90359789

Temple Bar, Dublin.

Laura writes:

According to the new chairman of Failte Ireland, Michael Cawley, the famous and historical cobblestones on some of Temple Bar’s streets may have to go, as some tourists wearing high heels find it difficult to walk on them! Mr Cawley, who is a former Deputy Chief Executive of Ryanair, was speaking on the RTE Business Show this morning….

(Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland)

Sponsored Link

38 thoughts on “Cobblers

  1. Sweet Devine!

    Oh piss off. The steps up the Eiffel Tower ain’t high heel friendly either. Does that suggest they’ve gotta go too? Me thinks girls in high heels having balancing issues has a lot more to do with the main purpose of Temple bar i.e. jumping on a Ryanair flight from Leeds with 12 other ‘ladies’ and getting sloshed. Actually maybe the Ryanair flight is the problem. Next ……

    1. Sam

      It might not be the accent so much as the approach you’re using …
      best to at least try to generally look people in the face when speaking really… rather then crouch to address their ‘attire’.

  2. Frilly Keane, Anyone?

    Change the shoes
    Not the surface

    In the name of ück. What’s next… Go back to cobbles cause its too slippy for flip-flops.

    1. dhaughton99

      True. A none story, straight from the Ryanair book. Any type of bull to keep you in the media.

      1. Samuel

        Except I’ve heard of this a year ago, something about appeasing the Brit tourists. Wish they’d FRO TBH. They have their Tesco in Temple Bar, and all the fatty fast food outlets and numerous pubs and lcubs, they should be happy

  3. Jordofthejungle

    Sigh, the blight of the city’s landscape continues. Expect tarred Temple Bar thoroughfares and a paltry effort to save the last few business not catering for steerage-class tourists. Former TD and Minister Noel Dempsey will see to that – what could go wrong? Just like those who make the decisions in Dublin Corporation, experience of creating a long-term sustainable and pleasing urban environment for the benefit of all and not some questionable peer group, does not even rank as a requirement for the job. Indeed, most of those who have been at the helm over recent decades have as much experience of living in a city as Peig Sayers.

  4. Beanosan

    Why don’t we just move the island to the U.S. ro some such location. Make it easy on the tourists

  5. munkifisht

    According to me, Michael Cawley’s a flatulent blow hole who should ram himself inside his own hoop and literally go f**k himself.

  6. The Old Boy

    That is bizarre reasoning. I am told that cobblestones are an accessibility nightmare, though. The cobbled squares of Trinity College now have tasteful and sympathetic access paths so they can be more easily navigated by wheelchairs and people on crutches.

      1. The Old Boy

        Quite right, it was a slip on my part. It should read “people in wheelchairs or on crutches.”

  7. Rigby

    Lol. ‘Historical’ cobblestones, are they? Jesus Christ, the cobblestones are only there the last 30 years or so. Take a look at a picture of Templebar in the 1970s… Not much in the way of cobbles. They are a pastiche that was added to give some character. Give me a fupping break. Historical. This country seems to be getting stupider by the minute, I’ve never seen anything quite like it

      1. cross-eyed cow

        Yeah right. The cobblestones in Temple Bar aren’t even the correct orientation.

        They were dug up and brought over the river from Buckingham Street in the 1980’s.

        1. AmeliaBedelia

          Yip, the setts were laid terribly with far too much spacing between each stone. Not as old as you’d think, the cobbles date from the 1990s and with time the nontraditional sand and gravel base has worn away to leave the uneven surface exposed as seen presently. Much more detail in this: http://archiseek.com/forum/topic/temple-bar-5/

  8. The Bird in the Box

    if I’m wearing heels and need to walk through Temple Bar, I walk on the footpath. The cobbled streets are one of the only nice aspects to the area. And to be honest, it’s as much the amount of drink taken along with the height of the shoes that’s making them fall over.

      1. Samuel

        And buying tacky souvenirs, from tacky shops. And paying over the odds. Maybe fix the prices first

  9. Shane

    Oh, I get so much joy out of watching the fools who wear restrictive and pointless heels limp through Temple Bar like injured deer every weekend. Please Michael, don’t ever deprive me of that.

    But on the cobbles thing: people in wheelchairs also have a huge issue with cobbles and this might be a more justifiable reason to introduce at least some walkways around the area, for both disabled tourists and Irish. Amazed that this is not the tactic that has been employed by Fáilte Ireland here, because it’s a perfectly justifiable one.

Comments are closed.

Sponsored Link
Broadsheet.ie