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'You just feel like no one cares one bit about us' - Moore Street traders working in the shadows of history

It’s been a long year for the traders of Moore Street as they work in the shadow of 1916.

IMG_20161212_120756 Marie Cullen works at her fruit and veg stall on Moore Street every day with just 4ft of space. Cormac Fitzgerald / TheJournal.ie Cormac Fitzgerald / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie

MARIE CULLEN MOVES back and forth behind her fruit and stall on Moore Street on a grey December afternoon.

People walk up and down the busy street. A man stops and buys a bag of oranges, a woman gets some onions. Marie smiles and bags the goods with ease and friendliness.

A third generation trader, she has been working on the stalls for over 20 years and knows her business well.

But business has never been as tough for Marie as it is now. Towering up behind her back is a large mass of black scaffolding that rises into the air and pushes out onto the street.

For nearly a year now, that scaffolding has taken up the majority of Marie’s space on the street, leaving her just about 4 foot on which to sell her goods every day.

If one person walk down the footpath they block the street entirely. The path is crowded and hectic, and most people don’t bother to stop to browse at her stall as they pass.

IMG_20161212_121318 The scaffolding overlooking the stalls on Moore Street. Cormac Fitzgerald / TheJournal.ie Cormac Fitzgerald / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie

Hers and two other stalls have to contend with the scaffolding, but the other traders have the path to themselves.

Most people will stop to buy goods away from the scaffolding to avoid being jostled or having their foot run over by a trolley or a pram.

“I’m at my wits’ end. We’re coming up to Christmas which is a very busy time for us, no one can get by, it’s the width of a pallet,” says Marie.

It’s an absolute nightmare to work here.

IMG_20161212_121158 The space between the stalls and the scaffolding measures about 4ft. Cormac Fitzgerald / TheJournal.ie Cormac Fitzgerald / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie

Scaffolding 

We first spoke to Marie in July of this year, seven months after the scaffolding went up.

She was angry and frustrated then, and felt that the Moore Street traders had been forgotten about in the the debate over the future of the area.

Marie Marie speaking to TheJournal.ie in July.

The scaffolding behind Marie was erected on 6 January to facilitate building works on Nos 14-17 Moore Street – the site of the 1916 Irish rebels’ surrender to the British Army and a designated National Monument.

The Irish government had recently acquired ownership of the monument, and had plans to convert the old, run down buildings into a commemoration centre in time for the Easter Rising centenary celebrations in March.

The construction of the planned centre would have interfered with other buildings on the street, long designated as not historically important by the government.

However, protesters from a series of groups under the blanket of Save Moore Street disagreed. A large contingent of people occupied the National Monument in January in protest, refusing to allow the works to go ahead.

download Protesters occupying the buildings in Moore Street in January. RollingNews.ie RollingNews.ie

They lodged a legal challenge against the proposed government works. In March, the group scored a key victory when the High Court ruled that the entire Moore Street area should be designated as a battlefield site, meaning that the planned development could not go ahead.

But the scaffolding still didn’t come down. The government announced in June that it had lodged an appeal with the High Court, arguing that the ruling was incorrect. That appeal is due to be heard in December 2017.

In July, the Department of the Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht announced that some minor works would be carried out on Nos 14-17, after which the scaffolding would come down.

The traders

Margaret Larkin has also had a very difficult year. She says her business is down 40% since the scaffolding went up.

Every day, she has to contend with trolleys and prams running over her feet and pushing her against the wall.

“I stand here and they run a trolley or a pram over my feet, and say ‘Oh sorry I didn’t see you there’. It’s unbelievable,” she says.

The traders have long been called the heart of Moore Street, with council officials as well as Save Moore Street activists and opposition TDs saying they are an integral part of the area.

download (1) Marie's stall and others on Moore Street. Cormac Fitzgerald / TheJournal.ie Cormac Fitzgerald / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie

“The traders are the heart and the soul of the street – they are part of heritage and culture and the interest in the area,” Peadar Tóibín, Sinn Féin spokesperson on regional affairs told TheJournal.ie earlier this month.

Logic would dictate that we care for them in any plan going forward.

Despite this, the Moore Street traders have to fight regularly for their existence.

A quick look through the Irish Newspaper Archives will turn up a number of incidents throughout the years where traders have been faced with increased council levies, plans to withdraw their license and other measures.

There are no public toilets or wash areas provided by Dublin City Council for the traders in the area. They also are given no permanent trading licenses.

Marie said she had to ask builders working on the National Monument to put up some lights recently on the scaffolding as it was too dark for her to sell and the council had provided no street lights.

“They did it, in fairness to them,” she says.

IMG_20161212_121342 Marie Cullen says her business is down 40% on last year. Cormac Fitzgerald / TheJournal.ie Cormac Fitzgerald / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie

The future

A spokesperson for the Department of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht said that the works being carried out on Nos 14-17 were in order to “preserve and protect” the buildings.

The spokesperson said that the work was “progressing satisfactorily” and was expected to be completed by January, when the scaffolding would be taken down.

While the pavement space taken up by the scaffolding and protective hoarding has been kept to a minimum, [the minister has sought] the cooperation of the traders and has assured them that every effort is being made to bring this element of the works  to an end as speedily as possible.

Tóibín says that the rights of the traders have been ignored throughout the entire Moore Street saga, and that the council and the department needed to address their concerns.

“With regards the scaffolding that needs to come down asap and toilets put into the streets,” he says.

For Marie, she has to contend with the scaffolding while the Christmas rush takes over Dublin city, and hope that the building works will be completed soon, so her life can return to some form of normality next year.

You just feel like no one cares one bit about us – and that’s just it.

