Zuzia Whelan

There’s an export-licensing system for certain artworks and cultural objects already, and some say this should be extended to antique furniture too.

Dublin City Council has removed rubbish bins from Dartry and Orwell parks, because they were often used to dispose of dog poo, and the parks department doesn’t deal with that – waste management does.

Some cyclists say if prioritising buses, bikes, and those on foot is the aim, this should be on the table.

The Environmental Protection Agency rates the water quality at Sandymount Strand and Merrion Strand as “poor”. The council and others are looking more closely at what, or who, is to blame.

At a recent meeting, councillors talked about plans for installing a pair of Luke Kelly statues and a pair of bridges, as well as local residents’ concerns about proposed changes at Wilton Terrace.

Unnecessary guardrails should be taken out, according to the Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets. The trends seem to be going the other way though.

Councillors would need signed consent forms from constituents to get answers on their behalf, under proposed guidelines.

When Paddy Byrne was a kid, it was mostly just homes in the area, he says. Now, there are blocks of offices, and apartments where renters don’t seem to stay long.

“Usually we stick a plaque on a building, but if the building is gone? I think how do we remember what has been lost is an important question.”

South Dublin County Council has been trying out participatory budgeting. Why not Dublin City Council too? some councillors ask.

Clive Shannon used to play for the RTÉ symphony orchestra. These days he plays at Urban Plant Life on Cork Street.

Traditional neighborhood-watch set-ups can be too bureaucratic for some, while Local WhatsApp and Facebook groups are easier.

Some Dublin city councillors say more should be done about illegal parking, whether on gig days at 3Arena or match days at Croke Park – or just everyday across the city.

The collective is mostly staff members who are artists, and professional artists with links to Connolly Hospital.

Members of the same family have lived in this iconic building, or earlier incarnations of it, in Temple Bar since the 1600s.

They are often gated, and offer no routes for pedestrians to cut through to get where they’re going. Developers say that’s for security reasons, others say it divides the city.

The council plans to refurbish the street within the next three years.

A collaboration between a Trinity College Dublin researcher and a cycle-tour company is strapping air-quality monitoring gear to cyclists helmets as they explore the city.

While Gardaí have been cautious about using cyclists’ videos of poor driver behaviour, police in the UK have embraced such evidence, calling it a “game changer”.

Most agree the doorway, in the heart of what has historically been the markets area, once belonged to a prison.

Problems with predictions came up time and again in the reports from An Bord Pleanála, rejecting plans for College Green.

“We have to find a legal way of doing it,” said City Arts Officer Ray Yeates. But “the partnership process is full of potential”.

Local residents are keeping a watchful eye over possible losses of green space in the Liberties.

Dim sum chef Li Xiu makes about 400 dumplings a day. Each month, she teaches others how.

Lately, Rob Farrell has noticed a lot of motorbikes in the cycle lanes on his commute from Blackrock to Fitzwilliam Square.

Some says it’s not an issue that tour groups seem to be getting larger. Others say they block the pavement, and are all headed the on same loops.

The 25a from Lucan fills up fast. But there’s a reason that buses aren’t bigger.

The council plans to move out the onions, peas, chard, raspberries and children digging in the dirt, and build social housing for some of the hundreds of families in the area who are on the waiting for it.

The Department of Agriculture Library, which hasn’t been updated since it opened, features gems like “The Book of Asparagus” from 1901. It’s inviting visitors in on 13 October as part of the citywide Open House festival.

Councillors and local residents say the Dublin City Council effort to bring in a developer to build 640 homes on the site seems to be stalled. The council says it’s not.

In his video work Suburban Cookie Collector, Michael Dignam delves into his past, and reconnects with it through old stories and memories.

“Meanwhile, people are dying on the streets,” says Labour Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin. “It’s not a dramatic statement, it’s a statement of fact.”

The site has been sold to an unknown buyer, the brothers have been moved out, and the school is due to close in June. What then? local residents and councillors worry. Will it sit vacant for years?

Romica Stingaciu stands for a few moments in the doorway of his bakery in Coolmine Industrial Estate and breathes in the cold damp air before stepping back inside, into a muggy atmosphere of rising dough and preheated ovens.

On Golden Lane, the gallery of the macabre and erotic will share a space with the restaurant Feast. The proprietors have a slew of ideas for collaborations mixing food and art.

Amy Redmond uses acting and creative writing to help adults with mental-health issues.

Some councillors have long wanted the room in the old Rathmines Town Hall opened up for wider use.

