The Dubliner Magazine

City Wish List

Getting spiffy on the Liffey

So, according to an international survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, life is better in Dublin than Paris, London or New York. In a global ranking of quality of living , the dirty old town came in at a very respectable 25th, even beating out hippy heavens such as San Francisco and sun-soaked orgiastic utopias like Barcelona.

It all sounds great until you see the top ten cities in the list and realise that they include Zurich, Geneva, Dusseldorf and Bern, places so tedious that it must be hard to know when anyone dies. And where watching the paint drying on your cuckoo clock is considered an adrenaline sport.

In fact, Nurnberg beat us to #23 on there and when you're beaten by a city more famous for Nazi trials than beaches, high fashion or beautiful architecture, these surveys might pale just a shade.

Incidentally, where's Cork on the list?

Super Valubull

Pun onslaught caused by errant bovine

A strange one - a story that seems like it could "only happen in Ireland" but with "only in America"-style news reportage. The sort of thing that makes Anchorman seem like Noam Chomsky.

Still you have to admire the barrage of puns. "A lot of bull in the news these day... sink my teeth into... a meaty story". All in the first five seconds. Bravo.
 

Capital Wine: Liam Campbell's Wine of The Month

Château Doisy-Daëne 2006 (€27 )

Made by one of the region’s pioneers of world-class white wines. More famous for his sweet Barsac, Denis Dubourdieu produces a classic, lightly-oaked beauty. The palate delivers nutmeg spiced apple fruit lifted by grapefruit freshness and a minerally and melon finish. Decant to help open up the wine’s pedigree and be adventurous with a turkey and thyme lasagne, heavy on the Gruyère cheese. This wine will continue to improve over the next five years. Available at: Harvey Nichols, Dundrum Town Centre.

Intelligent Movie Alert: Catch It While You Can

IN THE LOOP ★★★★
Between Iraq and a hard place

we live in an era of hope and change in America, and that’s great. We’ve left behind the age of neocons, known unknowns and soon, we’ll be trying to leave behind the memories of the gigantic cock-up that was the Iraq war. But it’d be a real pity if the war ended and we didn’t have at least one good movie to show for it, right? Well, In the Loop is that movie.

It covers similar ground to Iannucci’s BBC political comedy The Thick of It, and most of the cast return, albeit in slightly different roles. Thankfully Peter Capaldi is back as Malcolm Tucker, Westminster’s very own antichrist, ripping his way through friends and rivals, and anyone who just happens to get in his way. The film captures the politicians and their underlings on both sides of the ‘Special Relationship’ as the US and UK hurtle towards war with an unnamed Middle Eastern nation. They’re a petty, sordid lot.
The serious points about Iraq are there to behold, but Iannucci presumes the audience have the smarts

not to need everything sign-posted for them. We know these lying bastards are lying to us, and Iannucci would rather give us a laugh than a lecture. Almost all the jokes work, from the minor visual gags that make you titter, to the remarkably foul-mouthed put-downs that make it hard to control your bladder. A political comedy that doesn’t ditch the serious stuff but still makes you laugh? Mission acomplished. OUT NOW.

Did You Miss Me? Forgotten Classics by Denis Hickie

Jesse Malin

The Fine Art Of Self-Destruction

Okay, so this 2003 work by New York’s Jesse Malin probably doesn’t fall under the title ‘classic,’ but it has always been one of the albums in my collection that I turn to if I want a bit of honest rock/singer-songwriter mix.

Produced by Ryan Adams and featuring contributions from, among others, Melissa Auf der Maur of Hole and Adams himself, the music has a distinctly personal feel throughout. You can almost see Malin sitting in his dingy Lower East Side apartment scribbling it all down. While the whole album is pretty solid, it does have three or four standout tracks.

 ‘Queen of the Underworld’ is an easy, melodic start to proceedings, followed by ‘TKO’, in which Malin’s nasal style is more pronounced. My personal favourite is ‘Brooklyn,’ a song about breaking up from a very New York perspective. Acoustic guitar, piano and organ blend seamlessly together, with bittersweet results.

I’ve seen Malin on a few of the many occasions he has played in Dublin, and he always entertains. He certainly thinks he’s a rock star – and that’s half his charm.

Oh, and if you find yourself in the East Village, drop into his bar Niagara on 7th and A to quench you thirst. There are worse ways to end the week.

The Ha-Ha Huts:Dublin's Top Comedy Venues... The Axis, Ballymun

Not all of the towers are gone, but already Ballymun has started replacing them with new landmarks. And top of the list is the axis arts centre (no capitals please, we’re arty types). The House of Fun comedy club has been running here since 2005.

