Growing up in the 1980's Ireland

InTheTrees

Milk & Honey wrote: »

The guards raided the student bar in 1981. They stopped the bar serving, locked all doors and searched everyone inside including strip searching. They arrested about 13 students

Wow... that must have been right after I moved from Dublin. It doesn't surprise me in the slightest, the place was almost out of control. I do remember some impressive concerts in the cafeteria(?) building as well, they used to have quality bands playing.

Snickers Man

Dummy wrote: »

In Dublin, pirate radio stations were all the rage then. The early 80's saw the likes of Radio Dublin & Big D Radio. Late 80's saw Radio Nova, KissFM & Sunshine Radio.

More a 70s thing, actually. Pirates' real hey day was before RTE Radio 2 (now 2FM) came on stream and that was in 1979. Radio Nova was closed down, in the face of massive public protest, in the early 1980s.

Dummy wrote: »

The Dandelion Market was on St Stephens Green

Closed down in the very early 80s. Or maybe even the 70s.

Dummy wrote: »

McDonalds opened their doors on Grafton Street in the early 80's and queues were out the door.

70s again. Opened in 1977.

Dummy wrote: »

If you wanted a phone in your house, you ordered & then waited for almost 2 years (if my memory is correct).

There were lots of postal strikes which was a bummer on Valentine's Day.

I remember petrol strikes too and people making mad dashes to the North with loads of 5 gallon drums in the back of the cars.

I remember people bought butter in the North, and hid it all around the car in case they were stopped. TV's too brought people to the North.

Again. All 1970s. Let's face it: you're older than you think you are.

Snickers Man

There was some REALLY bad music in the 1980s.

Anyone remember a truly awful record called "We're so proud to be Irish" by a band called Lucky Numbers? It's so bad I can't even find it on Youtube.

It was so cringe making it had, I imagine, the same effect on the 80s generation that Jedward has on the cool kids of today.

The shame, the shame!

nice_very

Judgement Day wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr-Vd0do-cs

I really think that reeling in the years should be shown in our secondary schools as part of history class, with a discussion afterwards as to how our society has changed and if we ever learned anything

nice_very

who the fug wrote: »

No,staff in Dunnes on Moore street refused to handle South African products , they got locked out

strike went on and on.

http://metroeireann.com/article/the-dunnes-stores-staff-who-stood,2019

Mary Manning, the cashier who started the ball rolling had a plaque, dedicated to her by Nelson Mandela, put on the spot of that strike... I was just about old enough that I remember, and I think it influenced me in my early years to be how I am now... fair play to ya Mary, a great example of how the actions of one can influence the thinking of others..... Rosa Parks also comes to mind

pauldla

Snickers Man wrote: »

There was some REALLY bad music in the 1980s.

Anyone remember a truly awful record called "We're so proud to be Irish" by a band called Lucky Numbers? It's so bad I can't even find it on Youtube.

It was so cringe making it had, I imagine, the same effect on the 80s generation that Jedward has on the cool kids of today.

The shame, the shame!

I remember that song, and yes, it was awful. It made me ashamed to be Irish...

Peregrinus

I think a kind of merciful amnesia is affecting me. I have no memory of the song.

pauldla

Peregrinus wrote: »

I think a kind of merciful amnesia is affecting me. I have no memory of the song.

Be thankful for small mercies, P!

Well look what I found....

http://www.irishrock.org/irodb/bands/luckynumbers.html

whomitconcerns

upncmnhistori wrote: »

Televisions had to warm up?!

god i remember our tv "warming up" now, the screen would flip for about 10mins before you could watch something!

Judgement Day

whomitconcerns wrote: »

god i remember our tv "warming up" now, the screen would flip for about 10mins before you could watch something!

Where did you find it - in a skip? The 80's were bad but not that bad.

pauldla

Actually, just talking about music from the 80s, I have just heard 'Got To Get Away' by The Stunning over the internet. I remember buying the single. Singles! Jaysis. Brought back a few memories, I can tell you!

uch

Lon.C wrote: »

I remember dinner involving some flavor of findus crispy pancakes and watching the beach combers.
It was like home and away with a Canadian logging community.

Haha Jaysus I was just thinking about the beachcombers the other day, do you remember their Names ?

whomitconcerns

i remember relic was the older guy who was always grumpy!

Powerhouse

Dummy wrote: »

In Dublin, pirate radio stations were all the rage then. The early 80's saw the likes of Radio Dublin & Big D Radio. Late 80's saw Radio Nova, KissFM & Sunshine Radio.

The Dandelion Market was on St Stephens Green and you bought your bikes in the Penny Fathing there.

