85k for new carpet

Specialun · 20-07-2015 7:19pm #1

I know its the indo but this is a bit of a joke

Also wtf is a consultant for fitting carpet

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/council-splashes-85k-on-two-carpets-for-the-mansion-house-31389207.html

stimpson · 20-07-2015 7:31pm

Terribly wasteful considering Lino Richie will do hall stairs and landing for €399.

Overheal · 20-07-2015 7:31pm

So? Could have spent it on a new car, arguably a couple hundred staff and other people will get some utility from the rug instead.

Also not fair to call it a carpet, its a rug. Hugely different beast (rugs are dumb and expensive but cool)

ToddyDoody · 20-07-2015 7:32pm

You won't want to walk sh*te into that. (someone always inevitably does)

Dr Turk Turkelton · 20-07-2015 7:33pm

stimpson wrote: »

Terribly wasteful considering Lino Richie will do hall stairs and landing for €399.

How's bassman I'll do it chaper than that man.

Specialun · 20-07-2015 7:39pm

Des kelly has a sale on..could have gone there

Cee-Jay-Cee · 20-07-2015 7:44pm

For feck sake, me aul mum has one of those rolled up in the shed. I would have let them have it for €20!

darkpagandeath · 20-07-2015 7:47pm

Would it be keeping up with the Joneses ? sorry Windsors :pac::pac::pac:

pebbles21 · 20-07-2015 7:48pm

Jaysus €85,000 for a carpet?,that will take some beating!

Birneybau · 20-07-2015 7:49pm

Is it magic? Cos I'd fcuking pay that if it was.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k · 20-07-2015 7:53pm

Is that it in the photo? The state of it though

stimpson · 20-07-2015 7:54pm

In fairness, it really ties the room together.

darkpagandeath · 20-07-2015 7:55pm

LexieOnRale wrote: »

Is that it in the photo? The state of it though

What was one expecting, A brightly coloured rug with a big Euro symbol on it.

Sheldons Brain · 20-07-2015 7:55pm

These kinds of threads and the Indo article are a bit immature. The Mansion house is an important historic building, it was there when the city was in fact really poor. Doing a proper job in the Mansion House is unconnected to homelessness or anything else, the Corpo wastes money on all sorts of things and the City council voted to reduce to the property tax, not much interest in homelessness then.

lizzyman · 20-07-2015 8:05pm

stimpson wrote: »

In fairness, it really ties the room together.

You have no frame of reference here Donnie!

stimpson · 20-07-2015 8:27pm

lizzyman wrote: »

You have no frame of reference here Donnie!

Yeah well, that's just like, your opinion, man.

goose2005 · 20-07-2015 9:28pm

"€90,000 would go a long way to funding a shelter or a house or two for people who are homeless," he said.
"That money could be used to refurbish senior citizen complexes throughout the city."

Yeah, it could also extend the Luas to Rowlagh and bring back pink Snacks
non-story

NachoBusiness · 20-07-2015 9:33pm

Jaysus, even Donald Trump wouldn't pay that much for a rug.

K4t · 20-07-2015 9:34pm

Anyone who attempts to justify this really is completely separated from the reality of life for most people - whoever sanctioned it should be reprimanded immediately - have we honestly learnt nothing from the last 10 years? This kind of behaviour breaks all barriers of decency.

suicide_circus · 20-07-2015 10:15pm

Yeah sure they could have demolished the mansion house and used the stone to build a methadone clinic

astrofool · 20-07-2015 10:18pm

Sure, we should sell off the mansion house, and use some council flats instead, Phoenix park as well, would surely fund some more nurses and doctors and solve all the problems in the country.

Expensively built historic houses are expensive to maintain, you don't buy a new Bentley and get it fixed on a nixer.

