"Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett 1990

Robert Ballagh, born in Dublin in 1943 is one of Ireland's leading artists, creating iconic painting and graphic design works. As a graphic designer he has created over 60 stamps for An Post/Irish Post Office. ( Check out www.irishstamps.ie ).Thanks entirely to Marie and Postcard Friendship Friday I have rediscovered the Philatelic Shop inside the General Post Office in Dublin. There are many treasures in there to excite a Collector, even an amateur one like me - beautiful stamps, postcards and even mint special edition coins. I was browsing in there this week and came across a special issue of 6 postcards by Robert Ballagh first published in 2006 as part of an exhibition of stamp design, and for PFF this week I am featuring 2 of those cards. And being Irish, "to be sure to be sure" I bought two sets of the 6 postcard, postage paid issues, one for myself and...
I have decided to mail/post the six cards in the second set - one each to the first six people to send me an email (see under "view my complete profile) with the heading Robert Ballagh and their name & address - anywhere in the world! Hope you will like them!
Well, after all that - It's FRIDAY - time to board the postal express piloted by the lovely Marie who will bring you on a whirlwind tour around the world of Postcard Friendship Friday - fasten your seat belts folks!

Ballinasloe Horse Fair 1987

VW Type 2 - (part 2)

I went back go get more information on the vehicles in my earlier post so here goes. This is a 1967 Volkswagen that has been restored by students at Darndale Belcamp Community Training College in north Dublin on behalf of AXA insurance company who are using it as a promotional vehicle. Billed as the most famous commercial vehicle of all time the Type 2 is recognizable worldwide and is now much sought after by collectors, especially the split-screen version like this one.
The motorbike, complete with sidecar, featured in my earlier post is a British built Matchless model, but I could not get any more info on it. I did a bit of Googling though and I think it is a 1920's Type H 1000cc? Again it is beautifully restored, by whom I don't know.

VW Type 2 and Matchless Motorcycle

I think I am a pagan, because I have been celebrating a once yearly occasion since Sunday with total disregard for real life/reality. I needed something to bring me back into the real world and on my way home tonight I happened to see these two beautiful vehicles in the reception area of a well known insurance company ( and as regular visitors to this blog might know old vehicles are very dear to my heart) and so I post this photo tonight and tomorrow I will look for more details... Tomorrow - back to reality!
(with thanks to the security man)

The Celtic Tiger(ess)

Once Ireland was THE CELIC TIGER ... the fastest growing economy in Europe - now we are officially a basket case! In the good times we attracted workers from all over Europe and beyond, but now jobs are scarce, wages are lower and everybody is waiting for... tomorrow, a turnaround, economic recovery... (well, even Obama is waiting for signs of that!)
In the meantime life goes on and people find whatever work they can, so I admire this young Eastern European girl who sells the evening newspaper at the traffic lights every day. It's a dangerous job, probably not well paid, but she is trying her best - ten out of ten!!!

Rush Hour, Dublin

Hello...

Howya Luv... listen, I'm going to be a little bit late for dinner - I'm caught up in traffic!

Olé, Olé, Olé...

I have a few fellas over from Barcelona! Jaysus, they hate Ronaldo and Real Madrid - what's that all about?

Bridgewater Quay

Bridgewater Quay is a Townhouse development on the banks of the Liffey at Islandbridge. It was built in the late nineties and luckily avoided the greedy developers' later maximising of site/ apartment complex fever that overtook Dublin.
So, it has a lovely riverside walk where trees and plants grow... (and creepy crawlies crawl)

.. purple and green,

and Palm trees thrive...

...down by the river

Summer in Dublin (part 2)

Here are some images of Dublin , (most of which I featured in my blogs over the past few months) accompanied by Bagatelle's anthem "Summer in Dublin".

Summer (???) In Dublin

Standing on O'Connell Bridge I can see storm clouds drifting in towards Dublin from the west. Soon after a thundery shower arrives. The Liffey looks dark and cold. Is it REALLY Summer? Am I just imagining it or were Summers REALLY long and warm and sunny when I was young?

