, its **** isnt it!''
Pat then proceeded to congratulate me on wearing a ''fabulous'' George Best T-Shirt.
Pat Ingoldsby- GOD
Also- ''Clappy'' in Crumlin Village in the 90's???

Pigman II

Mad Mary was Dublins first Smiths tribute band.

http://www.compsoc.man.ac.uk/~moz/pictures/flowbead.png

gurramok

Does anyone remember the bloke who went around for miles thinking he was driving a bus around Cabra/Finglas direction in the early 80's i think?

He used to hold a circular piece of cardboard and imitate everything that a bus driver did, truly a character, the kids including meself used to follow him everywhere, dunno what happened to him since.

thusspakeblixa

There was a guy in Crumlin Village today who kept kicking the ATM machine and telling it to go faster, and then ran over and started whistling at a travellers' horse...
And I thought all the madsers were gone...

spurious

My mother told me of a guy who used to be around when they were kids - up Drumcondra/Iona way in the 40s and 50s.
He would collect all the little pieces of litter, sweet wrappers etc. on a street, pile the papers together in a little heap at the side of the kerb and set fire to them.

adamstown1

I can remember Whacker in the 1970s.My nan used to give him all sorts of domestic waste,she lived on erris rd. I can also remember the all white ice cream van that used to sell the tastiest ice cream on Erris rd. The maddest madser from madsville i ever knew was a man in Tallaght called Charlie. He used to push a pram around and was always ranting and raving. He wore a black coat and as a child he scared me.

freddyf

Kat1170 wrote: »

Anyone remember a guy who used to go around Cabra in the mid 70's collecting kitchen waste for his pigs in an open backed truck/van. Think he was called Whacker.

Thats funny because my dad use to do that in the 60s.Use to collect it in crumlin not cabra. They had a pig farm across the road from crumlin shopping centre . It was turned into a park in the late 70s and still is today.

gollyitsolly

Anyone remember Gifty who was always in Grogans Pub? Used to deliver cheese sambos under his arm. Or the Ragman who collected jamjars on his horse and cart?

sparky360

around glasnevin there was a german fella called Helmut who delivered veg in a green van. He wasn't mad but he was a character. Always singing and whistling. nice fella

the GALL

anyone lived around summerhill in the early 90's there was a paper seller and I could never figure out what he was shouting sounded like hearld or press bing bong used to crack me and the lads up ....sittin in the flat smokin and drinkin and bing bong would come up the road, fond memmories of summer street and the bus burnin season.

intheknow

there was a guy around Drumcondra, maybe Brendan, very religious,who was always running to the next mass. He used to say, You pray for me and Ill pray for you ! Had forgotten all about him till I read this thread

January

Kat1170 wrote: »

Anyone remember a guy who used to go around Cabra in the mid 70's collecting kitchen waste for his pigs in an open backed truck/van. Think he was called Whacker.

Also a guy who used to deliver the evening papers to the houses, used a big old pram to push them around.

My mam and dad talk about that first guy all the time... i think they've mentioned the paper man a couple of times too...

marti101

anyone remember the blind man who used to sit outside clerys with his accordion and he used to have a tin for his money,my da told me he wasnt blind as he seen him one day chasing some fella who robbed his tin

Victor

Not everyone that is leagally blind is completely blind.

Wishbone Ash

marti101 wrote: »

anyone remember the blind man who used to sit outside clerys with his accordion and he used to have a tin for his money

Was it not a transistor radio that he had (or was that another 'blind' man?).

flanum

there was an interview with "mad mary" a few years ago in the "hot press"

was matt the jap "matty dread" by any chance?

the guy that sits at the molly malone statue with the bodhran everyday is conor smith from cavan. he goes up everyday on the bus from cavan and rakes a fortune. he never sits in any sesiiuns in cavan. nobody will let him. he also went on hunger strike in cavan once and handcuffed himself to the courthouse railings over "the potholes".

marti101

Yes itwas a transiter radio dont know where i got accordion from and Victor he wasnt blind legal or othewise my da who was from town knew him and he told me he wasnt

Auvers

whos your man that goes up and down Dawson St \ Molesworth St shouting and roaring abuse to himself?

and another lad that makes me laugh is another fellah that signals drivers parking spots for there cars on Molesworth street and when the Garda have put out bollards for no parking, he comes along a throws the bolards onto the footpath

Wishbone Ash

Another two that spring to mind:

1. A man begging in a wheelchair on O'Connell Bridge who appeared to have lost a lower leg. 'They' say that he sat on his foot all day and un folded it each evening before making his way home. I haven't seen him in many years . I could never understand why he chose O'Connell Bridge - probably one of the coldest and most exposed places in Dublin! :eek:

2. An elderly beggar who used to frequent the Johnson Court area (off Grafton Street). He had a manky overcoat held with three safety pins. He used to stand leaning forward with his cloth peak cap extended. He never said anything but just maintained the posture. His clothes underneath the dirty overcoat seemed much cleaner. I haven't seen him in a couple of years.

Wishbone Ash

Auvers wrote: »

whos your man that goes up and down Dawson St \ Molesworth St shouting and roaring abuse to himself?

That was the late Liam Lawlor!

Sofaspud

When I was about 10, Pat Ingoldsby used to sit on the pier in Howth at the weekends selling his books, myself and a friend would sit and chat to him the whole day. Once we decided to write him a poem (it was really crap) and he signed one of his books and gave it to us.

I still have it now.

cushtac

murphaph wrote: »

That's the one. My cousin swears she lived on Pottery Rd, Deansgrange. Her son is/was reputed to dress like Jesus. I think they had lead plumbing in that house.

She does indeed live in Deansgrange. Her son has long hair & a beard, which is Jesus-esque.