Police are helpless (Or hopeless)

 This church in Booterstown is a bit strange.
It should have been built in Alexandria in Egypt.

 A grand day, you don;t often see it

  Google Google and here it is.

A good few years ago I picked up 2 Canadian guys.
"What do you guys do for a living?"
Judges    came the reply.
They were working on the inquiry into the Donegal garda.
There was a time that if a Garda was a bit of an asshole they would send him as far away as possible.
Donegal fitted the bill.
But one or two bad apples soon rots the whole barrel.
These guys were on a roll and fitted up a family who were standing up to them with a murder rap.

The inquiry tossed out a good bit of the truth, and people started to doubt that not everything a garda says is the truth.

In the modern day a certain Garda Morris McCabe in Bailieborough blew the whistle on what was happening on his beat. It is now alleged that the main tack in the senior gardas resolve was to paint him as a trouble maker and that he was doing this through malicious intent.
The effort to shut him up could have been used to sort out the garda shortcomings in the area, the incompetence resulted in the death of an innocent woman. The perpetrator was allowed to walk free eirlier after (it is alleged) a very serious assault was just put down to a slight push.
The taxi driver involved was not even told of the upcoming court case.

Anyhoo in Dublin the inter gang warfare continues.
Its not tit for tat. Its tat all the time. 6 hits against the Monk.
The garda are powerless to help or so they say.
Something happens and 100 garda arrive sirens blaring, they rope off the street and the shooters are 3 miles away.Drug dealers work in the open on Buckingham St and Aimiens St.
All in 100 yards of the Store St. Garda station.
A poor little girl from Brazil was caught by her back pack and spun around. On the ground she was punched and kicked then robbed.
Her fone stolen she was devastated, all her contacts gone.
The garda said that there is "Nothing they could do about it"

THIS IS IN AN AREA WHICH IS SURROUNDED BY A RING OF STEEL.

Well if you are in Dublin or if you are coming don't miss the Leonardo DeVinci exhibition in the national gallery(click here)

Anyhow the sun is shining now.

The boss is back

Bruce Springsteen is back in town.



What a man he is slightly younger than me and he shows everyone that the rocking chair is for later.

I found his tour dates on the net and I tell you he works and plays very hard. Click here

Traffic was completely mad yesterday with the "Boss"and an Ireland/ Holland football match on at the same time. I went down to the ferry from Holyhead where 200 passengers were coming out with only 2 taxis waiting. My guy going into the city center with no luggage. Tough as nails he was and when we approached the center he announced that he had no money and needed to go to a bank link.
99 times out of 100 this means he is going to leave you standing while he does a runner.
My heart sank, but he said. "Hold my fone buddy, I'll be back". He did come back and gave me €20 for his €12 fare.
You can never tell,
A Russian man who would be the leading role in a gangster move did the "Keep the change" last week as well, he was a boxing promoter in Moldova.
Then a(supposedly) well brought kid in a really expensive area will punch you in the face and run off.

Then watch as they explain to a judge when they are caught.

 So this video comes along  "I am not that person, It's not me".
Who could it be?  Not once do we hear the words. I AM SO SO SORRY!



But these things happen in a flash, video is great.

Today my friends there is a march to highlight the number of family's who are homeless in Ireland.
Over 2,000 children have no place to call home. Hundreds of hotel rooms are being rented to provide shelter for homeless familys. There is a hotel around the corner from me and around 40 rooms are rented out to the state.
Women with children and familys.
They cannot use the lounge downstairs or go into the garden, its like a prison and it is so wrong.
On a sunny day one mother with her 2 kids were walking back into the hotel going through the garden. There were other kids there playing with a dog. The kid who couldn't use the garden asked his mother. "HOW CAN THE DOG PLAY IN THE GARDEN AND I CAN'T?"

There are a lot of things to fix in the Ireland of 2016

Just a thought. Years ago I went to the National Library and read the Freemans Journal from around 1840. Ireland was in the depths of famine. People were dropping in the streets from starvation and disease. There were counts of the dead from all the "Workhouses" around Ireland. There were advertisements for ships to Australia Canada and America..4 million people died or emigrated.

Then in the paper there was advertisements for Vichy water, melons and other exotic foods.
Grand balls, and other announcements.

SUCH A CONTRASTING LIFE.

The papers are now on computer, go and have a look.(You might even find it on the net)

A day in the city

Once in a while I take a day or 2 off. But I prefer to work every day.
It keeps me young.
But today I went for a haircut and then to see "Epic Ireland" Click here.
I met the Canadian guy who bought the CHQ building a while ago and he really is a great person.
Then I bought a ticket for Darren Brown in the Board Gas theater.

Don't miss this show, I really mean it..
Its really so good I can't recommend it highly enough.

Lives pass through taxi drivers hands so quickly.
I have often brought home lame ducks to our home but I really have to stop doing this as our home is not a hotel, no matter what happens.
Some of the "Guests" have become friends for life, that is good. Others treat our hospitality like a right and contribute nothing towards the home. Nether in work, cooking or laundry.
Imagine your host doing your laundry and cooking ?
So this girl was crying all the way through her journey. She was from Brazil and really gorgeous.
She had not managed to connect in Ireland, she had nowhere to stay and had not managed to find any friends.
Boys and girls please note when a pretty girl like her arrives in Ireland she is quickly sicked into prostitution,
I don't know how to rescue them myself but Ruhama can help.

