Work

If you live in Dublin, it’s almost impossible not to be aware of the shortage of affordable housing. If you haven’t joined the back of a long queue to view a property in recent years, chances are you know a lot of people that have. And for many the consequences can be far worse; about 140 people sleep rough every night, there are some 3,000 homeless who are dependent on hotels and B&Bs, and a further 100,000 are on social housing waiting lists. It’s something that’s garnered a lot of media & governmental attention, and often the solutions proffered are quite grandiose; build up and build quickly. As a nation, we tend to have a penchant for the new when it comes to housing. While that may be a part of the solution, it’s certainly not the only approach. In every corner of this city, there are spaces going to waste.

The bedding in your local park, the roundabout at the end of your road, the planter on the quays: Dublin’s famous for its bursts of floral colour. Any journey you make in the city is likely to take you past some cheery display. But did you know that every plant you see comes from a single nursery, lovingly grown from seed to flower? St. Anne’s Park on the northside of the city is an embarrassment of riches. Its the second largest public park in the Dublin area, the grounds of the former estate of Lord and Lady

I didn’t really like school that much. I’m dyslexic and I couldn’t handle it. I hated even reading at the time. I left school when I was 16 and got into a trade in air conditioning and refrigeration. I bought my first house when I was 19, my second when I was 22, my third when I was about 24. I rented out the houses and was involved in different businesses, investing money as well as working in refrigeration. In my early 20s, I had nice cars, everything was going great, I travelled all over the world and had a ball! I realised I liked the hustle and bustle behind the camera. It was being creative but it was still business, and I like dealing with people

The world, according to a Dublin foreman This is no occupation for old men – to twist what Yeats said. I wouldn’t mind, but I’m not even that ancient. Climbing up all these flights of scaffolding. Then the scaffolding gives way to ladders. Ladders for a couple more floors. As a result, the sweat is breaking out when we get up here: this windswept top floor with stunning views. If only it was safe to stop watching your footing and look out on the city and the Liffey flowing into Dublin Bay. Painting a picture of the landscape We’re down on the North Wall, near the 3Arena. Commanding these stunning views is a nine-storey building – not co

If you went to school in Ireland in the late twentieth century you’d have been taught a lot about our nation’s struggle against imperial oppression. But other nations still in the clutches of various empires got short shrift from our school books. Latvia? Estonia? Lithuania? If we even knew they existed, we didn’t trouble to separate them in our minds from Russia. Sure weren’t they all just the Soviet Union – where girls fell in love with their tractors and unlucky dogs got sent into space? Indra Variakojiene didn’t have a tractor. In fact before she came to Ireland she worked as a chemical analyst – in a laboratory attached to a flour mill in Lithuan

What happens when you choose the road less travelled and forgo a full-time college course on leaving school? We chat to successful sales rep Craig Andrew about what he did instead. Craig Andrew on career building without college The Leaving Cert can seem like the biggest thing in the world when you’re 18. It could define the rest of your life. You’ve got to work hard if you want a job. You’ve got to work even harder if you want a well-paid job. And you’re just lucky if you enjoy it. That’s how Craig Andrew and many others felt when they were that tender age. Craig’s Leaving Cert experience “It’s not like I didn’t try,”

Meet Andrew Harris – Dublin’s traffic control room supervisor “There’s always someone looking at you,” sang Dublin band the Boomtown Rats back in 1979. Today, in the city, that someone is Andrew Harris at the Traffic Control Room. Checking out Dublin’s traffic cameras Andrew and his staff monitor the screens in their room in Wood Quay, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They’ve got 400-odd cameras in locations all over the city. Some of them you can see – up at the top of street lights, for instance. However, it’s the ones

In Temple Bar, nestled in a modern, environmentally-friendly building, is The Design House – a thriving hub of creativity. The Design House was founded by Irish fashion designer, Bebhinn Flood. It’s the creative home to several in-house designers. With design and retail under the one roof, it’s like buying straight from the studios. I needed machines and retail all in the same place. The walls host a gallery of art. Over 60 designers, mostly Irish, sell their creations here. There’s cutting-edge fashion, jewellery, bridal, vintage and a variety of crafts. Not to mention the in-house café and authentic churro takeaway. Then, th

Dublin-based illustrator Fuchsia Macaree has a range of work full of unusual characters, bright colours and quirky maps. She’s been freelancing since finishing college, working with a regular client base, taking on bigger projects and teaching part-time at NCAD. Dublin.ie sat down for a chat to find out more. She tells us about her work with Dublin tech giants Google and Facebook, as well as some of her pass

We all know Grand Canal as the home of Google but unbeknownst to many, tucked among the tech giants is a building where ancient crafts are still practised, THE DESIGN TOWER. The Tower’s seven stories of studios play host to jewellers, fashion designers, conservationists and more. Dublin.ie is going behind the tower’s walls to meet the craftspeople working there, including Tony O’Connor of JewelleryRepair.ie. I’ve been here longer than my own house. I started my apprenticeship here in a different jewellery company

Barbershop culture is on the rise in Dublin. Barbershops are becoming cultural hotspots. Places you can go not only for a haircut, but for music, design or even a whiskey. By taking the best of New York’s barbershops and adding a touch of creativity and an Irish welcome, Sean Bryan of Cut & Sew has built his business from one chair in the basement of a record shop to four stores around Dublin city. And he isn’t finished yet. Dublin.ie caught up with Sean to hear about the story behind his success. Starting Cut & Sew barbers Sean left school after third year and started a carpentry apprenticeship. However, that didn’t work out, so he turned his h