Martin Heeney says he’s been reporting the spread of black mould to the council since he moved in, but it’s never been properly fixed.

The library, built in 1935, is unusual on the outside. It’s one of a trio sharing the same style in the city.

If they’re going to make an impact, they should be focused on the issue full-time – and not just be existing staff members now endowed with an extra title, says Francis Doherty, of Peter McVerry Trust.

At their monthly meeting, Dublin city councillors talked about two sewage-treatment-related proposals, plans for a directly elected mayor, protecting historic structures, and the future of St Michael’s Estate.

There’s already a code that recognises that women take longer to use the loo, and calls for women to get more facilities than men to compensate. And yet the queues persist.

Chaos Factory’s show Kiss Kiss Slap Slap is scheduled to run at Smock Alley Theatre from 11 to 15 September as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival. 

After falling since 2008, the last couple of years have seen more permits issued for HGVs to drive into the city. Some cyclists say it’s too dangerous at the moment, while those in the industry say they drive in for a reason.

A reader asked what determines when a book of condolences is opened in the city.

Fáilte Ireland has a plan to attract more tourists into six areas of Dublin, including the Docklands. Some councillors have raised concerns about “overtourism” and the impact it might have on communities.

Juan Ramon Sanchez-Gil might make more reselling croissants at hiked up prices, he says. But he wants people to come and learn to eat Spanish omelettes, arepas and cachapas.

There are 167 outlets – mainly restaurants, coffee shops, and pubs – that have licences to put tables and chairs on streets. Many others do it without, but some councillors are sympathetic given the cost.

PPNs were set up across the country in 2014, as a way of getting more people involved in local government. Councillors and those involved in Dublin’s PPN say it’s still finding its way.

The menu at the The Electric Vegan is a little different to the fare found in other vegan restaurants. You won’t find any soy, carrots, broccoli, or refined sugar here.

Meanwhile, a ballot to see if a pay-and-display should be brought in on streets in the area hasn’t gone too smoothly.

Ingrid Casey worked with friends and called in favours to make the film, released today.

They say companies are cutting paperwork corners in ways that can mean less pay, or at least fewer benefits, for the workers.

Included are books, pamphlets and posters of all kinds – some funny, some serious. Each is the only known surviving copy of that particular text left in the world.

The complex used to serve as emergency accommodation for 29 homeless families.

Legally, there should be no such thing as an “unpaid internship”, says employment solicitor Richard Grogan.

The Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said in May that the use of noise against someone can be considered assault. Yet council officials told a councillor that Gardaí advised them to put in the alarms.

The government restricts the rights of asylum seekers living in direct-provision centres – often for years – to have visitors. “It’s not a good life,” says Ellie Kisyombe.

“I think it’s really important that Hugh Lane got in touch. Travellers aren’t included in Irish history,” says Nancy Collins.

Some parents and city councillors say banning cars from school streets would tackle school-run congestion, reduce emissions, and encourage the use of sustainable transport.

The steak, chicken and vegetarian options are all seasoned with Randy Howard’s own signature spice blend. Perhaps, down the line, they might add some smoked brisket.

For the Dublin City Council area, a committee recommended increasing the number of areas from nine to 11, and redrawing the shapes of existing areas. Phibsborough is now united, while Drimnagh remains divided.

For some older residents, the graveyard was their playground growing up. Others say they think they have family buried there.

After moving from the Liberties, they’re looking to build up a strong Sunday market, link in with local schools, and spread the word, says co-owner Christy Stapleton.

Apart from baos, Nikki Wong also makes matcha cookies, and tapioca-coconut “chews”.

After Vincent Hourican retired as a community garda in the south of the city, he soon came back again as a reserve.

Some Dubliners are disgruntled that staff soak the steps to stop people sitting there. But the manager of the complex says there are litter, health and safety issues at play.

Lorcan Rush wheeled a dance floor around Dublin, breaking the law everywhere from Merrion Square to in front of the Dáil, as his project for the NCAD graduate exhibition, set to run 9–17 June.

Many say they’d like to see more buses or trains as part of a local area plan for the neighbourhood.

This first evening of reminiscences was a prelude to an effort to clean up the river by 2027.

The government says it has increased its spending on the sector, plans to increase it more, and is planning an independent review.

Morocco Gate Restaurant will have tagines and couscous, of course. But there will also be chips with ras el hanout – a North African spice blend – and other unusual dishes.

Dublin City Council faces challenges in its plans to renovate or rebuild more than 6,000 apartments. What will it do with those who live in the complexes?

The owner says that he has always respected its historical significance, but that he needs to make changes to turn it into housing.