K4t · 20-07-2015 10:24pm

suicide_circus wrote: »

Yeah sure they could have demolished the mansion house and used the stone to build a methadone clinic

Or they could have used the money more sensibly - but really it's the signal this kind of lavish spending sends out that is the problem. It's astounding and very telling that yourself and others see no problem with this kind of spending and instead attempt to crack jokes about methadone clinics. Sickening culture and clear that nothing has really changed apart from more earnest lip service.

suicide_circus · 20-07-2015 10:40pm

K4t wrote: »

Or they could have used the money more sensibly - but really it's the signal this kind of lavish spending sends out that is the problem. It's astounding and very telling that yourself and others see no problem with this kind of spending and instead attempt to crack jokes about methadone clinics. Sickening culture and clear that nothing has really changed apart from more earnest lip service.

Would you go so far as to say you're outraged? Disgusted? Horrified? Why stop at the mansion house? There are hundreds of old national buildings and public amenities which could be sold off and the money spent on special needs teachers, consultants, homeless services. Maybe you see no value in heritage and our built environment. Buildings such as the mansion house are expensive to maintain no doubt but I have to tell you that 85k is chump change in the grand scheme of things.

prizefighter · 20-07-2015 10:47pm

It's a huge sum of money but then again this is the mansion house which will host foreign dignitaries and diplomats etc. Ireland is an historic country with beautiful old architecture and buildings which would be degraded by putting modern cheaper furnishings and upholstery. I agree that in the current climate it would be seen as an obscene waste of money but having worked in the art and antique auction world it is minor in comparison to some of the money i have seen dropped on items in the past. As I said, it would be a completely different story if this article was highlighting the Irish cheapskate furnishings of its historic buildings with carpets from des Kelly and curtains from guineys. I suppose we could gut russborough house and fill it with Ikea furniture, nice little earner.

K4t · 20-07-2015 10:53pm

suicide_circus wrote: »

Would you go so far as to say you're outraged? Disgusted? Horrified? Why stop at the mansion house? There are hundreds of old national buildings and public amenities which could be sold off and the money spent on special needs teachers, consultants, homeless services. Maybe you see no value in heritage and our built environment. Buildings such as the mansion house are expensive to maintain no doubt but I have to tell you that 85k is chump change in the grand scheme of things.

I've no problem with money going towards the upkeep and maintenance of such buildings and amenities, construction costs etc. However, 85k on a pair of rugs is outrageous; it's decadent. And it would not be contemplated in many of the most luxurious 5 star hotels in the country. Amazing you can't see that and seem to just accept it, but not surprising as I said. You can go back to your jokes about special needs assistants and methadone clinics now.

suicide_circus · 20-07-2015 10:58pm

K4t wrote: »

I've no problem with money going towards the upkeep and maintenance of such buildings and amenities, construction costs etc. However, 85k on a pair of rugs is outrageous; it's decadent. And it would not be contemplated in many of the most luxurious 5 star hotels in the country. Amazing you can't see that and seem to just accept it, but not surprising as I said. You can go back to your jokes about special needs assistants and methadone clinics now.

1850 715 815

K4t · 20-07-2015 10:58pm

prizefighter wrote: »

I agree that in the current climate it would be seen as an obscene waste of money

In any climate it should be viewed as such, that's the point. It's obscene money to be spending on rugs from the public coffers. During the celtic tiger, you might have expected the construction company doing repairs on the building to get twice the rate for such work, as opposed to now where they'd get the best quote, but 85k on a pair of rugs is always f**king ridiculous - As I said, decadent is the only word to describe it.

FluffyAngel · 20-07-2015 11:02pm

28 Posts in and nobody has mentioned irish water or garlic ...
AH record...

K4t · 20-07-2015 11:04pm

suicide_circus wrote: »

1850 715 815

I really do feel sorry for you if you genuinely don't see anything wrong with this story.

darkpagandeath · 20-07-2015 11:12pm

Seems its time to start taking the old helicopter to the Galway races.

prizefighter · 20-07-2015 11:14pm

Would you say the same if these rugs were put in a museum or gallery? I've seen people spend 200k on a piece of huanghuali Chinese furniture. That same day I saw a man spend 2million on gilt bronze Buddha's for a museum he was a purchaser for. This is an investment in culture and historic relevance.
These rugs go towards the upkeep of the mansion house sure, but in truth they are indicative of the councils dedication to respecting the virtues of Ireland's historic buildings. Substandard inauthentic replicas of genuine prestige rugs would be an insult to an old prestigious building. Anyone seeing this as a blanket waste of money is not seeing this as an investment in the heritage and preservation of irelands treasured buildings. put into the context of spending on historic buildings around the world, this is truly a paltry sum. It is classic rabble rousing journalism. Cue the outrage.

