LovinDublin.com/Niall Harbison in a spot of bother

TheDoc

Dave! wrote: »

So some places don't do your favourite food. Many people are happy to eat the alternative sides that they do cook. They're being creative and letting their chefs set an interesting menu. There are no shortages of places that will do you a basic burger and chips. It's good that you also have places that push the envelope a bit. Makes the city a bit more interesting having that variation. It would be a pretty boring place if everywhere did the same foods.

Bunsen burger is another good place. Their menu consists of four (well, two really) burgers. I'm not going to go there and then moan afterwards that they don't serve XL bacon double cheese burgers.

I don't think anyone can actually have a problem with that, of course its a positive thing.

What's not cool is the elitism that seems to come attached with certain individuals who like eating in these "alternative" places. And seemingly my critiscm is put down to " you just have no taste".

Sorry call me mental, but eating in a joint that serves drinks out of a jar, and makes you sit on chairs recycled from god knows what, has some neck charging €15 for a sandwich and a drink.

Worked in the city centre for two years and was all to exposed to it. Ironically some of the places that ran with burger menus, actually couldn't even make a burger tastier then a Bacon double XL, for a fraction of the price

Dave!

TheDoc wrote: »

I don't think anyone can actually have a problem with that, of course its a positive thing.

What's not cool is the elitism that seems to come attached with certain individuals who like eating in these "alternative" places. And seemingly my critiscm is put down to " you just have no taste".

Sorry call me mental, but eating in a joint that serves drinks out of a jar, and makes you sit on chairs recycled from god knows what, has some neck charging €15 for a sandwich and a drink.

Worked in the city centre for two years and was all to exposed to it. Ironically some of the places that ran with burger menus, actually couldn't even make a burger tastier then a Bacon double XL, for a fraction of the price

That's fair enough. I prefer Bobo's to Jo Burger myself. I don't have a problem with recycled stuff, I do have a problem with prices though.

Ush1

drumswan wrote: »

Thats exactly what they sell.................

Show me where on the menu please?

jimgoose

drumswan wrote: »

Lads im all for a bit of hipster bashing but if you are slagging people who like ale and chicken maybe you should have an aul think

Correct and right.

Dave!

Speaking of Jo Burger, they're getting a bit of hassle on Twitter now for this!

https://twitter.com/JoburgerDublin/status/474984329454837760

Ush1

Dave! wrote: »

tbh you woulda probably saved yourself a lot of trouble to just go to your local chipper.

I would have had it been my choice. I mean, a poxy chicken place should at least do fries/chips, hardly drastic.

Ush1

drumswan wrote: »

Ush, Id avoid Nandos if I were you, it would totally freak you out

Why? I actually quite like Nandos.....which is nothing lile Crackbird tbh.

jimgoose

TheDoc wrote: »

...You can shove your Couscous up your hole.

Sir, if you ever start a cult, call it that and give me a shout.

jimgoose

Ush1 wrote: »

I would have had it been my choice. I mean, a poxy chicken place should at least do fries/chips, hardly drastic.

Being gentry as opposed to hipster, I like a few birdshot pellets in me snack-box.

discus

The amount of people bereting Niall Harbison for calling a spade a spade (or a knacker a knacker) reminds me of why I left Dublin, and left Ireland.

jimgoose

discus wrote: »

The amount of people bereting Niall Harbison for calling a spade a spade (or a knacker a knacker) reminds me of why I left Dublin, and left Ireland.

He sort of has half a point this time, but he's still a langer.

desertcircus

Here's the new Niall Harbison quiz to tell whether you're a productive member of society or worthless criminal scum. Answer the three questions, and find out if Harbo thinks you're a hip urbanite or a disgusting povver.

1. On a summer's day, you decide it's too nice not to make use of the water. Do you:
A - rent out a kayak at Grand Canal Dock and spend a pleasant hour or two racing your mates?
B - grab your wetsuit, head for Grand Canal Dock and spend a pleasant hour or two jumping in and swimming with your mates?

2. After all that fun, it's time for a bit to eat. Do you:
A - spend seventeen quid in Ely on a sandwich and a San Pellegrino?
B - spend a fiver in Spar on a chicken fillet roll and a Coke?

3. There's no need to rush home; the weather is great and you've no work tomorrow, so you might as well have a drink or two. Do you:
A - spend 6.50 for each pint of microbrewed IPA in a bar overlooking the Dock, spend several hours getting progressively drunker, and meander home around midnight?
B - buy a six-pack of Dutch Gold, sit out at the Dock, spend several hours getting progressively drunker, and meander home around midnight?

