Grafton Quarter

NasserShammaz

Mr.S wrote: »

Christ, life is to short to get annoyed over things like this. No idea what your rambling on about.

It’s a sign, with a name that has been around since 2014, promoting the area. Not renaming Grafton Street like a lot of people seem to think.

Sure, it’s a little cheesy or corny, but it’s sole purpose is to promote the area - that has to be a good thing, no?

Really someone expresses an opinion on something on a site based solely on people expressing opinions and making comments.

The bloody cheek of me. #moderatemyarse

leahyl

Meanwhile, in Cork City, we have lovely new "Nollaig Shona Duit" decorations on Patrick Street this year

Totally agree with the majority here though, ridiculous to have a sign like that up on a street that everybody knows as GRAFTON STREET not Grafton Quarter - I am from "down the country" (in the real capital ) and I haven't once heard of Grafton Quarter....it's like in Cork, they are trying to get the "Victorian Quarter" to catch on for McCurtain Street - nope, sorry, it was and always will be McCurtain Street.

MarkY91

leahyl wrote: »

Meanwhile, in Cork City, we have lovely new "Nollaig Shona Duit" decorations on Patrick Street this year

Totally agree with the majority here though, ridiculous to have a sign like that up on a street that everybody knows as GRAFTON STREET not Grafton Quarter - I am from "down the country" (in the real capital ) and I haven't once heard of Grafton Quarter....it's like in Cork, they are trying to get the "Victorian Quarter" to catch on for McCurtain Street - nope, sorry, it was and always will be McCurtain Street.

Grafton street is still Grafton street. They're just naming the area for maps and stuff. Jesus Christ

Beechwoodspark

Message to dublin corporation or whoever puts up the lights

Just put up the old sign and take down the grafton quarter one and let’s never talk about this again!!

leahyl

MarkY91 wrote: »

Grafton street is still Grafton street. They're just naming the area for maps and stuff. Jesus Christ

I know that, so why are they putting a big sign up on it saying "Welcome to Grafton Quarter"????

Upon entering this thread I was absolutely certain this was a new burger place to rival Five Guys and that other yuppy kip by the Molly Malone statue.

whiskeyman

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Anyone remember when the disastrously rushed Apple Maps app first launched in Ireland and any photos taken between Dame Street and Rathmines were tagged with "Angiery-Camden Core" as the location?

Among those I've seen who are pissed off about this, it's not so much the sign itself as the motivation and justifications behind it - "Businesses have been referring to the area as the Grafton Quarter for some time". A lot of folks read this and got irritated even if they didn't actually care all that much before, as the idea that businesses rather than residents and citizens should get to define areas really irks a lot of people. As one of my mates put it, they're sort of treating Grafton Street as if it was a privately owned shopping centre or something, and (maybe this is skewed because so many of my friends are musicians) they're tying this in with the anti-busking by-laws passed a number of years ago (directly tied to objections from business owners) and several other recent developments which essentially amount to "Grafton Street, run by and to the whims of resident businesses rather than resident people".

That's the sense I'm getting anyway. It's not so much about the sign itself as it is the implication behind it. People generally just don't like it when corporate authority is flexed in the public domain. This is so very obviously a corporate marketing initiative that people are basically saying "f*ck off, Grafton Street isn't just a big fancy billboard ye tossers".

Great post.

I feel it doesn't help they've tinkered with the Christmas lights which hold an emotive attachment with so many.
I doubt many outside the business community knew the GQ name existed over the past 5 years.
They needed to do it a better way than such a 'big bang' shock with this sign.

L1011

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Message to dublin corporation or whoever puts up the lights

Just put up the old sign and take down the grafton quarter one and let’s never talk about this again!!

Dublin Corporation hasn't existed for a decade plus

fly_agaric

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Of course, the fact that the council delegates the issue of funding and organising of the lights to a private entity is part of the problem. Sh!te like this is an inevitable result.

Exactly. They pay for it so they call the tune, but it is hard to blame the council itself.
Elsewhere in the media this week the city manager was claiming the city council is badly underfunded.
He effectively accused the government of lying to it that it would replace funding which is being diverted to Irish Water. Quite odd I thought to see him castigate the government in public like that.

"However, Mr Keegan said the greatest blow will be the loss of rates income from Irish Water properties. The Government has decided to calculate the value of all Irish Water properties nationally and pay rates to local authorities based on their population, instead of the actual value of Irish Water properties in their area.

This will result in a rates loss to the city council of €8.4 million. Mr Keegan said the Government had given a “commitment” Irish Water would have a “cost-neutral” impact on local authorities and there would be a grant to offset the rates losses.


“Dublin City Council has now been advised that no grant funding will be forthcoming and this huge loss of income to the city council in 2020 and beyond will not be addressed. This is the most significant issue in the 2020 budgetary process.”

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/consumer/car-park-tolls-and-social-housing-rent-hikes-loom-for-dublin-1.4079781

vriesmays

McDonald's nearby should sell the Grafton Quarter Pounder.

is_that_so

fly_agaric wrote: »

Exactly. They pay for it so they call the tune, but it is hard to blame the council itself.
Elsewhere in the media this week the city manager was claiming the city council is badly underfunded.
He effectively accused the government of lying to it that it would replace funding which is being diverted to Irish Water. Quite odd I thought to see him castigate the government in public like that.

"However, Mr Keegan said the greatest blow will be the loss of rates income from Irish Water properties. The Government has decided to calculate the value of all Irish Water properties nationally and pay rates to local authorities based on their population, instead of the actual value of Irish Water properties in their area.

