By photographer Alan Currie, who sez:

“This was shot on a Saturday evening photowalk around Dublin city centre when testing out a new 14mm fully manual lens, luckily the light outside Supermacs was sufficient and the lens fast enough that I could get away with a hand held shot, so less conspicuous than using a tripod. With this particular lens, both the aperture and focus had to be guessed, so it was quite nice to go “back to basics” for a change.”

This week’s Le Cool Dublin issue

Michael Le Cool adds:

Our cover this week might make Supermacs seem a place of great significance to an unsuspecting first time visitor. A romantic replacement for Clerys clock, it’s framed like a romanticised image of Katz’s Deli in New York. A must see until you see it.

The garish impact that Supermacs and numerous other cheap and disposable outlets have had on our main thoroughfare is both of a source of embarrassment and shame. Of course, they are not solely to blame as they’ve simply set up shop without a rule or regulation to curb their impact.

Thankfully, at long last there is the countenance of a chink of light and reason. The bleeding obvious is finally being recognised by Dublin City Council. “Councillors urge caution as takeaways, adult shops and arcades face O’Connell Street ban” was the headline in the Independent yesterday.

The proposed scheme intends to finally gives extra planning powers to protect existing shops of “special significance” and discourage the emergence of “less appropriate uses” of premises. This potentially includes a ban on amusement arcades, bookmakers, fast-food outlets, mobile-phone shops or “adult entertainment” shops.

Of course whilst this happens, the old sign for the Ambassador cinema which has been there since 1954 has just been hidden from sight with promotional materials for a forthcoming 1916 exhibition. Was permission sought and granted for this?

Anyone?