From Pillar to Post

A pillar box is described as a freestanding post(Mail) box in the UK and Ireland and Anthony Trollope the 19th century novelist is credited with their introduction. Before he found fame as a writer he worked for the Post Office, starting in 1834 in England. Seven years later, with his career in the doldrums, he applied for a position as a Surveyor's clerk with the Irish Post Office. He found more success here and by 1844 he had risen to become the Assistant Surveyor for the Southern District.
His first novel "The Macdermots of Ballycloran", was published in 1847, featuring events and characters inspired by his time in Ireland. Literary success came in 1855 with the publication of "The Warden", the first of a six-novel sequence collectively known as "The Chronicles of Barsetshire".
Trollope continued to flourish in his postal career and he was sent by the Post Office to the Channel Islands to ascertain what could be done about the problem of collecting the mail on the Islands because of irregular sailing times by the Royal Mail packet boats due to bad weather and tides. His recommendation was to employ a device he may have seen in use in Paris - a "letter-receiving pillar". The rest as they say is history!
He left the Post Office in 1867 and when he failed to win a seat in Parliament the following year he devoted himself to literature, producing the book which many consider to be his masterpiece, "The Way We Live Now", in 1875, just seven years before his death in 1882. The book was a scathing satire on the dishonesty and rampant greed Trollope saw all around him.
An Post, the Irish Post Office issued the stamp featured in my collage in June of this year to honour Anthony Trollope. The stamp is based on an albumen print created by Julia Cameron in 1864 and costs 82 cents.(for more on Irish stamps www.irishstamps.ie)
The pillar boxes in my collage are from left to right: A red box from Sion Mills, a small village in County Tyrone, a yellow box from Mazarrón in Espana and a green box (complete with Granny-flat extension) from Clontarf in Dublin.

And what has all that got to do with the price of eggs? Well it IS Friday and that can only mean ONE thing - Postcard Friendship Friday. The lovely Marie is the host, do drop in to view some really fun "posts"and postcards from around the globe.

I Love Bugs

The Volkswagen Beetle is one of the worlds best known and loved cars. A staggering twenty one million plus of them were produced between 1938 and 2003 when the last ones rolled off the assembly lines in Mexico. The car's popularity belies the fact that it was one Adolf Hitler who ordered famous car-maker Porsche to design a "Volks-Wagen" or "People's Car". Under pressure to complete the car it is said that Porsche "borrowed" the design from Czech car manufacturer Tatra.
After the war clever advertising by VW helped make the car the legend that it is, but of course it was also a remarkably good car, relatively cheap to buy, easy to maintain and it's air-cooled, rear-mounted engine was extremely reliable.
I had the pleasure of owning TWO Beetles in my younger days and have a great nostalgia for them. I already snapped this particular Bug on April 19 in Islandbridge, this time I managed to get up closer on Clontarf Road.
If the proud owners are getting a bit worried I don't blame them!
If they spot me lurking near their beloved Beetle again they will either run me over, chase me away OR tell me to go and see Emilio about getting my own!
(have fun with the "Build a Beetle" feature on Emilio's website)

St Mary of the Angels

Eaglais (Church)

Today I was passing St Mary of the Angels in Church Street, Dublin 7 and decided to take a few photos. Later I made a short video for YouTube and added a song called Ave Maria by one of my favourite singers, Katherine Jenkins.
OK - it won't win any prizes at Cannes, but hey it's not bad for a first attempt?

Tour de ...

...Phoenix Park
As the Tour de France - the world's greatest cycling sporting event enters it's final week these 2 riders were taking it at a more leisurely pace on one of the back roads in Dublin's Phoenix Park.

The View From City Hall

Looking down Parliament Street....
People hurrying, scurrying....
Where are they going?

Inside City Hall, Dublin

City Hall, Dublin

POST Traumatic Stress - The Cure

PTS could be described as a fear of not having anything Post-related for Friday's PFF. Luckily I happened to find these 3 postcards to cure the condition. They also seem to recommend taking life very easy, slowing things down, forgetting about the recession, etc.
For more "therapy" it is advisable to visit Postmistress Marie at Postcard Friendship Friday.

Is it a Bike or is it ...

...a Plane?
Henry Street (Sráid Anraí) never disappoints me! It is one of two main pedestrianized shopping streets in Dublin, the other being Grafton Street. I always bring my Lumix if I'm walking through there because I am bound to see something unusual or interesting and today I came across this bicycle chained to a lamppost.
They say that once you learn to ride a bike it stays with you for life, but I'm not sure if I'd chance this one after a few years absence from Tour de France. It reminded me of those daft looking airplanes that you might see on The Discovery Channel and you'd ask yourself, "Can that thing fly?" Same designer?

Location, Location, Location...

In any business enterprise location is of paramount importance, so you have to admire this Beggar's entrepreneurial nous for positioning himself beside an ATM machine.

Charleville Castle Woods - Plants

Blackberry

Ireland's Oldest Tree

I was glad to see that the old Oak is still growing strong with some vibrant new shoots

Charleville Castle. Woodland Plants & Creatures

Notice the 2 little creatures - on the Dandelion flower and on a blade of grass