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Top: At the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, Dublin this morning, from left Kenny Egan, FG  Junior Minister Frances Fitzgerald and Derek Keating FG TD.

Previously: To The People Of Clondalkin

Pic: Irish Sports Council

RICE

Rice’s Bar in 1984.

Now the entrance to Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, at the top of Grafton Street, Dublin.

In October, 2013, Come Here To Me blog wrote:

Rice’s and Bartley Dunne’s [on Stephen Street Lower] first emerged as gay-friendly pubs in the early 1960s. Some believe that it might have been as early as the late 1950s…Rice’s, at the corner of Stephen’s Green and South King Street, was demolished in 1986 to make way for the Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre. While Bartley Dunne’s, on Stephen’s Street Lower beside the Mercer Hospital, was torn down in 1990 and replaced with ‘Break for the Border’.

Via Photos of Dublin

Rice’s and Bartley Dunne’s: Dublin’s first gay-friendly bars (Come Here To Me)

DriverL

Do you live abroad?

And is your driver’s licence up for renewal?

Well.

Ciaran Bonass writes:

I literally just got notification that my Irish full driver’s licence is up for renewal. In actual fact by the time I got the notice I was too late. So my Irish full licence, as of today, is out of date.

As I’m living abroad now, I did some research on renewals and found out about the new process governed by the amazing folks at the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS). Apparently since October 2013 all renewals must now include a face-to-face meeting. No phased approach, no communication on this new process (apparently there was a TV ad and maybe I’m the only person that missed it). Fine, I get it’s for security reasons and issuing of the new version license. But an update, or a warning to all those a little bit earlier would have helped.

So I just called their information line, to check what do you do if living abroad? I’ve been told there are no exclusions or procedures in place for people using Irish licences abroad and that I’m required to fly home (from Dubai) to renew. After checking this several times with their service team, to my complete disbelief, I find it almost comical that considering the amount of Irish living abroad as of the first of October last year, if their licence is not converted (depending on the country) to a local licence they have to fly home to do a face-to-face update…..and as the man on the phone said…”Sure haven’t we to take your picture and update your details, like”.

To say I’m infuriated is an understatement. Yes I’m at fault for not knowing my expiry date…but to be honest I just got used to having my licence in my wallet. And as I stated above, getting a notice TEN days before my expiry date doesn’t cut it – particularly while implementing a new system.

So I suppose this is somewhat of a shout-out to any expat readers out there to check there licence date and also an indication of the stupidity that still remains in Ireland. Well done NDLS. Round of applause for the most narrow-minded thinking ever.

Pic: Breaking News

BUrtonGilmore

[Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton with Labour TD John Lyons, Labour MEP Phil Prendergast, Tánaiste and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore and Labour TD Ciara Conway at a Labour party think-in at Johnstown House in Co. Meath last September]

Ms Burton told Newstalk this morning that, while she will be in New York with Taoiseach Enda Kenny on St Patrick’s Day, she will not be attending the city’s St Patrick’s Day parade, which has banned public displays of gay pride.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael TD Jerry Buttimer, who last week told the Dáil how he was ‘beaten, spat [at], chased, harassed, and mocked’ for being gay, has said he’d prefer if Mr Kenny didn’t attend the parade.

New York City mayor Bill de Blasio is boycotting the event.

Buttimer would ‘prefer’ if Kenny didn’t attend New York parade (Irish Times)

Broadsheet.ie