Do the 'lock hard' men still operate in Dublin?

Atlantic Dawn

Been a while since I parked in Dublin City Centre off peak, do the lock hard men still operate? I remember it back in the day it was pure intimidation, place a cap on your head and a newspaper in your hand controlling the free parking spaces and looking for a 'tip' from motorists. It was like something you would see in a Mafia region of Southern Italy, operating in full view of authorities.


https://www.rte.ie/archives/2016/0108/758711-the-lock-hard-men/

passatman86

Chap at dalymount done it for years not sure if he's still about

Deep Thought

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Been a while since I parked in Dublin City Centre off peak, do the lock hard men still operate? I remember it back in the day it was pure intimidation, place a cap on your head and a newspaper in your hand controlling the free parking spaces and looking for a 'tip' from motorists. It was like something you would see in a Mafia region of Southern Italy, operating in full view of authorities.


https://www.rte.ie/archives/2016/0108/758711-the-lock-hard-men/

Man in cap: mind your car for you ?
Me: no thanks, I have in the car for that
Man in cap: Does your dog put out fires?
Me: here’s a fiver

pablo128

Man in cap: Are you not tipping me?
Me: Why would I?
Man in cap: What if your car gets broken into?
Me: If my car gets broken into today, you won't be here tomorrow or ever again.

Rotunda hospital in the 90s.

mikemac2

The Halfway House on the Navan Road have an elderly chap with a peaked cap like those in the videos. An old Telecom Eireann phonebox for whatever he wants to store.

I'm sure he works for them, maybe gets a carvary dinner and a few pints for directing the cars outside. Not like those extortion boyos on the public street

Leg End Reject

Everyone was so well spoken in that clip apart from the lock hard men. I haven't seen them in years, they used to be outside hospitals before pay parking became the norm at them.

v638sg7k1a92bx

Leg End Reject wrote: »

Everyone was so well spoken in that clip apart from the lock hard men. I haven't seen them in years, they used to be outside hospitals before pay parking became the norm at them.

Delusions of grandeur among country folk who came up to the big smoke. Even rte was riddled with them, civil service also filled positions with country people over Dubs.

Leg End Reject

Armani Nice Prism wrote: »

Delusions of grandeur among country folk who came up to the big smoke. Even rte was riddled with them, civil service also filled positions with country people over Dubs.

It sounds more like the authentic D4 type accent than culchie, before the American twang and Dort affectation became prominent.

Still waters

I wonder where the reporter is now

NewbridgeIR

You have to wait until the last 10 seconds to hear them say “lock hard”.

suicide_circus

jayzus i cant believe those scumbags got away with that kind of extortion

is_that_so

suicide_circus wrote: »

jayzus i cant believe those scumbags got away with that kind of extortion

They were harmless enough and you knew what they were up to!

Leg End Reject

Vita nova wrote: »

Those are fairly neutral Irish accents they could be from anywhere in Ireland and btw most people from outside Dublin don't have a "culchie" accent, just like most people from Dublin don't have a "skanger" accent.

I'm not a Dub so I'm not insulting a culchie accent, but most of us can be placed by our accent.

suicide_circus

is_that_so wrote: »

They were harmless enough and you knew what they were up to!

gougers

jippo nolan

mikemac2 wrote: »

The Halfway House on the Navan Road have an elderly chap with a peaked cap like those in the videos. An old Telecom Eireann phonebox for whatever he wants to store.

I'm sure he works for them, maybe gets a carvary dinner and a few pints for directing the cars outside. Not like those extortion boyos on the public street

He’s not elderly!

Redneck Reject71

That video was funny. Loved how they were scrambling and coming up with all sorts of excuses, once they knew there was a camera.

anewme

NewbridgeIR wrote: »

You have to wait until the last 10 seconds to hear them say “lock hard”.

Ahh stop, I'm in knots laughing here. It was brilliant. And the reporter like he was covering a huge expose.

Cant believe that was 1991.

Loved when Naked Camera PJ Gallagher had a character modelled on the lock hards complete with cap and rolled up newspaper.

