why do you think they’d “ruin” the building? Have you been in Frankies? Its essentially an overpriced version of McDonalds as it is, and obviously can’t pay its rent otherwise it wouldn’t be shutting down. I don’t see how it will detract from the ‘cultural’ parts of Temple Bar (which by the way, are all located immediately adjacent to Meeting House Square and not even near when McDonalds want to locate).

I haven’t eaten in Frankies, but it’s certainly not McDonalds…

The distance you are referring to is about 150 metres or 1 to 2 minutes of a walk. Not exactly miles away is it?

Certainly doesn’t taste as good ;-)

Correct, Eric. It’s needs a new direction & the excessive pub culture needs to be addressed, I feel. I like my booze, but not in that atmosphere.

Those stag nights add millions to the economy. This is what Temple Bar is for, if you think it’s a “cultural centre” then you’re in heavy denial.

Come one, come all… drink, eat, and be merry I say!

Where, though, Declan would you recommend in the City Centre ? – I think it’s all pretty much as you’ve decribed Temple Bar.

You want to sacrifice jobs under a subjective view that fast food places are undesirable.

How perfectly sane.

No more sane than importing more cheap and tacky crap from corporate America!

Fast food places along with mini-cab offices and other uses (eg mobile phone shops) can and should be controlled through the planning system. Planners need to judge if it’s the right place and if there are any consequences arising from granting an application.

Temple Bar is not an appropriate location for fast food – Dame St is an established corridor and is easier to police/manage.

A lot of the arguments above acknowledge Temple Bar’s weaknesses – predominantly connected with our pub culture – something I’m not convinced is unique to TB.

The jobs argument is a nonsense. Further poor planning decisions undermines the investment in TB and the city centre and represents a race to the bottom. If the city centre is to compete, then it must be distinctive and of quality. Otherwise there’s a host of shopping centres to choose from. More jobs will be lost in the medium term if all bad developments are granted permission on the basis of the “jobs” generated.

I work in the industry and the no. of jobs generated is one of the most cynical and cheap ploys used to get politicians and the public bend to a developers wishes. Take supermarkets for example / the evidence is explicit – supermarkets kill town centres and replace independents (who employ more and recycle spend locally).

Dublin already lacks distinctiveness – TB for all its faults is (to me – these things are subjective) one of Dublin’s biggest assets. To those that think it’s only about drinking, I would suggest that more reflects the time of a visit. It does have the highest concentration of cultural institutions in the city and an established programme of festivals and events – I for one love the markets.

What Dublin needs more than a McDs in TB is positivity and wisdom – we only take care of our cities for a very short time – how will the next generation judge our stewardship of the city?

Could McD’s be a tipping point over re abyss from which TB might never recover?

Grease being the key word

I think Temple Bar was ruined long before McDonalds decided to open there.

In that case there is no further need to make a bad situation, worse!
The place should be enhanced – not filled with more American yellow and red plastic crap!

in fairness, McDonalds has really upped the game decor wise, the red plastic chairs are gone. Given some of the uses in temple bar at present, McDonalds is nothing new. There is burger joint just opposite Frankies. At least McDonalds would keep their place clean and tidy, which is more than can be said for many of the outlets in Temple Bar.

Whatever about them ‘upping their decor’, Temple Bar is supposed to be a quirky little place filled with quirky little cafe’s, bars and restaraunts, which it does for the moment (and shouldn’t be tainted because of the people that hang around there or whatever), but once you introduce a thing like McDonalds, the image of Temple Bar will be ruined, the little coffee joints will be put out of business or threatened by huge competition (and next thing you’ll see a giant Starbucks across the road!) which is not only upsetting but is the last thing our country needs.

hilarious, hypocrisy is astonishing in this article they are full of bullshit. I say welcome mc donalds to temple bar, and 60 new jobs give the jobs to 60 people on the dole. do a lotto or a bingo for them spice things up abit you know.

Scale … 60 jobs? It’s a fast food factory. That becomes a negative focal point late at night and a focus for anti-social behaviour late at night. Temple Bar is mixed use and people do live their too – in planning terms further fast food/pub/nightclub uses should be resisted as there is already an excessive provision.

Bad precedence is hardly a justification for future action

Again I work in regeneration and if you’re to look at what’s been achieved in TB compared with say the equivalent stretch north of the river (which I also think has amazing potential), it’s hard to deny the success of TB. I would personally hate to have to deal with the Irish public and the phenomenally lazy cynicism that paralyses action and positive energy. We get the politicians we deserve and boy did we get them. I’d love to hear people making positive suggestions about their city and contributing to making it better. Not some of the bile that so many lazilly through around.

What to see what a cultural quarter really looks like?
If someday you can afford it, visit the old French quarter of Nice, southern France.
Not a chipper or burger joint in the place and the whole area is truly a joy to walk around and look at, never mind shop in.

While there are those that say Temple Bar is bar, by gawd letting in one more burger joint sure as hell is not going to add to the place – only take further away from it.
If this is allowed, it will be a further disgraceful decision and once more area soon to be filled chipper boxes and burger wrappings on its lanes and pathways.