McDonalds opened their doors on Grafton Street in the early 80's and queues were out the door.

If you wanted a phone in your house, you ordered & then waited for almost 2 years (if my memory is correct).

There were lots of postal strikes which was a bummer on Valentine's Day.

I remember petrol strikes too and people making mad dashes to the North with loads of 5 gallon drums in the back of the cars.

I remember people bought butter in the North, and hid it all around the car in case they were stopped. TV's too brought people to the North.

Summer holidays were a 2 week visit to some relations farm in the back of beyond - but they were great. You learned to drive a Massey Ferguson when you were 11 or 12.

You & your brothers would have to hightail it by train, bus or by thumbing it down the country to help uncles save the hay. And they were made into haystacks - none of these circular bales you see now. And to quench your thirst, you were given very cold buttermilk.

After playing a big hurling or football match, you got a glass of Miwadi and a marieta biscuit.

Most cars did not have radios, so you sang all the way on a long car journey. "one day at a time sweet Jesus ......." Or "we're all off to Dublin in the green, in the green .....".

Some parts of the country still used the telephone exchange - you picked up the phone and an operator would answer and you would ask for Dublin 123456.

For free phone calls on a public phone, some people would tap the phone with their finger.

There was always a traffic jam (with cars) on Grafton Street.

There were no contraception machines in the toilets in pubs. In fact you could not buy contraceptives anywhere. In fact you never knew what they were or what they were used for.

You always went to mass on Sunday. In fact you would travel to the other end of the county to get a 6 o'clock mass there. And you listened to the priest very carefully.

You'd have to dance with girls at weddings otherwise you'd be a wallflower.

You had to always get up & sing at weddings.

Some people could be heard asking "what's your 20" down the microphone of their illegal CB radios. (as a result of movies like Convoy and Smokey & the Bandit which were big hits).

These are some of my memories. I'd love to go back - the 80's were great.

Ten ten till we do it again. (CB jingo for bye for now).

This is more like the Father-Ted-fan-club meets the 1970s rather than anything to do with the '80s. You could certainly buy contraceptive in Ireland in the 1980s. MacDonalds was on the go before the 1980s. And Grafton St closed to traffic in 1979. Postal Strike was in 1978/79. Oil crisis was '79.

tac foley

newmug wrote: »

Have to agree with the above.

And your username reminded me of the tele of that era - Summer Bay, Home and Away. Neighbours, Dallas, Dynasty, McGuyver, The A-Team, Knightrider, Chips, The Streets of San Fransisco, Baywatch, I could go on and on!

Why cant they make tele like that anymore!?!?!?!

You had a TV?

Oy.

tac

Dummy

Snickers Man wrote: »

More a 70s thing, actually. Pirates' real hey day was before RTE Radio 2 (now 2FM) came on stream and that was in 1979. Radio Nova was closed down, in the face of massive public protest, in the early 1980s.



Closed down in the very early 80s. Or maybe even the 70s.



70s again. Opened in 1977.



Again. All 1970s. Let's face it: you're older than you think you are.

Thanks - You have aged me. There was I, plodding along thinking I was a whipper snapper .....

gobnaitolunacy

Two tv licence rates, for colour and a lower rate for B/W!

Fuzzy Clam

Dummy wrote: »

Thanks - You have aged me. There was I, plodding along thinking I was a whipper snapper .....

Don't feel so bad, it's not wrong.
You're correct about ordering a phone line. My brother ordered one when he moved into his 1st house in 1981 and received it in '83, just as he was moving out to a new house.
The '80's was the era of the pirates. Although you're a little out on the dates. Up until the end of the '70's, pirates were all low budget affairs. Sunshine started in late 1980 and continued up untill the end of '88. Nova, although raided which put them off air for a couple of days, were there untill 1986.

Cienciano

The only person I knew that went abroad on holidays was my mate who's dad worked in the airport. For everyone else, it was Ireland.
I remember being pissed off when we got Channel 4, thought we had too many channels. We had 6.
Having more than one car in a household was unheard of. I have photos of my estate when I was a kid, lack of cars is unreal. And cars were proper colours. Not just 20 variations of silver. Black, white, red, orange, green, brown, blue and yellow was every car colour available.

mikemac1

A VCR was horrendously expensive

Over 400 punts, well over a lot of working peoples weekly wage

Nowadays you can grab a DVD player for under 50 euro

You would lend it around neighbours sometimes

If your parish won the Junior B title , there would be a tape and people would come around to the house and watch the game

Xtravision threatened to fine you 25p if you didn't rewind the tape for the next customer :eek:

telecinesk

Oh man, 10 hole docmartins, takes me back. skin head mates hanging out at Advance records in Sth King st opp joke shop, run by Fred Talbot.. Ive a huge bag of 30 betamax tapes under my desk, from offair tv yet to be digitised.
Shoulderpads on tv and TvGaga and MtUSA.. Awful clothes and misery school clothes and oh yes No Rod Licence campaign... Nuff said. 80s was strange alright. BMX2000 was it? and dreadful tv aka rte, no change there--

rasper

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

Two tv licence rates, for colour and a lower rate for B/W!

