Old Irish arcade photos - do they exist?

o1s1n

Recently I came across those horrific pictures of Dawson's Amusements being torn down in Bray and realized - I have absolutely zero photos taken inside any Bray arcade!

Are there photos anywhere? (or any other Irish arcades for that matter?)

Googling turns up zero results (which is sad in itself ), but I'm sure there are photos out there somewhere...

Optimus Prime

There is a few old photos on the Mosney facebook page of the old arcade. seen those bray ones before. not sure about others, im sure someone has some somewhere, id love to see them.

o1s1n

Never thought of searching through Mosney pictures, good idea. Here's one. For am moment I though that 2p machine in the middle was a candy :eek:

STG.Otaku

Steve X2

I've been on to the RTE archives about getting some pics and vids of Irish arcades, inside and out.
They're not exactly super helpful but I'm still working on it.

o1s1n

Steve SI wrote: »

I've been on to the RTE archives about getting some pics and vids of Irish arcades, inside and out.
They're not exactly super helpful but I'm still working on it.

Good luck! There's whole dark, dingy, smoked filled 'bleepy' 'bloopy' documentary waiting there for the making.

My dad always says he remembers a really up market, adult focused arcade in Dun Laoghaire full of 'those sit down table top arcade machines' - I'd love to see photos.

the groutch

Think I roughly remember the layout.

The big Arabian Derby machine was almost there as you came in, with the dodgems & Waltzer in behind.
The arcade machines were to the left iirc, with the slots in an extension to the far left, and on the right was the 2p pushers, and the other stuff you played to win tickets/tokens (I know "skeeball" was one, can't really remember the rest) to buy various toys with.

CiDeRmAn

There was at least two arcades wasn't there?
I remember playing Virtua Racing there for the first time, and they had lots of traditional cabs.
I imagine they all might be still there, rotting away

the groutch

4 actually

Dawsons, Star Amusements (still there), Fun Palace down the other end (still there as slots only now), and a small one I think was called Esplanade which only lasted a few years.

Mr.Saturn

I'd love to see something of Quirkey's set-up from its glory-years, or even its brief late-90s/early-00s revival with the TTT scene. It's all foggy, but the vague memories of the kit they had in there was impressive. They've still got a little something, something down back.

Caesar's Palace in Phibsboro got cannibalized into a Quirkey's annex, and the sole remaining hint of it ever being anything other than a slot-gaf is the Tekken 6 cabinet off to the side as you enter. I'd like to see something from when it stood proud as an arcade.

o1s1n

It's gas how many foggy memories from these places exist, but no damn actual imagery! I have so many memories of Dawsons and Fun Palace, but don't think I actually took a single photo there over the years. Even The Fun Factory had an arcade.

Maybe the Mammy has some stored away in all those tomes of photos.

CiDeRmAn

Actually I was talking about Money.
And no, don't think I'm in that shot.
Most of my childhood snaps are in black and white

I wonder if the arcades there are still there, or have they been cleared for accommodation/dining space for the new inhabitants?

Are those poor souls having their spirits lifted with Gradius on free play?

STG.Otaku

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Most of my childhood snaps are in black and white

Myrddin

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Most of my childhood snaps are in black and white oil paintings

That's true, still...:P

Kidchameleon

Mods, sorry for digging up old thread. The links to the photos are gone, would you guys be able to re share. I was in Bray yesterday and I remembered all the good times I had in Dawsons, I would love to see some photos. What was the place beside Dawsons called? Man, Bray was arcade heaven to me

o1s1n

Kidchameleon wrote: »

Mods, sorry for digging up old thread. The links to the photos are gone, would you guys be able to re share. I was in Bray yesterday and I remembered all the good times I had in Dawsons, I would love to see some photos. What was the place beside Dawsons called? Man, Bray was arcade heaven to me

I don't think we ever found any in the end! the photos I had up of Dawsons were of it being torn down sadly.

Kidchameleon

o1s1n wrote: »

I don't think we ever found any in the end! the photos I had up of Dawsons were of it being torn down sadly.

Ah thats a shame. There must be footage out there somewhere of the place. Probably sitting on a vcr tape

Steve X2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3Hi4izjVoc

rubadub

o1s1n wrote: »

My dad always says he remembers a really up market, adult focused arcade in Dun Laoghaire full of 'those sit down table top arcade machines' - I'd love to see photos.

roughly what year was this. All I remember is the pierrot club, snooker upstairs and arcade games downstairs, had to ring a bell to get in. They had one on the quays across from virgin megastore too.

Pierrot Snooker Club (1984)


The one in town often had Asian lads in it destroying tetris, now I wonder how good they really were. The one in dun laoghaire had pickpocket scumbags trying to fleece me playing SF2.

Photos costed money back then, so they were not to be wasted, while now people take snaps of anything.

the groutch wrote: »

4 actually

Dawsons, Star Amusements (still there), Fun Palace down the other end (still there as slots only now), and a small one I think was called Esplanade which only lasted a few years.

I think there were more small ones, maybe not all on the seafront. There was one up a backstreet which had much older games, like donkey kong. I used to cycle down and stop at most of them.

