What a difference a... rooflight makes

My aunt has a narrow galley kitchen.
Recently, a rooflight was added.
The room is flooded with light and seems wider and more spacious.

National Print Museum

The National Print Museum of Ireland is located in an old barracks which now houses, amongst other offices, the Labour Court. It's on Haddington Road in Ballsbridge. I have intended calling in there for a long time and finally, I paid my visit. I think I found the location a bit daunting. After passing through that great stone gateway, would I be able to find my way. A check beforehand of the website helped. A sign in the window of a building in the yard anouncing "Free Exhibition" didn't. The sign and the building had nothing to do with the Print Museum.

The Museum is in the former Chapel.

Passed through the coffee-shop/tea-room, greeted by a girl at reception/shop, given an individual guided tour while an elderly man used the machinery - he was printing a poetry book, I think. All the machines are in working order.
One definite thing I learnt, was that the letters we often associate with old print presses - be they in wood or copper (maybe) - those letters are only moulds. Each time a document is printed, new letters are formed - from a silvery metal, using those moulds. So one of the machines in the process is just making little letters from moulds - either monotype (each letter is done singly) or linetype (where a line of letters is formed stuck together and this of course can be justified - an amazing rotary thing figures out the gap required when all the moulds in the line of print are in place).
Wow! An education! And no doubt, much more to be learnt.
If I brave the yard again!

Museum of Style Icons

The Newbridge Silverware Museum of Style Icons made for a great day out. Free entry. Full of items.

Curating could have been a little less haphazard and a little more organised. The idea behind the displays wasn't always consistent. Having the umbrella from the photographs or the costumes from the films is a gorgeous idea - shame the video screens weren't working.

www.newbridgesilverware.com

Calatrava's Dublin Bridge #2 arrives in Dublin

I missed it!! I was away for the weekend and not up to scratch on the goings-on in Dublin. The second of Calatrava's bridges arrived into the Liffey yesterday. It was sitting outside the East Link Bridge in Dublin port since Monday, waiting for ideal tidal and wind conditions.
Apparently, the opening of the East Link was only just wide enough to let the bridge (at a particular point) pass through and so the tide had to be at its highest point.
I wrote an article about the two bridge designs in Blianiris, an Irish language publication in 2004. It almost felt like a friend I hadn't seen in a while had returned again when I saw the bridge coming into the city on the news yesterday.
The bridge is moored in the Liffey and will be anchored in place in June. I mustn't miss that date!

Planning the Red Cow

The Red Cow intersection changes every time I see it. I visit Clondalkin about once a month and each time the road layout is different. How a project manager can keep track of it is astounding. It must be by far the biggest project we've done in Ireland. There are temporary roads and bridges and signs. Construction is happening for the next stage of the final road as well as the next stage of temporary road.

It looks nothing like the picture at the moment.

I'm not claiming the project is without fault, I don't know (and did notice two roads diverging with no clue as to which went where) but the sheer size is mind-boggling. To think someone plans it!!!

Print your own stamps

I am envious of people living in England. Not only can you purchase stamps online with the Royal Mail and then print them yourself at home, you can also choose your own picture - in either circular or rectangular shape.

Gone are the days of the stamp designer?

The Jewish Museum

At last, I made a visit to the Irish Jewish Museum. I've seen signposts for it in the Portobello area but never quite found it until I made the effort on sunday.
We were greeted at the door by a very helpful man, who later checked if we were doing a project for which he could answer questions and followed us upstairs to ensure the heating was on and the room was warm enough.
The objects and information had a family feel to it, more than community based even. Pictures of people on wedding days, groups of girl guides and boy scouts.
The most interesting panel I thought was about anti-semitism in Ireland, more for the other info that was on the newspaper clippings - an ad from the Dun Emer guild caught my eye.
The panels and display cases were packed full of objects, items, artefacts, newspaper cuttings, passports, documents, photographs, certificates....