If you answered all As, congratulations! You're a thrusting hip young go-getter in tune with Harbo's easygoing vibe. If you answered all Bs, you can f*ck off and die in whatever rat-infested hole you came from, you foul scum, as long as you do it out of sight of me and my cool mates.

Dave!

I fear we're getting off point now.

I don't care about lads jumping in the canal, and think it was pretty OTT from Harbison. I love the canal, walk along it all the time from the Kavanagh statue up to around Harold's Cross. Never swam in it, but would very much like to!

I do however share some of Harbison's concerns in other posts, which are inevitably dismissed as middle-class whinging, trying to water down the "character" of Dublin, etc. Specifically stuff like junkies/zombies plaguing the O'Connell Street area and boardwalk; beggars hassling people non-stop outside pubs; huge groups of teenagers drinking and wrecking coastal areas whenever the sun comes out... etc.

I know, this is part of the "charm" of Dublin, and pampered middle-class Southsiders like me should just toughen up. But it also makes our capital city look like sh*t, and can ruin an experience for normal people who just want to enjoy themselves in peace. I was in San Francisco (uh-oh!! hipster), and my first comment when people asked about it was always that there were huge numbers of homeless people on every corner. It's only in the last few months that I noticed that Dublin has as bad a problem—or at least as visible.

Some of these problems are serious social issues that need to be addressed by government. Particularly the homeless issue, which I have huge sympathies for people in that position. It's something I do feel strongly about, and am trying to find a good way to get involved in improving it. IIRC Harbison did make some (granted, maybe not great) suggestions for improving it, rather than just moaning about the sight ruining his craft beer. Other problems are law and order ones—how can junkies be able to so openly deal and use heroin on the main street in our capital city? It's horrific. I'm sure the Gardaí will say they don't have the money for it due to cuts, but it would probably take no more than 8 Gardaí patrolling full-time around Jervis Street, O'Connell Street, Abbey Street, Mary Street, etc., to cut out a lot of this. It's a small area.

Anyways—commence the paddling.

jimgoose

desertcircus wrote: »

Here's the new Niall Harbison quiz to tell whether you're a productive member of society or worthless criminal scum. Answer the three questions, and find out if Harbo thinks you're a hip urbanite or a disgusting povver.

1. On a summer's day, you decide it's too nice not to make use of the water. Do you:
A - rent out a kayak at Grand Canal Dock and spend a pleasant hour or two racing your mates?
B - grab your wetsuit, head for Grand Canal Dock and spend a pleasant hour or two jumping in and swimming with your mates?

2. After all that fun, it's time for a bit to eat. Do you:
A - spend seventeen quid in Ely on a sandwich and a San Pellegrino?
B - spend a fiver in Spar on a chicken fillet roll and a Coke?

3. There's no need to rush home; the weather is great and you've no work tomorrow, so you might as well have a drink or two. Do you:
A - spend 6.50 for each pint of microbrewed IPA in a bar overlooking the Dock, spend several hours getting progressively drunker, and meander home around midnight?
B - buy a six-pack of Dutch Gold, sit out at the Dock, spend several hours getting progressively drunker, and meander home around midnight?

If you answered all As, congratulations! You're a thrusting hip young go-getter in tune with Harbo's easygoing vibe. If you answered all Bs, you can f*ck off and die in whatever rat-infested hole you came from, you foul scum, as long as you do it out of sight of me and my cool mates.

Umm, none of the above?

drumswan

Ush1 wrote: »

I would have had it been my choice. I mean, a poxy chicken place should at least do fries/chips, hardly drastic.

You should appeal to the european court of human rights

c0rk3r

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

Heads up for people in Portmarnock.

Currently I am on one of the bus routes from Coolock/Artane to Portmarnock (or Howth as well) and I have just seen about 20 bare chested scumbags all skulling back cans (yes, it's 12:15 pm!) at the bus stop with not a care in the world for the unfortunate passers by that have to endure it. Not a guard to be seen of course.

[Dwight] False ! the garda mobile command vehicle (i dunno what its called so we'll go with that) is parked in howth near the train station [/Dwight]

I was on the pier and along the canals at 2-ish today. About 100 teenagers in howth with 2 gards on bikes patrolling the area. No one was drinking that i could see. A lot of teens jumping into the harbor / swimming which is prohibited due to the boats. The canals are a bit more depressing. Its generally their parents drinking cheap cans in groups. Bull island also seems to be a magnet for teens jumping off the wooden bridge.

Ush1

drumswan wrote: »

You should appeal to the european court of human rights

Any chance you can show me that snackbox?