WHO’S PLAYED THERE? Desmond Tutu. Well, not really, but he was in Ballymun recently, where he described the people as ‘beautiful butterflies.’ We bet Dessie would be even more impressed if he knew that axis has hosted Tommy Tiernan, Ardal O’Hanlon and Deirdre O’Kane.

TALENT Des Bishop uncovered some of the comedic talent of Da Mun in his show, Joy in da Hood, including Eric Lalor, who was a real find. Since then the House of Fun has become a regular stop on the touring schedule of every semi-decent Irish comic. 

VENUE A great setup – nice big stage for the comedians to use, comfy seats at the back if you don’t want to get picked on. Intimidating for the comics too – a full house means 222 grumpy punters to impress.

WE LIKE... Setting up a comedy club takes balls, no matter where you do it. And doing it in Ballymun? Well that shows more brass than a trumpet factory. And the audience really go for it too.

WE DON’T LIKE SO MUCH... It’s a pity the options for getting out to Ballymun are so limited. But we live in hope that the public transport options will improve. Sometime. Eventually. Maybe.

Something For The Weekend.... Dublin Bars We Like This Week...

MCDAIDS
the large tiled decoration behind the bar proudly declares that McDaid’s of Harry Street has been on the go since 1873. The portraits of Dublin’s literary greats are particularly poignant since most of them used to frequent this old Victorian haunt. It’s not hard to imagine Behan or Joyce sitting at the ‘h’ shaped bar or tucked under the stairs at the back. We love the sublime details: the high ceilings painted a deep red, the wonderfully colourful arched windows above the door, fit for a Parisian cathedral, the large and grandiose mirror opposite the bar, and the bookcase high up on the wall which must be as old as the dusty books it holds. And all of this under the electric light of two modified gas lamps that dangle lazily over the patrons, whose Italian leather shoes and high heels clack on the wooden floor... A Dublin gem. (JdeBB) Harry Street, Dublin 2. 679 4395

THE OCTAGON
snugly slotted into the Clarence Hotel, this eight-sided bar is frequented by people who look like PJ Harvey and rich tourists from Munich who can’t tell the difference between Bono and Gavin Friday. Despite the fame factor, the bar staff are friendly and good at what they do: even when it’s crowded you’ll soon have a generous, well-made cocktail in hand. We recommend the Apple Strudel Martini – yes, it’s €14, but you’ll be vibrating out the door after a couple. The Octagon is a great place for a first date – it’s never too packed or so loud that you can’t hear what the other half is saying. Although sometimes that’s what you want... They’ve stopped doing the bar food during the day, unfortunately – we miss their soup – but you can still get afternoon tea if you so desire. Mmmm, macaroons. (TD) The Clarence Hotel, 6-8 Wellington Quay, Dublin 2. theclarence.ie

THE VILLAGER
this place truly feels like a country pub. Situated in the quiet, leafy surroundings of Chapelizod, it’s hard not to feel instantly relaxed as you take in the plush carpets, oak-lined walls and comfy couches. Patrons are a nice mix of old-timers who have been coming here for years, and hip 20-somethings who have made the bar their own since moving into the surrounding apartment complexes. In the eternal debate over which pub in Dublin offers the best pint of Guinness, the Villager deserves to make the shortlist at the very least. The beer garden is spacious and well-heated. The bar menu offers just toasted ham and cheese sandwiches, but served on wholesome batch bread and with a decent side of crisps, they’ll fill a gap and then some. Best day to visit the Villager? Definitely a Sunday. Not for raucous hell-raising action, but rather for a decent chinwag and great service. And did we mention those very lovely pints? (PH) 31 Main Street, Chapelizod. 626 1766

The New Issue of The Dubliner is out 30th April - a City Rejoices

Apologies for the lack of content on our website for the last couple of weeks, we have been working through some problems with posting.

The May issue of The Dubliner will be on the shelves 30th April and its a packed edition featuring new fiction, 80s Dublin, fine dining and Irish Whip Wrestling. A heady mix if ever there was one.

Million book selling author and Rathmines resident Irvine Welsh has given us an exclusive unpublished short story which you will be able to read next week.

June will see the introduction of The Dubliner Best of Dublin annual which will be on sale for the summer months and will feature all the information you need to make the most of your city.

We'll be posting more information on thedubliner.ie and inviting you to be involved in this edition in the weeks ahead.

Best Wishes,

The Dubliner

More Scenes From the Recession

The Londis queue in the world

No, it's not a queue for Pop Idol, Ireland's Got Talent or Dancing With the Spas.

It's a queue for a job... in Londis.

A queue of about 500 people. Jaysus. I mean, jaysus.

Media Watch IV

The farce is strong....

An "I've never seen Star Wars" article from the Guardian Service, by way of the Irish Times, this week. Hmmm, sounds suspiciously like this YouTube classic.