Talbot Street

Talbot street

Talbot Street (Irish: Sráid Thalbóid) is a city-centre street located on Dublin's Northside and is one of the principal shopping streets of Dublin, running from Connolly station and the IFSC at Amiens Street in the east to Marlborough Street in the west. The street is named after Charles Chetwynd, 3rd Earl of Talbot, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 1817-21. One of the street's most famous residents was Alfie Byrne, ten times Lord Mayor of Dublin. He was a publican by trade and purchased The Vernon Bar in Talbot Street in 1912, having served his apprenticeship at Cosgrave's, 1-2 Chancery Place. He befriended the poor of the area who returned him to Parliament on numerous occasions both at Westminster and Leinster House during the revolutionary period and after.

Streetscape

Talbot House, the offices for the Department of Education, is one of a number of significant buildings. To the east, a street renewal programme has improved the area close to Connolly Station. The editorial offices of the Irish Independent newspaper have relocated to Talbot Street and the presence of a number of financial institutions such as Irish Life & Permanent Plc. and Bank of Ireland have also helped to raise the profile of the street which traditionally has not enjoyed the same level of commercial success as Henry Street to the west of nearby O'Connell Street. The vista looking east along Talbot Street is closed by the impressive edifice of Dublin Connolly Railway Station at Amiens Street with its distinctive Italianate tower at its centre. The station is named in honour of Irish Socialist leader, James Connolly, leader of the Easter Rising in 1916 when commander of the Irish Citizen Army. A statue of Connolly has also been raised in nearby Beresford Place, opposite Liberty Hall, headquarters of SIPTU (Services, Industrial, Professional & Technical Union), the largest trade union in Ireland.

History

Seán Tracey Commemorative plaque in Dublin’s Talbot Street
The front of the memorial erected in Talbot Street to commemorate the 33 victims of the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings

A momentous event in Irish history occurred on the street in October, 1920, when renowned republican, Seán Treacy (also spelt Tracey) of Tipperary was shot and killed outside the Republican Outfitters shop at number 94, having been spotted by British agents on clandestine patrol in the vicinity. A plaque of remembrance marks the spot and is the focus of an infrequent commemoration attended by large numbers of Tipperary people on the morning of the All-Ireland Hurling Final in years when the Tipperary team participate, thus underlying the close association of the Gaelic Athletic Association with Irish nationalism. The last such commemoration was held at 12.00 noon on Sunday, 4 September, 2011. Another horrific event, (part of the Dublin and Monaghan Bombings) of even greater proportions occurred in Talbot Street on 17 May 1974 where one of three car bombs allegedly planted by the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) exploded outside a shoe shop opposite Guineys near the Lower Gardiner Street intersection, killing 13 women and one man. Nobody has been charged with the bombings, despite a campaign of nearly 40 years to find the perpetrators.

"Ah leave it out"

In 2012, Talbot Street rose to online notoriety after a YouTube clip was uploaded showing a fight between two junkies with an umbrella and two Brazilian bodybuilders. In the video, the two knackers can be seen tempting the Brazilians with their umbrella, until one of the Brazilians, having almost lost an eye to the umbrella, takes offense and delivers a well deserved ass kicking. When the second junkie attempts to argue on behalf of his accomplice, the second Brazilian lad gives chase, knocking the knacker to the ground and bashing him with his own umbrella. At this point the infamous catchphrase from the video is uttered, though the jury is still out on whether the quote originated from one of the downed junkies or from an 'auld wan on the other side of the road. Though the dialogue's audibility has been compared to the incomprehensible voice of Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, the transcript is generally accepted as the following, or some variation thereof: "Ah leave it out. AHHH leave it out. Leave it fookin' out!!!". At this point, one of the Brazilians lays the smackdown on the original junkie who clearly has failed to learn his lesson and is attempting to re-enter the fray. The unknown human vuvuzela responsible for the original quote bellows "AHHH HEEEAAAAHH!!!" (generally translated as "ah here"), followed by "Leave it bleedin' out! Leave it FOOKIN' out." As the victorious Brazilians tidy themselves up, retrieve their belongings and continue on their merry way, one of the defeated junkies, evidently being a sore loser, launches a vicious assault with a deadly weapon and to the general public's amazement, gives chase. Unfortunately, the video ends here, leaving the fate of all concerned unknown.


Shopping Centres

The Irish Life Shopping Mall is a small shopping centre; it has a number of shops spread around a flat shopping mall and is easily accessible from both Talbot Street and Lower Abbey Street. The Centre which is a conglomerate of retail and office space with generous underground parking has a large frontage on Talbot Street.

Retail & services

This list is not exhaustive

See also

External links

Coordinates: 53°21′3″N 6°15′14″W / 53.35083°N 6.25389°W