Augmerson

Dave! wrote: »

Speaking of Jo Burger, they're getting a bit of hassle on Twitter now for this!

https://twitter.com/JoburgerDublin/status/474984329454837760

Bit of a PR gaffe there.

sabat

FTA69 wrote: »

Good enough for the stupid tramp. Nothing winds my b*llocks up more than legions of dopey f*cking hipsters invading a given place and then looking down on the people who have made that community for decades. I'd have much more time for the average inner-city Dub than I would some mocha-drinking ponce warbling on about pretentious sh*te.

I used to work on Hanover Quay back in the 90s and there was literally nothing in the area but wasteland, about 6 warehouses and the odd traveller caravan from time to time. About 5 times each summer you might get a handful of kids from Ringsend or Pearse St jumping in and messing around for an hour or so but that was it. The place became an attraction to these heads because of outside investment and there was precisely nil displacement or disruption of any locals.
I'm not defending Harbison because he is in truth a smarmy snob (look at his 'review' of Da Mimmo for form) and not a faux or ironic snob like many critics.

fta93

Dave! wrote: »

I fear we're getting off point now.

I don't care about lads jumping in the canal, and think it was pretty OTT from Harbison. I love the canal, walk along it all the time from the Kavanagh statue up to around Harold's Cross. Never swam in it, but would very much like to!

I do however share some of Harbison's concerns in other posts, which are inevitably dismissed as middle-class whinging, trying to water down the "character" of Dublin, etc. Specifically stuff like junkies/zombies plaguing the O'Connell Street area and boardwalk; beggars hassling people non-stop outside pubs; huge groups of teenagers drinking and wrecking coastal areas whenever the sun comes out... etc.

I know, this is part of the "charm" of Dublin, and pampered middle-class Southsiders like me should just toughen up. But it also makes our capital city look like sh*t, and can ruin an experience for normal people who just want to enjoy themselves in peace. I was in San Francisco (uh-oh!! hipster), and my first comment when people asked about it was always that there were huge numbers of homeless people on every corner. It's only in the last few months that I noticed that Dublin has as bad a problem—or at least as visible.

Some of these problems are serious social issues that need to be addressed by government. Particularly the homeless issue, which I have huge sympathies for people in that position. It's something I do feel strongly about, and am trying to find a good way to get involved in improving it. IIRC Harbison did make some (granted, maybe not great) suggestions for improving it, rather than just moaning about the sight ruining his craft beer. Other problems are law and order ones—how can junkies be able to so openly deal and use heroin on the main street in our capital city? It's horrific. I'm sure the Gardaí will say they don't have the money for it due to cuts, but it would probably take no more than 8 Gardaí patrolling full-time around Jervis Street, O'Connell Street, Abbey Street, Mary Street, etc., to cut out a lot of this. It's a small area.

Anyways—commence the paddling.

Absolutely spot on, but could Harbison not have made his point without referring to inner city kids as unwashed knackers?

He has a point but the drug problems and homeless problems aren't anything to do with kids jumping into a canal. Surely if he wanted to make this point, he could have done so without petty name-calling?

Dave!

I agree. I don't think kids jumping in the canal is even a problem, much less one that necessitates name-calling.

It is though in line with the general theme of his posts, which is from a middle-class Southsider perspective, and in which he does make valid points, and is usually dismissed (by those of a North inner city persuasion? *runs*)

My name is URL

Dave! wrote: »

I agree. I don't think kids jumping in the canal is even a problem, much less one that necessitates name-calling.

It is though in line with the general theme of his posts, which is from a middle-class Southsider perspective, and in which he does make valid points, and is usually dismissed (by those of a North inner city persuasion? *runs*)

Do you have a link to any of those valid points he raises? Any time he ventures to give a social commentary he resorts to hyperbole and gross generalisations.

He's a pretentious git and it's not just people of a 'North inner city persuasion' that thinks so :rolleyes:

fta93

Dave! wrote: »

I agree. I don't think kids jumping in the canal is even a problem, much less one that necessitates name-calling.

It is though in line with the general theme of his posts, which is from a middle-class Southsider perspective, and in which he does make valid points, and is usually dismissed (by those of a North inner city persuasion? *runs*)

Maybe the points are dismissed because of the manner they're made in?
I'm not from the inner city so don't know specifically, but from a northside area that does have drugs, social problems etc. it can be condescending at times when outsiders get involved (emphasis at times!) it they stereotype and label.

Part of the problem could be the way he sees the problems. He's basically said he sees them as aesthetic problems. Don't know about everyone else but that kinda comes across as snobby from my viewpoint, just my views, mind.

Dave!

