Living on Patrick Street (The bells, the bells!)

Tope

Anyone live near St. Patrick's and how do you feel about the noise of the cathedral bells?
I'm considering moving to an apartment directly opposite the cathedral. The location is perfect and I love the view of the cathedral and park, but I'm worried about the bell ringing driving me mad, especially on a Sunday morning.

I got up early this Sunday and walked down there to check it out. The ringing started at 10.45 and went on for half an hour. It's actually quite a nice sound for about the first 5 minutes, but by the end I was getting a headache. Not sure if I could handle this every Sunday (especially after a late night!). Even indoors with the windows closed it must be pretty loud.

According to their website, "Ringers meet for weekly practice on Tuesday evenings at 18.30-19.30. Ringing times are Sundays 10.30 and 14.30".

Basically I'm wondering if I'd eventually get used to the noise or would I end up tearing my hair out a couple of times a week - any advice from anyone who lives in the area?

Birneybau

I live not far from there, not right across the road but close enough

What gets me is the fecking seagulls, at epidemic proportions in the area.

Noisy [EMAIL="bast@rds"]bast@rds[/EMAIL]!!!

miamee

I don't live as close as those apartments but I do live nearby (nearer to Kevin Street). I generally don't hear them unless I have the window open and even then they are not very frequent or annoying. But maybe that's cos they aren't as loud for us, I don't know.

Birneybau, if I could shoot the birds that wake me every morning I would, noisy feckers

Tope

I feel your pain about the seagulls, it's the same where i live now, unbelievable how loud they get sometimes!

But I think sustained periods of bell ringing at point-blank range would be worse - the apartment's bedroom window is directly opposite the bell tower so I'd say it'd be impossible to sleep through, and it goes on for ages! I suppose I could use earplugs (though I find them really uncomfortable) or noise-cancelling headphones or something... but even that might not be enough!

irlirishkev

So it's not just me who wants to cull the seagull population!!!
Every morning I have to get up at the crack of dawn to close the bedroom window 'cos the feckers won't shut the hell up!
Even now they're all I can hear from the living room window. And I'm fairly sure they're responsible for the enormous load of birdpoo on my car..

I can hear the bells up where I am, just off High Street/Thomas Street. Doesn't bother me really, but I'm sure that would be different if I was right opposite. I likes my lie ins at the weekends!

I'm fairly sure there have been similar threads about Christchurch OP, if you do a search you might find them.

youguessedit

Tope, I've lived directly opposite Christ Church Cathedral for the past 15 years and I can tell you that you get used to the Sunday Morning bells very quickly. As long as it's melodic your brain will adapt to it and shove it into the background. The fact that you find them nice in the first instance, even if it is only for the first five minutes, is a good sign. I still enjoy the rounds at the Cathedral on a Sunday morning (although it's been tarnished somewhat by their ill thought out decision to allow tourists clang away at the bells, see http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056732549.) Yes, I do still close my windows for the half hour - it reduces the noise by about half and is easier on the hangover - and I've been known to stick earplugs in when if I'm desperate for a lie-in.

As for practice, again, as long as it's melodic ('rounds' or 'change-ringing' I believe are the correct terms) it's OK. Christ Church Cathedral practice on a Friday evening for up to two hours but it's normally rounds so it's fairly easy to ignore. I close my windows during that too. One thing to be aware of, though: when they first begin training new bell-ringers it can be clang-clang-clang for an hour as they get used to the mechanics of ringing a bell. Now, that's annoying and can go on for a couple of months. But if they're decent, they'll do that on 'tied' bells, as recommended by the Association of Ringing Teachers (http://www.ringingteachers.co.uk/learningtheropes/). Christ Church Cathedral has only had a recruitment drive once, as far as I can remember, in the past 15 years but, if you're worried, drop St. Patrick's a line and ask (http://bellringingireland.org/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=12:tower-sec-st-patricks-cathedral&catid=17:eastern-district).

Bluezar

Moved into Patrick Street a month ago, love the location and I live directly opposite St Patricks Cathedral.
Used to the bells already and just get on with it. No chance of a lie in on a Sunday morning though!

Tope

Thanks for the replies, good to hear that it's not a major issue for most of you. I'll definitely give it a bit more consideration. It's just a matter of weighing up how much I love the location against how important my Sunday lie-ins are!

I was reading the threads about the Christchurch bells too, certainly seems that the only thing that really bothers people is when the tourists ring the bells.

I walked down there again yesterday evening to see how St Patrick's Tuesday practice session sounded; seemed a lot less loud than on Sunday morning, but that may have been because the traffic noise drowned it out - or do they use dampers on the bells during practice?

I did find another thread on here advising someone who was planning to move to the area not to live in an apartment that faces the street as the traffic noise is terrible, but it doesn't sound that bad to me. Are there many sirens and stuff late at night? I don't think that would bother me too much though.

youguessedit

I don't think they use dampers for practice: I've heard it of a Tuesday evening and it sounded the same as a Sunday so it must have been the traffic alright.

Traffic can be very heavy in the area during morning rush hour (starting from about 7am) and in the early hours at the weekend when the thousands of taxis seem to be the only vehicles on the roads. The sirens might wake you up at the beginning but you get used to them... and the HGVs before the restrictions come into force at 7am... and the busses with faulty coolant systems that sound like jets flying by... and the scangers shouting at each other. You get used to it all.

Tope

Thanks youguessedit, you've pretty much covered everything I've been worrying about! I do believe I'd get used to all the traffic noise, and I guess even the Sunday morning bells wouldn't be too disturbing after a while.
It's such a great location and the view of the cathedral and park is so nice that it makes up for any downsides I think.

Jellybaby1

I know people living in the area, and the only complaints I heard from them is mainly traffic noise, sirens, and the Viking Splash shouts. Never heard them utter a single word about the bells and they are quite close to them!