K4t wrote: »

In any climate it should be viewed as such, that's the point. It's obscene money to be spending on rugs from the public coffers. During the celtic tiger, you might have expected the construction company doing repairs on the building to get twice the rate for such work, as opposed to now where they'd get the best quote, but 85k on a pair of rugs is always f**king ridiculous - As I said, decadent is the only word to describe it.

suicide_circus · 20-07-2015 11:19pm

K4t wrote: »

I really do feel sorry for you if you genuinely don't see anything wrong with this story.

Thanks, that means a lot to me

prizefighter · 20-07-2015 11:21pm

K4t wrote: »

I really do feel sorry for you if you genuinely don't see anything wrong with this story.

I feel sorry for anyone who has such a blinkered frame of reference that they respond to every rabble rousing sabre rattling piece of dross journalism. You can crusade against ridiculous travel expenses granted, lavish dinners yes but do you honestly think this is an exorbitant price paid so politicians can stand on a fancy carpet and indulge in the sensual cacophony of textural delights? No, it's quite simply in keeping with the age and prestige of the house. It's a curated and knowledgeable purchase of an item required for a building that is used to host foreign and local dignitaries etc.

darkpagandeath · 20-07-2015 11:23pm

prizefighter wrote: »

I feel sorry for anyone who has such a blinkered frame of reference that they respond to every rabble rousing sabre rattling piece of dross journalism. You can crusade against ridiculous travel expenses granted, lavish dinners yes but do you honestly think this is an exorbitant price paid so politicians can stand on a fancy carpet and indulge in the sensual cacophony of textural delights? No, it's quite simply in keeping with the age and prestige of the house. It's a curated and knowledgeable purchase of an item required for a building that is used to host foreign and local dignitaries etc.

Yet if this was to do with Social welfare oh the outrage from the same side saying this is fine. :pac::pac::pac:

prizefighter · 20-07-2015 11:25pm

darkpagandeath wrote: »

Yet if this was to do with Social welfare oh the outrage from the same side saying this is fine. :pac::pac::pac:

If it was for a dole office in Drogheda I'm not sure we would be discussing the necessity of keeping the decor in line with the historic relevance and current duties of the building.

Berserker · 20-07-2015 11:31pm

Who is the current Lord Mayor? Christy "The Supreme Socialist" Burke would never have allowed such a thing to happen.

K4t · 20-07-2015 11:36pm

prizefighter wrote: »

No, it's quite simply in keeping with the age and prestige of the house. It's a curated and knowledgeable purchase of an item required for a building that is used to host foreign and local dignitaries etc.

prizefighter wrote: »

If it was for a dole office in Drogheda I'm not sure we would be discussing the necessity of keeping the decor in line with the historic relevance and current duties of the building.

The fact that you made both of those statements without the slightest sense of irony or self awareness shows how detached you are from reality. God forbid foreign or local dignitaries should not be able to rest their feet on an 85k rug!

prizefighter · 20-07-2015 11:43pm

K4t wrote: »

The fact that you made both of those statements without the slightest sense of irony or self awareness shows how detached you are from reality. God forbid foreign or local dignitaries should not be able to rest their feet on an 85k rug!

You seem to think this is about people standing on a fancy carpet. You can't see past the functional value of the item. I guess if they spent a hundred grand on a Louis le brocquy work for one of the rooms that would be an obscene waste of money for what is essentially just colours on a canvas for a posh dickhead to stare at. I'm not detached from reality, probably just exposed to the actual market values of a different world based around artistic and historical merit.

eternal · 20-07-2015 11:49pm

Is it a flying carpet?

I'll get my turban...

seamus · 20-07-2015 11:56pm

You could also probably whinge about the 20k paid no doubt to one guy, to fix and paint the gates at the front.