Maybe for searching people need more terms that were possibly used in the media, like "amusements" "one arm bandits" "slot machines". I remember rows of auld dears with cups of coins and reckon they must have been videoed at some stage, and might have got a few games in too.

In bray I remember a pole position with a terribly burnt in screen. Midnight resistance with the twisty joystick. Queues for double dragon when it first came out. Chase HQ & roadblasters. A Neo Geo and I think a NES unit?. Golden axe was also very popular.

And the mechanical horse racing with the Stephen Hawking voice "place your bets now please"

Searching "slot machines" in RTE got hits, some might be worth a watch.

https://www.rte.ie/archives/category/archives/?q=slot%20machines&filter=programmeid:30004608%20OR%20uri:*%2F%2Fwww.rte.ie%2Farchives%2F*&page=1

Ronan|Raven

Anyone remember Seapoint in Galway? Back in the early 90's.
I used to love when dad brought us up for the day and we got to go in. I remember play SF1 in there on the 10p row of machines.

There was also the place above supermacs in eyre square which had a pay by hour job. If I ever win the lotto I will buy a Terminator 2 cab..

rubadub

Here is a video of the tv show nighthawks from 1991 she walks through an arcade in bray
https://www.rte.ie/archives/2016/1125/834415-rough-guide-to-bray/

In a sketch for ‘Nighthawks’ Anne Marie Hourihane and Paul Tylak provide a satirical guide to the seaside town of Bray.
From the video games in the amusement arcade to the esplanade on the seafront edgy presenters Magenta (Anne Marie Hourihane) and Sankha (Paul Tylak) provide a “rough” guide to all things Bray. The attractions don’t end there as Bray has been home to many a celebrity from film director Neil Jordan to rock star Bono. Although they don’t live there anymore.

Optimus Prime

I think I seen that Mercs cab for sale on DoneDeal. The marquee combo with that cab style.

o1s1n

rubadub wrote: »

Here is a video of the tv show nighthawks from 1991 she walks through an arcade in bray
https://www.rte.ie/archives/2016/1125/834415-rough-guide-to-bray/

That's amazing!!! Fairly sure that's Fun Palace at the start, which means that's the Mercs machine I used to play as a kid.

rubadub

Kidchameleon wrote: »

Mods, sorry for digging up old thread. The links to the photos are gone, would you guys be able to re share.

I guess you were talking of this post

STG.Otaku wrote: »

this thread showed up in google images, and I guess this was the one missing!



Fun Palace back in 1962 in this video
https://www.rte.ie/archives/2017/0704/887644-blustery-bray/

CiDeRmAn

[grumpy]No, not me![/grumpy]

They are playing bingo in Mosney, I would have been playing Virtua Racing!

Relikk

rubadub wrote: »

I think there were more small ones, maybe not all on the seafront. There was one up a backstreet which had much older games, like donkey kong. I used to cycle down and stop at most of them.

Yeah, in the lane beside the DART station there was a tiny arcade, can't remember the name of it as it seemed to change quite frequently.

There was Loppy's in the middle between Dawsons/Star and Fun Palace. Loppy's was where I saw Starblade for the first time. Blew my mind.

KevW24601

Very interesting stuff!

I'd be curious myself as to if there's any photos out there of the Tramore arcades or from Perks (pre location change in late 90s) back in the day? Those were my formative arcade experiences. :P

eddhorse

Video, after 10 mins there is an arcade in city centre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRQxQaCX4DY

CathalDublin

Speaking of old videos anyone remember when Todd Landers in Neighbours was addicted to Ghosts N Goblins?
*Edit:Here's some footage*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ1UA-f3EBE

o1s1n

Some absolute gold appearing in here!

That's some line of cabs in the Neighbours clip :eek:

CathalDublin

o1s1n wrote: »

Some absolute gold appearing in here!

That's some line of cabs in the Neighbours clip :eek:

There was a whole storyline going with footage of GNG.
skip to 18minutes
http://dai.ly/x6bwjyd

oh he got to the second level skip to 16minutes
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6bwjz5

High score achieved
skip to roughly 10minutes
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6bwk00

I saw this from Dublin City Council images page. Where is it?

deadl0ck

Great thread - just saw it now.
I'll see if I can find anything

Grandeeod

Yeah a fab thread indeed. I haunted arcades in 1980s Dublin (I'd no choice as we couldn't afford a C64 or 128.:D) and now that my daughter wants a Switch for Christmas, I've suddenly realised that after all the consoles I've bought over the years, she has never actually experienced an arcade and what her Dad relied on.

My memories in Dublin city centre. The Pierrot Club on Batchelors walk was the go to spot for me. The stories I had from there and the money I poured into the place. We had one around the corner on O'Connell street. Playland? Ground floor and basement. Think it ironically became a bookies afterwards. Two others I frequented was one on Burgh Quay (Funland?) and then one off Talbot Street in a laneway backing onto the Irish Life buildings.

As for Bray, well that was when the money allowed the trip out. During the 80s, I gamed in them all on the sea front. I vaguely remember the arcade in the laneway from the train station. All changed now.

