between the Liberties and Ballybough

Tags

Ballybough, Bus, Dublin, Dublin bus, Dublinese, Ireland, photo, rhyming slang, The Liberties, travel

Since it’s been so cold and miserable, with hail and sleet raining down from grey skies, I have been taking the bus into work. I’ve tried a few different routes and have now settled on the 123 from Merino to Walkinstown. The bus takes me all the way from Ballybough Rd to the Liberties and back.

The Liberties are one of the oldest parts of Dublin and is now a growing media and tech hub. The old markets and historic buildings sit next to dynamic e-commerce centers. And whether they like it or now, gentrification is happening all around – yes there are hipsters and coffee shops sprouting like weeds between the dirty cracks of the streets.

Ballybough on the other hand is one of the more disadvantaged areas in Dublin. The name is accually derived from the term Bailebough, which in Irish comes from ‘baile’ (town) and ‘bocht’ (poor). Originally though Ballybough was known as Mud Island because of its proximity to the mud flats on which Fairview and North Strand are build.

While commuting between these two areas it becomes quickly apparent that the most colourful of Dublin residence live there. You’ll hear the ‘real’ Dublin accent and delight in their unique ability to turn a phrase or create their very own rhyming slang. And if Peter Wright, the author of “Cockney Dialect and Slang” is to be believed the Irish actually invented it to confuse the non-Irish workers.

So, if you hear someone is ‘headed to the rock-and-roll’ they’re off to collect the dole, if someone tells you ‘you’ll be brown bread’, it means you’ll be dead and if you’re a tea-leaf they think you’re a thief. One of my favorites is ‘cream-crackered’ for tired, and I love the Daniel Day when talking about the Luas (Dublin tram system).

This Dublenese is really wonderfully creative, after all who else but Dublin criminals would call someone who is unpredictable and hard to put down a Apache, or an undercover garda (Irish Police) as a ghost? And if you are ever referred to as a Micky Dazzler, they really think you’re a bot full of yourself and wear much too flashy clothes.

So if you ever are visiting Dublin or just want to enrich your vocabulary,  hop on to the 123 and take a trip with a few real Dubliners.

 

 

making people smile

Tags

baby, baby's laugh, Bus, Dublin, Dublin bus, thoughts

Yesterday evening I was treated to a steak dinner and the best company possible when I met up with two lovely friends of mine. One has just bought a house, one is busy traveling and enjoying looking for new challenges and then there are my own meager adventures.  So with lots to talk about it was a wonderful night out and as I made my way through the grey and wet night I couldn’t help but smile.

But once on the bus I was greeted with sullen, tired faces, a direct reflection of the miserable night outside. I took my seat and let my thoughts wander, when suddenly a baby’s giggle vibrated through the bus.

It was an unexpected sound, and while I am sure that the parents were only trying to humour their tired tot, it changed the atmosphere in the bus within an instant. The baby, maybe eight months old, was somewhere between sleepy, grumpy and delighted and his young parents were entertaining him. It was clear they were trying to keep him from crying and sleeping wasn’t quite on the cards.

As the little baby boy gurgled in glee and his loud laughs filled the gloomy bus smiles began to spread on everyone’s faces. Yes, even the cool dudes in the back couldn’t help but allow their mouths to curl upwards.

It was amazing to see how one small child brought so much joy to a grey and miserable night and as passengers disembarked many waved and said goodbye to the little boy who celebrated his new found celebrity status with more delighted sequels.

 

 

student savings

Tags

Bus, Dublin, leap card, luas, money, saving, student, student savings

Being a student again means lots of extra work but it also has it’s benefits: student savings! So make the most of the next year I decided it was time to get myself a student Leap Card.

Like the Oyster Card in London, the Leap Card is the perfect way to use public transport within and around Dublin. One of the main benefits of using a Leap Card is you pay less per trip. An additional bonus is you don’t need to carry around loose change when you want to use the bus (you don’t get back change on Dublin buses, all you get is a paper slip that you can exchange for money at headquarters – Dublin Bus makes more than a million euros every year on unclaimed refunds – so most people try an pay exact fares).

And since I am now the owner of a student leap card I get even more savings. I may still have to pay the same amount per fare however the daily and weekly cap on the card has gone way down. No matter how many buses I use in a day I’ll never pay more than 5€ (normally 6.90€), and in a week never more than 20€ (normally 27.50€). If I combine Luas (the Dublin tram system) and bus that goes slightly up but I still pay 25% less than with a regular Leap Card.

Wonderfully it doesn’t end there, by waving the Student Leap Card in certain high-street shops you get reductions and special offers. Saving 20% here and 15% there will definitely make a difference in the long run. Student savings – a perk for all the hard work.

a few euros saved with these two cards