There might be jerk chicken, Jamaican patties, plantains, and more. But it’s not just about the food, says Nick Reynolds. “It’s a gathering … It’s a candlelit dinner, good people, a long table.”

One proposal from Dublin Cycling Campaign and another from a city councillor call for banning cars from at least a couple of streets, once a week.

Each week, a couple dozen older Dubliners gather for breakfast in Bluebell, where they find fry-ups and community.

It’s been more than three years since Dublin City Council said it planned to use its biggest sites for housing, including land at St Michael’s Estate.

Councillors first backed the plan for improvements to Cathedral Street and Sackville Place in the city centre – but then a disability advocate flagged a problem.

“There are rules around bringing [new] people in, and people don’t know what they can and can’t do, which could put the tenancy at risk,” says Stephen Large of Threshold.

Richard Grogan, a solicitor specialising in employment law, says he believes people with Stamp 1G or Stamp 3 statuses are being excluded because of “ignorance”, rather than anything else.

As snakes of traffic through the east of the city lengthen, some residents in Ringsend want the Environmental Protection Agency to step up its pollution-monitoring.

The council gets about 1,500 complaints a year about unauthorised development, and more than 100 cases end up subject to legal proceedings, a spokesperson said.

A worn little face, large-eared and deep-eyed, sits unassumingly on a building, tacked on to the old warehouse at Grand Canal Harbour. It used to have another home.

The 88 council-owned homes are due to be redeveloped, but some residents want to know more about what the plan is – though they wonder whether they can trust whatever council officials may tell them.

Ciaran O’Byrne, who roams the city releasing trees from the ties to wooden stakes that strangle them, mourns the deaths last week of Crumlin village’s cherry trees.

In John Farrell’s new play, he tells the story of his life – born in Ireland, moved by the Sisters of Mercy to New York – up to the age of 25, when his first real love was murdered.

There are 51 apartments in the complex, which lies south of Dundrum. In January 2017, 34 were occupied, but now only 23 are.

They’ve been asking for 50 years, says one local resident. And now the council owns a site that some councillors reckon would be a good spot to build one.

“The one thing that lacks in the spoken-word community is advertising,” says Melissa Ridge.

Six months ago, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy announced plans for a cap on the deposit a landlord can ask for from a renter. It’s not in place yet.

Fewer than 18 percent of biographies on the English-language version of Wikipedia are of women.

The owners have been doing some corporate restructuring, and inside the centre there’s construction going on. Is it headed for a revival?

There’s a workshop on how to make pysanka eggs scheduled for Friday in Stoneybatter.

Independent Councillor Vincent Jackson says he has been pushing for a refundable deposit scheme since 1995, but that the response from government to him has been that it “doesn’t suit”.

These Irish-Polish pierogi include a sauerkraut-and-wild-mushrooms version, garnished with glazed aubergine with rosemary, balsamic vinegar, and maple syrup.

Draft bye-laws propose to “de-designate” the Cumberland Street Market – meaning casual trading would no longer be permitted there.

Moving ahead with plans for the birthplace of George Bernard Shaw, and “moral dilemmas” around housing. Here’s some of what has been discussed at recent council meetings.

Labour Councillor Mary Freehill wants to try a pilot in the south-east of the city.

Being a freelance journalist in Ireland is tough: the pay is often low, and even worse, some publications are slow to pay – or don’t pay at all. What’s a freelancer to do?

Some argue that a public register would help tenants to make sure the rent they are charged isn’t more than it should be. But is it worth giving up some privacy?

Although not all shelters rule out renters, and not all landlords rule out pet owners, in Dublin’s tight rental market, being a pet lover can make things even tougher.

Temple Bar is at risk of losing its Icon Walk, due to persistent vandalism and damage. It needs better lighting, CCTV, and intervention to help it survive, say those who built it.

Two foodies offer cosy supper clubs in the city, giving Dubliners the chance to dine and chat over a showcase of Mexican cuisine.

Anne Maree Barry’s film is part documentary, part fiction and draws on the history of the north inner-city neighbourhood.

Dublin City Council has only one conservation officer, and it lost its only buildings-at-risk officer back in 2009.

While many associate Chinese food with sweet, sticky sauces, there is another, more authentic set of dishes available to those who ask.

More than two decades ago, a Dublin lawyer stumbled by chance on an image by the artist Alphonse Mucha. It led to a life in search of his works.

“I love when people post their work on Instagram afterwards, and it doesn’t matter if it’s really crappy, I just love it,” says organiser Scarlett Nymph.