Its strange that at this time of year first communions are taking place, when I worked nights and the "Girls" worked the streets a big number of mothers would swell the ranks to get money for that perfect first communion.
The money lenders used to prosper at this time as well.
Poverty is a really hard master.
A billionaire told me that debt would strangle anyone.
"Live within your means whether you make €100 per week or €500 a week.
Live within your budget.
He was worth more than  $7  billion dollars as it turned out.

Its really good advice.

Irish people have gone around the world for hundreds of years.
We made our mark for sure.
A great book to read is "Wherever green is worn" By Tim Pat Coogan
It will surprise you.

The sun is out and Dublin is beautiful.

 When the sun is out there is no place like Dublin





But we get a bit of rain as well.



Rain Rain go to Spain and don't come come back to here again.

A testing time for some.

                        A happy man with a captive clamp.

                                     Cowper Road where a home is a castle.

                   The radio mast of our national broadcaster, more dishes than a Chinese kitchen.

Another week nearly gone and Summer arrives.

I worked until late last night and I got a really interesting guy from (London)Derry in the car.
Software guy works near Google, he spoke of many things on his trip.
Heavy traffic to Crumlin €20.
He also had a strange eye condition by which he could not detect depth of vision.
In other words he couldn't tell by looking down the road how close he was to the car in front or visa versa, not a good thing at all.
But he did have a good tale to tell about the first trans Atlantic cable click it and about the laying of it.
It was done without GPS 1856 all the way to Valentia island in Co.Kerry
It arrived just in time to announce the American civil war.
The next passengers found his fone, it was locked and I couldn't answer it. but I spotted an email address on the screen, in the morning I got a contact and brought it back to his partner on the Bluebell estate. It would be a great idea to print your partners fone number and stick it your fone and you put your number on hers. Then they have an immediate contact.
Then as  swung to go home for the fourth time that evening I got a call on the Hailo app...
"Where are you I said"
"I coming" A young lady from Japan.
Then Where are you ?
I am outside your door, number 8
But I am at number 9
I can see the door of number 9
Can't you see my yellow taxi?
No  
What street are you on ?
Terenure Rd East.............
I will be with you in a minute.
It was over 600 meters away on a different road than the Hailo app had given me.
Then for her destination she gave me Hollybrook Ave
"Clontarf"? I said
she said yes and off we went.
Stop Stop you are going the wrong way. Hollybrook Ave is right back there in Ranelagh.
So it came to pass that my interesting journey with her had ended.
But she had no money! and wanted to go back to the start to find her stash of money.

Then the lady she was staying with came out with some money and told her that it was time to eat.
I imagined that most Japanese lady's would be well controlled and calm   Not her for sure.
But she was really nice and I am sure she will do well in life.
But its not easy leaving home and coming to a strange land.

Later on when I found the fone I rang the Japanese lady to see if it was hers.
It wasn't and did she find her cash?
Yes it was in her luggage
I told her to straight to go to the bank and open a bank account; she said she would.

She was now so happy..

Many foreign students arrive thousands of Euro to keep them for the duration for their stay.
Some of them loose it all to theft soon after arriving.

Today coming back into town I picked up a real panicky girl  from Saudi Arabia !!!!!
Quick Quick St. Patricks
St Patricks what? I asked
What do you mean what? she said.
St.Patricks Cathedral ?
I am a so late for my exams.
Si it will be St. Patricks college?
I don't know.
Trust me for exams that will be the place..

When we drove in she  started shouting "Where is the Disco? Where is the Disco?"
We asked four people then someone said "What is it?" (good question)
Its a store.... Oh you mean Tesco

She went into Tesco for cash and asked to be driven back into the college again.
You can run over in one minute it will take me 10 to cross the  road.

She hadn't slept all night her head was all over the place.....Forward planning  think !
Where are the exams tomorrow Habbi ?

Will the Garda respond?

    Just to show you what the buildings are like in Budapest

                    This is their money €15.90=Fl 5,000

                Models wait their turn to take off down the runway

                             Dublins latest landmark coffee shop..

Well what to say?
I had 2 Canadian Mounties in the car.. they trained together 40 years ago, retired now.
Having stayed in touch they are having a reunion in Dublin.
Yes they told me that as Mounties they always got their man..
I must thank them for the key ring and Mountie badge.

Their is a car on my road for more than 3 weeks so I phoned the Garda its still  there ?
In the local pub Toby told me not to hold my breath.
His story was shocking.
A girl was jogging around Kildare St. and noticed a man sleeping rough, she checked him out and he was cold and non responsive. She approached the Garda on duty at the Dail (Our parliament) and she told them that there is a dead guy over there and she jogged away. Two days later she came back the same way and saw the body still there and had a major fit..
The body was starting to decompose and the Garda had been standing 20 yards from the body for 3 days.. So don't expect them to look after a missing car.

The only thing our government is good at is a big coverup..

Anyhoo as the say in Canada we will give you rain if you could take it home with you.
A Saudi doctor told me
"If we had your weather we would be so happy"
He is right !! We don't get massive droughts like in Australia or heat that would kill you like in Texas.

We could export water!!!!

There was a report on the radio about the massive amount that taxi drivers make..

An old guy with more than 40 years at the game once told me
"Everyone makes the same, some good days some bad days.

Taxi drivers lie about three things.
1 the frequency of their sex life
2 the size of their penis
3 how much money they make

Its all lies go with your head"

Happy May day

to all the workers Happy May day,

As thousands of people flee war and face starvation around the world,,we have the Gumball rally click here in Dublin. I had the owner of the Bentley car above and his son in the taxi. They seemed OK tipped ok too for a change.

Just popped in to wish all the workers a Happy May day and a special thanks to the Luas drivers who are going on strike again.