This will result in a rates loss to the city council of €8.4 million. Mr Keegan said the Government had given a “commitment” Irish Water would have a “cost-neutral” impact on local authorities and there would be a grant to offset the rates losses.


“Dublin City Council has now been advised that no grant funding will be forthcoming and this huge loss of income to the city council in 2020 and beyond will not be addressed. This is the most significant issue in the 2020 budgetary process.”

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/consumer/car-park-tolls-and-social-housing-rent-hikes-loom-for-dublin-1.4079781

The councillors of DCC take great pride in their almost annual 15% reduction of the LPT so a bit cheeky by Keegan to point the finger of blame exclusively at the government.

fly_agaric

is_that_so wrote: »

The councillors of DCC take great pride in their almost annual 15% reduction of the LPT so a bit cheeky by Keegan to point the finger of blame exclusively at the government.

Think he has given out about that too in fairness (https://www.irishtimes.com/news/consumer/councillors-vote-to-keep-15-property-tax-cut-in-dublin-city-1.4028052).
I think it is really a 12 % loss of funds, since 20 % of it would be just diverted to other (i.e. rural) councils anyway.

retalivity

If its reflective of the whole 'quarter' and not just the street, how come the signs are only on grafton st?

whisky_galore

leahyl wrote: »

Meanwhile, in Cork City, we have lovely new "Nollaig Shona Duit" decorations on Patrick Street this year

Totally agree with the majority here though, ridiculous to have a sign like that up on a street that everybody knows as GRAFTON STREET not Grafton Quarter - I am from "down the country" (in the real capital ) and I haven't once heard of Grafton Quarter....it's like in Cork, they are trying to get the "Victorian Quarter" to catch on for McCurtain Street - nope, sorry, it was and always will be McCurtain Street.

Great chunks of Cork were built in Victorian times, how is this bit more "Victorian" than the rest?
An even more stupid name than Grafton Quarter, indulged in by City Hall to deflect from derelict sites, the Great Rubble Heap and the infamous Non Event Centre.

Beechwoodspark

I for one have emailed the dublin council asking that they reinstate the Irish sign

L1011

whisky_galore wrote: »

Great chunks of Cork were built in Victorian times, how is this bit more "Victorian" than the rest?
An even more stupid name than Grafton Quarter, indulged in by City Hall to deflect from derelict sites, the Great Rubble Heap and the infamous Non Event Centre.

Most of the rest of Victorian Cork was torched though. Still a stupid name to appeal to tourists regardless

ra0044

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

I for one have emailed the dublin council asking that they reinstate the Irish sign

The lights aren't owned or installed by Dublin City Council. They belong to the Dublin City Business Improvement District.

Marcusm

fly_agaric wrote: »

Think he has given out about that too in fairness (https://www.irishtimes.com/news/consumer/councillors-vote-to-keep-15-property-tax-cut-in-dublin-city-1.4028052).
I think it is really a 12 % loss of funds, since 20 % of it would be just diverted to other (i.e. rural) councils anyway.

No, this was covered on a recent radio show. If the council elects to reduce the LPT they remain liable to contribute the full 20% for sharing amongst other councils. I seem to remember the focus was on Leitrim receiving €20m from the other councils whilst collecting only €6m of its own. I would prefer if DCC levied the full amount and improved services especially in the public realm, e.g. street sweeping, clearing drains. Footpaths have been lethal with mulching leaves and the standing water extend to the middle of the roads in some places.

fly_agaric

Marcusm wrote: »

No, this was covered on a recent radio show. If the council elects to reduce the LPT they remain liable to contribute the full 20% for sharing amongst other councils....I would prefer if DCC levied the full amount and improved services especially in the public realm

Okay - didn't realise that. I don't believe they should be giving the 15% reduction either but I had rationalised it a bit by the fact that a big chunk of the "LPT" collected here has never been for spending in Dublin anyway (first it was diverted to Irish water and then over last few years to other councils).
If I understand correctly, that makes the reduction even worse from the council funding point of view as they have to pay over 20% of a notional total they are not actually collecting!

miamee

retalivity wrote: »

If its reflective of the whole 'quarter' and not just the street, how come the signs are only on grafton st?

I'd imagine they are at the top of Grafton Street to catch the eye of people getting off the Luas on St. Stephen's Green and subtly introducing the fact that they are entering an area of interest rather than just speed-walking down Grafton Street. Cos there is feck all to see or stop for on Grafton St these days. As someone else said, a lot of the streets off Grafton St are more interesting than Grafton St itself and if they can encourage people into the shops, restaurants and pubs on the side streets, why wouldn't they?

It's a bit of a storm in a teacup IMO, and they are not renaming Grafton Street as a lot of people on FB and Twitter seem to think :rolleyes:

@Beechwoodspark - I'm almost sure I saw someone share a pic of the Nollaig Shona Duit sign over the weekend. I've checked my own photos from last year and it was on Wicklow Street outside Weirs, not on Grafton Street (unless there were more than one of them).

December 2018

vektarman

♪♪Grafton Quarter's a Wonderland There's Magic in the Air♪♪....Nah, doesn't have quite the same ring to it....

miamee

Just to update, I took a walk down that way at lunch and the Nollaig Shona Duit sign is in the same spot as it was last year (as in the pic).

hatrickpatrick

Mr.S wrote: »

Really? It’s a shopping area, people go there to shop. Business owners want promotion...

The street itself is a public thoroughfare, it's not owned by any of these businesses the way they like to carry on as if it is.