Read: Government challenge over Moore Street battlefield site likely to be paid for out of centenary commemoration fund

Read: There was an “unlawful entry” at the Moore St battlefield site this morning

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31 Comments
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    Mute Daragh8008
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    Jul 31st 2015, 7:08 AM

    Visibility is also hampered when your looking at your phone, while hammering it down the road. Please don’t do it.

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    Mute Carmo Vanderval
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    Jul 31st 2015, 9:53 AM

    OMG! How else am I supposed to post FB duckie face selfies of me driving? Selfish.

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    Mute Jake Race
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    Jul 31st 2015, 10:18 AM

    “How else am I supposed to post FB duckie face selfies of me driving?”

    True. Some people just don’t think.

    17
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    Mute Stephen Duggan
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    Jul 31st 2015, 6:14 AM

    Only if drivers don’t slow down and adapt and react to the conditions. Too many out there think you can do the same speed in any conditions, that’s the problem, not the weather.

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    Mute Carmo Vanderval
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    Jul 31st 2015, 10:01 AM

    TBH both times I lost control of a car I was doing about 5 miles an hour around a bend, now both times I think it was oil on the road, but once it could have been weather conditions. I couldn’t really have been going any slower. I’m driving 14 years and have a clean sheet in every regard and I understand where you’re coming from but its not always true, especially in the weather conditions described.

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    Mute niall mullins
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    Jul 31st 2015, 12:18 PM

    But my licence said I should “tear along the dotted line”.

    40
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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Jul 31st 2015, 7:26 AM

    Take care on this October bank holiday. What? It’s August? Ah FFS!!!

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    Mute Michele Tobin
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    Jul 31st 2015, 6:51 AM

    Was drinking in Mayo years ago. There was a huge cloud burst, once I saw the MO regs pull into the side I knew it was time for me to do it too. Of course there was idiots still trying to carry on in zero visibility!

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    Mute Thomas Barry
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    Jul 31st 2015, 7:07 AM

    I take it you mean driving there Michele!

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    Mute Michele Tobin
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    Jul 31st 2015, 7:13 AM

    Ahhh ffs!!

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    Mute David Conroy
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    Jul 31st 2015, 7:42 AM

    The idiots now put on their fog lights in the rain !

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    Mute Alan White
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    Jul 31st 2015, 8:31 AM

    David, a common misconception is that full-beams are fog lights. This is not true. Fog lights are small lights.

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    Mute David Conroy
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    Jul 31st 2015, 10:04 AM

    Correct Alan but it’s amazing how many people do not know that they are to be used in fog and heavy snowfall only. Nothing worse than an idiot coming over the brow of a hill with their fogs on in the rain !

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    Mute The Viking
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    Jul 31st 2015, 12:27 PM

    Fog lights should be used in severe downpours. front fogs only. And if you are motorway driving dont pull into hard shoulder and stop as this can lead to major accidents. Slow down, keep a safe distance from veichles infront and exit at next junction and wait till rain dies down and you feel comfortable enough to resume your journey. Be safe everyone..

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    Mute David Conroy
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    Jul 31st 2015, 12:55 PM

    @The Viking. As I said, it’s amazing how many people do not have a knowledge of the Rules Of The Road. For a very good reason fog lights should never ever be used in the rain. Water reflects high intensity light. Dipped headlights only in heavy rain but when you see a fool with fogs on in rain or on a sunny day, keep well away from them, they are likely to be lacking in other driving skills !

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    Mute Kate Kelly
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    Jul 31st 2015, 7:30 AM

    In France speed limits are variable to allow for weather conditions, the higher 130kph limit drops to 90kph when roads are wet. Pity our government is too busy taking us for fools to consider introducing something similar.

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    Mute Sean ORegan
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    Jul 31st 2015, 8:33 AM

    is the Government responsible for your individual choices?

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    Mute Shawn Rahoon
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    Jul 31st 2015, 4:25 PM

    Correct Kate.. idiots would be less likely to drive at 130kmh if the speed limit was dropped to 90kmh due to bad weather conditions. Although the RSA or the Gardai don’t give two shits about inappropriate speeders but prefer to concentrate on those doing 5kmh over the limit

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    Mute Jeffrey McMahon
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    Jul 31st 2015, 9:20 PM

    Sean, the government isn’t even responsible for it’s own individual choices by all accounts.

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    Mute Malachi Shanks
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    Jul 31st 2015, 9:57 AM

    Put your shagging lights on ! It doesn’t cost you anything and it’s so the rest of us can see you not the other way around . Don’t even bother with token parking lights either !!

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    Mute Shawn Rahoon
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    Jul 31st 2015, 1:44 PM

    ….and have them on at ALL times.

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    Mute John Curry
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    Jul 31st 2015, 6:36 AM

    ah its a soft day.

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    Mute Matt Connolly
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    Jul 31st 2015, 9:43 AM

    Should read “People with their heads up their arses and not driving to suit the conditions set to make traffic collisions almost inevitable”

    p.s. – look twice for motorbikes please. :)

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    Mute Cian O Donoghue
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    Jul 31st 2015, 8:22 AM

    Summer you say??

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    Mute Dublin Living
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    Jul 31st 2015, 4:39 PM

    Would you MORONS turn on your F*CKING lights when it’s raining? And not your parking lights, yous actual HEADLIGHTS?!

    I am going to beat and strangle someone soon who is too thick to realise when they should have lights on. I would be in favour of the guards confiscating cars from such drivers, they are a menace.

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    Mute Brendan
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    Jul 31st 2015, 10:04 AM

    From what I see with people driving in downpours is drop it a gear and floor it! Oh and check facebook see who else is out driving in the rain coz that’s wayyyy more important than the other road users ffs

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    Mute Martin Brady
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    Jul 31st 2015, 12:24 PM

    Just testing.

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