Ultrflat

When ever my old man was parking near the illac in the 80s and 90s he'd park by the attendants, they'd watch his car and he'd come back to a car apposed a one with a smashed windows. The local parking attendants new his car knew most of knew him by name. He did the same at football matches when he was a kid he grew up a stones throw away from Goodasin park and watched over cars during foot ball matches. Truthfully I'd trust a lad who wants to earn money keeping an eye on my car then a security guard in a booth.

Naked Lepper

mikemac2 wrote: »

The Halfway House on the Navan Road have an elderly chap with a peaked cap like those in the videos. An old Telecom Eireann phonebox for whatever he wants to store.

I'm sure he works for them, maybe gets a carvary dinner and a few pints for directing the cars outside. Not like those extortion boyos on the public street

youre on the money there
he is an alcho

pablo128

Naked Lepper wrote: »

youre on the money there
he is an alcho

That's all any of them were. Middle aged alcos trying to intimidate people. Laughable when you think of it.

anewme

pablo128 wrote: »

That's all any of them were. Middle aged alcos trying to intimidate people. Laughable when you think of it.

That's why I'm laughing at yer man chasing them in the film like he's tracked down a mafia godfather.

As my Dad used to say "sure you"d bate him with your Mickey."

L1011

Once on-street parking went pay people weren't willing to pay twice and they died out in a very short period of time

Don't get the lads trying to 'wash' windscreens with canal water anymore either as it happens. Every car had washers in that era too so I presume it was just less and less people willing to pay them.

Terrontress

It just shows that there was a perceived value in parking in town, the council weren’t taking it and those guys stepped in to lift the money. Pay and display appears and they disappear.

I was in Tbilisi last year and the same setup was going on over there, hat and rolled up paper directing in to spaces. I’m not sure if there was the same threat of menace as I can’t speak Georgian.

PCeeeee

anewme wrote: »

That's why I'm laughing at yer man chasing them in the film like he's tracked down a mafia godfather.

As my Dad used to say "sure you"d bate him with your Mickey."

Hard to bate them when they were no where to be seen when you got back

S. Goodspeed

Armani Nice Prism wrote: »

Delusions of grandeur among country folk who came up to the big smoke. Even rte was riddled with them, civil service also filled positions with country people over Dubs.

Bring well spoken equates to having delusions of grandeur? Jaysus we really are a begrudging bunch of ****

Terrontress

L1011 wrote: »

Once on-street parking went pay people weren't willing to pay twice and they died out in a very short period of time

Don't get the lads trying to 'wash' windscreens with canal water anymore either as it happens. Every car had washers in that era too so I presume it was just less and less people willing to pay them.

I just said the same thing as you but, looking at the video again, are they parking meters at 50 seconds in?

anewme

PCeeeee wrote: »

Hard to bate them when they were no where to be seen when you got back

Lol.

But why would anyone give them money in the first place?

PCeeeee

anewme wrote: »

Lol.

But why would anyone give them money in the first place?

Ah. Cos I was young and foolish and wasn't sure maybe.

Redneck Reject71

In Mexico we had something similar. One would be in the tourist spots. Someone would take a photo of tourists the demand money for the picture. Another very seedy one is a gang would send out a young kid to target tourists. Saying their family member was injured and would they help. Only to lure them in a side ally to be robbed by gangs who was in waiting.

L1011

Terrontress wrote: »

I just said the same thing as you but, looking at the video again, are they parking meters at 50 seconds in?

Would have been peak time only back then, video is night - so probably out of action.

whisky_galore

The vacuum left by the 'lock hard' men is filled by 'any spare change' men.

anewme

whisky_galore wrote: »

The vacuum left by the 'lock hard' men is filled by 'any spare change' men.

Give them nothing either.

Any spare change, Bud?

whisky_galore

Armani Nice Prism wrote: »

Delusions of grandeur among country folk who came up to the big smoke. Even rte was riddled with them, civil service also filled positions with country people over Dubs.

Ah Jaysus de salt of de eart Dubs got shoved out of the civil service and forced to become parking attendants!

NewbridgeIR

My uncle knew Alice Glenn years ago (c.1950) and said she was a looker.

v638sg7k1a92bx

S. Goodspeed wrote: »

Bring well spoken equates to having delusions of grandeur? Jaysus we really are a begrudging bunch of ****

How is that well spoken?

topper75

Terrontress wrote: »

... I’m not sure if there was the same threat of menace as I can’t speak Georgian.