I mentioned them in a previous post, and I outlined the general response to the issues raised (dismissed as middle-class Southside whinging, you should toughen up, etc.). No, I don't have links. He's not the best messenger, but raises issues that I know my own peer group also have problems with.

Dave!

fta93 wrote: »

Maybe the points are dismissed because of the manner they're made in?
I'm not from the inner city so don't know specifically, but from a northside area that does have drugs, social problems etc. it can be condescending at times when outsiders get involved (emphasis at times!) it they stereotype and label.

Part of the problem could be the way he sees the problems. He's basically said he sees them as aesthetic problems. Don't know about everyone else but that kinda comes across as snobby from my viewpoint, just my views, mind.

I'm not here to defend Harbison, but I don't know if he sees them as aesthetic problems. In relation to addicts, he says:

You can’t however lay any of the blame at the door of the addicts in our city. They are part of the system that is so flawed. You can hardly expect them to stop taking drugs, read the paper politely on the Luas and head out to live in the suburbs. These are people who need help and if you get them a solution it not only makes their lives better but also helps make the city a cleaner, safer and less scary place for everybody.

There is however an "aesthetic" component to it, in the sense that tourists rub shoulders with junkies when they walk down our main street.

Hootanany

I dont think the kids jumping in are doing anything wrong different if they were mugging people

smellmepower

Dave! wrote: »

I fear we're getting off point now.

I don't care about lads jumping in the canal, and think it was pretty OTT from Harbison. I love the canal, walk along it all the time from the Kavanagh statue up to around Harold's Cross. Never swam in it, but would very much like to!

I do however share some of Harbison's concerns in other posts, which are inevitably dismissed as middle-class whinging, trying to water down the "character" of Dublin, etc. Specifically stuff like junkies/zombies plaguing the O'Connell Street area and boardwalk; beggars hassling people non-stop outside pubs; huge groups of teenagers drinking and wrecking coastal areas whenever the sun comes out... etc.

I know, this is part of the "charm" of Dublin, and pampered middle-class Southsiders like me should just toughen up. But it also makes our capital city look like sh*t, and can ruin an experience for normal people who just want to enjoy themselves in peace. I was in San Francisco (uh-oh!! hipster), and my first comment when people asked about it was always that there were huge numbers of homeless people on every corner. It's only in the last few months that I noticed that Dublin has as bad a problem—or at least as visible.

Some of these problems are serious social issues that need to be addressed by government. Particularly the homeless issue, which I have huge sympathies for people in that position. It's something I do feel strongly about, and am trying to find a good way to get involved in improving it. IIRC Harbison did make some (granted, maybe not great) suggestions for improving it, rather than just moaning about the sight ruining his craft beer. Other problems are law and order ones—how can junkies be able to so openly deal and use heroin on the main street in our capital city? It's horrific. I'm sure the Gardaí will say they don't have the money for it due to cuts, but it would probably take no more than 8 Gardaí patrolling full-time around Jervis Street, O'Connell Street, Abbey Street, Mary Street, etc., to cut out a lot of this. It's a small area.

Anyways—commence the paddling.

But when those 8 Gardai arrest eight drug addicts and bring them back to Store Street for the heinous crime of asking people for change/smokes and medicating their **** life with heroin or benzo's,there's not another 8 Gardai to replace them for the hours they're off the street dealing with the pointless arrests.It's just wasting huge resources pushing the addicts to another area while not attempting to address the problem of why the 8 drug addicts were on the streets begging or scoring drugs in the first place.

Basically how AGS/HSE/Govt been dealing with the drug problem in this city for the past two decades!

fta93

Dave! wrote: »

I'm not here to defend Harbison, but I don't know if he sees them as aesthetic problems. In relation to addicts, he says:



There is however an "aesthetic" component to it, in the sense that tourists rub shoulders with junkies when they walk down our main street.

He seems concerned mainly with image from his writing.. I'm not saying he's right or wrong on that issue, it's something for another day.

Just think he could have addressed those concerns without linking the inner city kids in. He comes across as elitist and classist. His apology to weave the unwashed knackers into the wider problem seems a contrived act to try and save face. His first article was nothing to do with the wider problems of drugs, homelessness, begging etc, just a spineless attack on a bunch of kids.

stmol32

Robbo wrote: »

..... one one side you have this Nathan Barley ......

Nice.

nlgbbbblth

Well on my Facebook and Twitter feeds it's the hipsters that are turning on Harbison.
While his comments were disgraceful it's noticeable that the outrage machine (almost exclusively comprised of well-educated and middle class liberals) is very selective. I see NO condemnation from them regarding anti-social behaviour in the city centre or GCD area. It's like it doesn't exist.