Cities in Ireland are being transformed into faceless tourist traps devoid of any individualism.
Rising rents and stagnant wages means people who have lived all their lives in their home city are being forced either to move away or spend most of their wages on keeping a roof over their heads.
Homelessness has reached an estimated 10,000, a room in Dublin city costs more than in London or New York, and more people are emigrating than returning home.
Murals are being removed, busking laws are being tightened and culturally significant buildings are being closed to make room for more hotels.
Here is what Irish people think.
Lads I'm in need of a big political VENT
Busking by-laws passed in Galway and the Bernard Shaw being closed in Dublin to make space for another hotel.
The high ups, yet again, prove that money is the only thing that matters to them and that the arts can, frankly, go fuck itself— _Bassboi (@CharlieBassBoi) September 10, 2019
Closed in the last 24 months
🎭Tivoli Theater
🍾Hangar
📚The Bernard Shaw
🌳The Big Tree
Opened in the last 24 months
🛎️Hotels
👨🎓Posh student flats no one can afford— Cathal Curry (@CurryCathal) September 9, 2019
In our long long history of generations emigrating, wether to escape poverty, or lack of work. Can you fucking believe that the reason this time is because shit is too expensive for people to live? Holy jaysus
— The Blindboy Podcast (@Rubberbandits) September 10, 2019
Of course, not everyone agreed that the closure of the Bernard Shaw was as significant as people were making it out to be.
It would appear that the closure of the Bernard Shaw is also leading to some sort of mass emigration if you were to go by my Twitter feed today. pic.twitter.com/NhJtiLKjgq
— Lucy O’Shea🌸 (@lucyoshea) September 10, 2019
If Twitter is to be believed the closure of the Bernard Shaw will be the biggest cause of emigration since the Famine.
— Stephen Devine (@stephendevine89) September 10, 2019
But it was never really about a pub closing.
*Taps mic, leans forward*
The Bernard Shaw closure represents a wider issue than "just a pub closing" and the fact that rural areas are undergoing similar cultural strip-mining is also bad.
Two things can be bad at once.— Paul Hosford (@PTHosford) September 9, 2019
You can ask Dublin City Council to save the Horseboy mural here.
You can ask Dublin City Council to change their minds about the removal of the Sir David Attenborough mural here.
You can ask An Bórd Pleanála to stop the closure of the Bernard Shaw pub and Eatyard venue by signing the petition here.
You can follow the buskers of Galway's fight to reverse the discriminatory busking bye-laws here.