CathalDublin

Grandeeod wrote: »

then one off Talbot Street in a laneway backing onto the Irish Life buildings.

Barneys, I'm pretty sure it still looks like this too, I wonder whats in it

Doge

CathalDublin wrote: »

Barneys, I'm pretty sure it still looks like this too, I wonder whats in it

o1s1n

I was never in Barney's when it was open, was it really as rough as I've heard?

Steve X2

o1s1n wrote: »

I was never in Barney's when it was open, was it really as rough as I've heard?

"Come for the Street Fighter II, stay for the Heroin", that was their slogan wasn't it?

CosmicSmash

Deleted User wrote: »

I saw this from Dublin City Council images page. Where is it?

That's 77 Benburb Street, just off Stoneybatter in Dublin 7. It's down the road from my old stomping ground.

https://goo.gl/maps/XKJ9pVeQrPF2

Grandeeod

So Barney's it was called. I was in it a lot of times around 1985/86. Wasn't a great spot for games and rough as sand paper alright.

Skerries in north county Dublin had some really good arcades in the 80s. I spent two Summers in them. '83/84.

Kidchameleon

I used to go into Barneys during my college years and play King of Fighters 97 on an Electrocoin duet

super_furry

Would love to see some old pictures of the Atari Expo in the Square before it turned into just another casino. No idea how but they always had the latest machines and stuff that just never made it out to anywhere else by Dr Quirkies. I spent hours and probably a small fortune there playing Derby Owners Club, Top Skater, Prop Cycle, Star Wars Arcade and the rest of the big machines. They even had two Virtuality VR machines with Dactyl Nightmare at one stage.

Steve X2

super_furry wrote: »

Would love to see some old pictures of the Atari Expo in the Square before it turned into just another casino. No idea how but they always had the latest machines and stuff that just never made it out to anywhere else by Dr Quirkies. I spent hours and probably a small fortune there playing Derby Owners Club, Top Skater, Prop Cycle, Star Wars Arcade and the rest of the big machines. They even had two Virtuality VR machines with Dactyl Nightmare at one stage.

Ah Dactyl Nightmare, powered by an Amiga 3000 or 4000 if i remember correctly.

Inviere

super_furry wrote: »

Would love to see some old pictures of the Atari Expo in the Square

First time I ever seen SFIII was in there

Kidchameleon

Does anyone remember the arcade machines in the Gala in Ballyfermot? I remember they had Mortal Kombat

Optimus Prime

Yeh , they had sf2 as well. And the game where you have Hoover’s on your back and fire out people you suck in like snowballs/snowmen

They also had a side scroller where you pick from knights with swords and a fighting game where you are in an arena and can pick a Minotaur as one of the characters.

I’ve played these games myself recently I just can’t remember the names off hand.

Corholio

Optimus Prime wrote: »

Yeh , they had sf2 as well. And the game where you have Hoover’s on your back and fire out people you suck in like snowballs/snowmen

They also had a side scroller where you pick from knights with swords and a fighting game where you are in an arena and can pick a Minotaur as one of the characters.

I’ve played these games myself recently I just can’t remember the names off hand.

The fighter one with the Minotaur is 'Mutant Fighter' (Death Brade in Japan) I have fond memories of that in my local arcade here in Cork as well.

Optimus Prime

That’s the one ! Tumble pop is the one with the Hoover’s I mentioned and the other is knight of the round I think.

Can’t remember any others. I remember being shown how to do the “handcuffs” thing with guile in there.

Doge

Corholio wrote: »

The fighter one with the Minotaur is 'Mutant Fighter' (Death Brade in Japan) I have fond memories of that in my local arcade here in Cork as well.

Can you remember the Arcade in the Savoy where you could pre paid cards that could activate the machines, like a leap card for arcade machines if you will?


I often wonder how it compared in size to the Dublin Arcades and if it was the biggest arcade in the country.
it seemed pretty big at the time but I was only 10ish and have vague memories.

I distinctively remember Mad Dog Mcree and another laserdisc game set in space, as well as a street fighter II cab with hacks.


I think there was also 2 slides and one would make you summerault hen you came out of it and land on those plastic ball pits. Unless I've confused it where somewhere else.

Its quite surreal now to think it existed back then, I would love to know more about and photos or footage of it would be so good to see.

Doge

Doge wrote: »

Can you remember the Arcade in the Savoy where you could pre paid cards that could activate the machines, like a leap card for arcade machines if you will?


I often wonder how it compared in size to the Dublin Arcades and if it was the biggest arcade in the country.
it seemed pretty big at the time but I was only 10ish and have vague memories.

I distinctively remember Mad Dog Mcree and another laserdisc game set in space, as well as a street fighter II cab with hacks.


I think there was also 2 slides and one would make you summerault hen you came out of it and land on those plastic ball pits. Unless I've confused it where somewhere else.

Its quite surreal now to think it existed back then, I would love to know more about and photos or footage of it would be so good to see.

Was it Space Ace?

rubadub

Optimus Prime wrote: »

Tumble pop is the one with the Hoover’s .

Tumblepop was in the pierrot on the quays. Great game, similar to bubble bobble, and visually like Pang. Surprised it is not more well known or converted more.