UK still have a b&w licence , Take it we still have a radio licence

InTheTrees

A huge improvement over the 70's anyway when we had those static image Ads with a bored sounding voiceover. In black and white.

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

InTheTrees

Here's another older series dredged up from youtube. This one has the static ads too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cof7Eruqgc

maroondog

Wearing seat belts was unheard of. Packing 7 or 8 kids into a car to go to a match was perfectly fine. That often happened when school matches were played during school hours and simply just had to cram everyone into 3 cars. 2 kids in front seat and 1 of ye nearly sitting on the handbrake/gearstick. Actually if a house had 2 cars they were fairly well off, now driveways are packed up with cars.
Pulling in on way home from a match for 3 or 4 pints was perfectly acceptable.

InTheTrees

Yup, I remember seat belts being a novelty. They really were "belts" too. None of these fancy retractable affairs; you got a kind of nylon belt that you hung up on a hook when not in use.

And remember firing rubbish out the car window being absolutely normal?

I seem to remember if you had rubbish in the car you just rolled(!) down the window and threw it out, i dont think it mattered where you were.

I dont think there were any "littering" laws at all.

:eek: :eek:

pedroeibar1

mikemac1 wrote: »

A VCR was horrendously expensive

Over 400 punts, well over a lot of working peoples weekly wage

Nowadays you can grab a DVD player for under 50 euro

You would lend it around neighbours sometimes

If your parish won the Junior B title , there would be a tape and people would come around to the house and watch the game

Xtravision threatened to fine you 25p if you didn't rewind the tape for the next customer :eek:

Many TV retailers did a deal for a package of a TV & video - £1250 was fairly standard for a 23” Mitsubishi and video with piano key controls. Many people still rented TVs. That was the era of the war between JVC with VHS against Sony with Betamax. Phillips 2000 was technically better (as was Beta) but VHS quickly won out because they had more films available. Harry Moore in Dawson Street, Peats in Parnells St, Videoking in Tallaght, Totterdells in Dun Laoghaire and another shop in Pease Street were the main TV retailers in Dublin.

The Sony Walkman was launched in the early 1980s, followed by the CD player. I think the first launch was Sony who brought over Noel Edmonds for the launch in the Clontarf Castle. Astounding sound, but it cost about £950, and I remember asking would the price fall to a more reasonable level, the answer being ‘It might eventually drop to about £750!’ By the mid 90’s a CD player with the same features was selling for £90.

You serviced your own car, (and it allowed you to do so), disc brakes – if a car had them - were on the front and drums on the rear. No such thing as electronic ignition, you had points, distributor and a carburettor (and never could find your feeler guage and always asked a mate to check if you had TDC.) Many cars had Starsky and Hutch stripes as standard – e.g. Fiat Ritmo, and being Fiats they did not start in the wet.

And about 1980 my mortgage interest rate was about 20%. And you always drove home, not a bother.

gobnaitolunacy

Cienciano wrote: »

Having more than one car in a household was unheard of. I have photos of my estate when I was a kid, lack of cars is unreal. And cars were proper colours. Not just 20 variations of silver. Black, white, red, orange, green, brown, blue and yellow was every car colour available.

The reason ppl buy silver cars is that it weathers better than say, red, which turns pink after a while.

At least cars didn't have stupid names like now, WTF is a 'Ceed' or a 'Qashqai' meant to be?

who the fug

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

The reason ppl buy silver cars is that it weathers better than say, red, which turns pink after a while.

At least cars didn't have stupid names like now, WTF is a 'Ceed' or a 'Qashqai' meant to be?

You are forgetting the Austin Princess , a pug ugly looking yoke

Austin geebag/slapper were more apt

gobnaitolunacy

who the fug wrote: »

You are forgetting the Austin Princess , a pug ugly looking yoke

Austin geebag/slapper were more apt

Just googled.....Ugh! Smacks of something designed behind the Iron Curtain.

I vaguly recall a motor trade mag article with a line that went like 'do you know how to fit a coil in a Princess'(!)