I won't hold that against you. I gather it is one of the most complicated of all. I saw a youtube video on it once and just asked Why?

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

JohnnyFlash

My uncle was at the AI hurling final in 2018 where Galway ended their drought for senior hurling success. He was asked for, and handed over, 10 euro to some lockhard operating on a side street in Ballybough.

He just presumed it was still a thing. My uncle would be the sort of man who brings a biscuit tin full of ham sandwiches to a match, and who eats them out of the boot of the car. A very rural sort of man.

Castlekeeper

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Been a while since I parked in Dublin City Centre off peak, do the lock hard men still operate? I remember it back in the day it was pure intimidation, place a cap on your head and a newspaper in your hand controlling the free parking spaces and looking for a 'tip' from motorists. It was like something you would see in a Mafia region of Southern Italy, operating in full view of authorities.


https://www.rte.ie/archives/2016/0108/758711-the-lock-hard-men/

The first lady could be Eamon Ryan's mother!

Castlekeeper

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

My uncle was at the AI hurling final in 2018 where Galway ended their drought for senior hurling success. He was asked for, and handed over, 10 euro to some lockhard operating on a side street in Ballybough.

He just presumed it was still a thing. My uncle would be the sort of man who brings a biscuit tin full of ham sandwiches to a match, and who eats them out of the boot of the car. A very rural sort of man.

That would have been Limerick, a much more severe drought ; )

Dyr

Leg End Reject wrote: »

Everyone was so well spoken in that clip apart from the lock hard men. I haven't seen them in years, they used to be outside hospitals before pay parking became the norm at them.

The only people who stop to be interviewed by RTE back then were the gentrified types, asking Alice Glen her opinion says it all

That RTE lad, bit of an attitude on him, getting stroppy with little oul fellas

GreeBo

Very common practice in South Africa still.

CrankyHaus

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

My uncle was at the AI hurling final in 2018 where Galway ended their drought for senior hurling success. He was asked for, and handed over, 10 euro to some lockhard operating on a side street in Ballybough.

He just presumed it was still a thing. My uncle would be the sort of man who brings a biscuit tin full of ham sandwiches to a match, and who eats them out of the boot of the car. A very rural sort of man.

Is it still a thing for big games in Croker though? I live round there and haven't noticed it but matchgoers pile their cars in everywhere, footpaths etc, so I assumed someone must be collecting money from them.

padd b1975

whisky_galore wrote: »

The vacuum left by the 'lock hard' men is filled by 'any spare change' men.

And the junkie with the hospital name bracelet (usually about three years old)*




*The bracelet that is, not the junkie.

salmocab

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

My uncle was at the AI hurling final in 2018 where Galway ended their drought for senior hurling success. He was asked for, and handed over, 10 euro to some lockhard operating on a side street in Ballybough.

He just presumed it was still a thing. My uncle would be the sort of man who brings a biscuit tin full of ham sandwiches to a match, and who eats them out of the boot of the car. A very rural sort of man.

I remember years ago on the radio, Gerry Ryan I think it was a fella was on, he’d driven up for a match and was running a bit late and was looking for somewhere to park and some young lad said to park in a driveway as it was his uncles and he was away. He came back after the match and the owner had blocked him in, the young lad did it for a laugh and the owner wouldn’t move as he was sick of match day parking making their lives hard. The Garda if I remember right said they had no power to make him move his car. I might be misremembering the full facts but that was the jist.

harry Bailey esq

Still around. Usually on big gaa match days. Usually youngfellas around drumcondra

Limerick91

GreeBo wrote: »

Very common practice in South Africa still.

In South Africa a few years ago. I agreed to pay the chap when I came back to the car.
By mistake I paid the wrong chap and all sort of cursing and threats followed!!

Utter Consternation

Limerick91 wrote: »

In South Africa a few years ago. I agreed to pay the chap when I came back to the car.
By mistake I paid the wrong chap and all sort of cursing and threats followed!!

How did you make this mistake?

jippo nolan

Utter Consternation wrote: »

How did you make this mistake?

Don’t answer!