If you're going to use historical building for government purposes, then they're going to cost serious money to maintain. Sure, you could spend the money elsewhere, and then your historical buildings fall into ruin and people will complain that the government aren't maintaining facilities fit to show tourists and foreign dignitaries around.

Can't win really. A large bespoke rug in keeping with the antique style of the building would easily be this expensive.

donegaLroad · 20-07-2015 11:58pm

"When new rugs/carpets were needed for these rooms, a contract was issued for provision of expert advice by one of Ireland's leading experts in historical carpets, with 40 years' experience. His advice was crucial in ensuring that the carpets chosen for the Mansion House were suitable in terms of quality and longevity, as well as ensuring that the design was appropriate to a historic house."

Jesus H Christ

K4t · 21-07-2015 12:01am

seamus wrote: »

You could also probably whinge about the 20k paid no doubt to one guy, to fix and paint the gates at the front.

If you're going to use historical building for government purposes, then they're going to cost serious money to maintain. Sure, you could spend the money elsewhere, and then your historical buildings fall into ruin and people will complain that the government aren't maintaining facilities fit to show tourists and foreign dignitaries around.

Already acknowledged this separate argument - of course construction and maintenance costs will be expensive on such buildings, but 85k on a pair of rugs is never needed in a public building. It's again, decadent, and behaviour which belongs in a different age and time.

prizefighter wrote: »

I'm not detached from reality, probably just exposed to the actual market values of a different world based around artistic and historical merit.

You can say that again - a different world than most.

oppenheimer1 · 21-07-2015 12:33am

K4t wrote: »

Already acknowledged this separate argument - of course construction and maintenance costs will be expensive on such buildings, but 85k on a pair of rugs is never needed in a public building. It's again, decadent, and behaviour which belongs in a different age and time.

You can say that again - a different world than most.

I've never really understand the fuss some people make over what are trivial amounts of money all the while ignoring billions of euro of waste in the public sector. Its like focussing on a paper cut on a finger while ignoring the shotgun wound to the chest.

€85k isn't really much for two large rugs that are in keeping with the design and historic nature of the building.

These kind of stories are red herrings, typical of the kind of dross the independent publishes - all they do is distract attention from the real waste that goes on.

oppenheimer1 · 21-07-2015 12:38am

Berserker wrote: »

Who is the current Lord Mayor? Christy "The Supreme Socialist" Burke would never have allowed such a thing to happen.

He'd have asked the Mexican Ambassador to help sort out the rugs.

Kwiecien · 21-07-2015 1:06am

NachoBusiness wrote: »

Jaysus, even Donald Trump wouldn't pay that much for a rug.

Nacho - I clicked on this thinking it was going to be about Donald Trumps rug too

Juan8 · 21-07-2015 6:32am

People starving and living on the streets but foreign visitors need to walk on €85k worth of carpet, People justifying it disgust me

prizefighter · 21-07-2015 10:13am

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2460093/50million-repair-Queens-crumbling-palaces-THIRD-royal-estate-deemed-target-condition.html

Sleepy · 21-07-2015 1:52pm

Whatever about buying high cost / quality furnishings for the Mansion House, the consultancy seems nuts. Isn't that what the OPW are supposed to do?

listermint · 21-07-2015 2:01pm

Consultancy !?? !!???

http://www.oriental-carpets.com/Rugs/Carpets?id=0f3bbc63361f33a7749ad8214ff91676&page=18#results

I mean whichever way its painted 90,000 on rugs is horrendous. You can get these length rugs from specialists at fraction of that cost.

but HEY, its easy when its other peoples money isnt it....

Not a care in the world when there is no comeback for signing cheques such as this with other peoples cash.

seamus · 21-07-2015 2:14pm

listermint wrote: »

I mean whichever way its painted 90,000 on rugs is horrendous. You can get these length rugs from specialists at fraction of that cost.

Yeah, sure you could go into IKEA and get five of them for a grand.

:rolleyes:

SEPT 23 1989 · 21-07-2015 2:14pm

cut services to the weakest in this country left right and centre and spend that kind of money on a bloody carpet:mad:

85k for new carpet

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