NON-PROFIT PUBLICATION Rabble is winding down after seven years.
The alternative publication, which also hosted events and gigs, was established in 2011 and was sustained through fundraising and merchandise.
Known for its coverage of topics such as the anti-water charges movement, the marriage equality referendum and the government’s Jobpath scheme, Rabble published 15 print editions.
As well articles from a host of contributors, Rabble featured illustrations, comic strips and its ‘Gombeen’ section which poked fun at establishment figures.
Last year, the team behind the magazine launched a Patreon, moving towards a reader-sustained model.
A note on its website states that many Rabble team members have worked on a voluntary basis for several years.
“There’s a huge amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to keep it going. Most of us have full-time jobs and busy lives. We are time starved and are feeling the burn”.
“It’s come to [the] stage where we want to throw our energy into other projects”.
Every dog has its day as they say, and for those of us involved in rabble it’s time to draw [a] line under it and move on.
‘A positive note’
When Rabble was first established in 2011, it termed itself “a newspaper from the city’s underground” and those involved ranged from “people living and raising their families in the city, to community and political activists, to artists, messers and mischief-makers”.
“We stand within, and with, Dublin as it struggles from below against the ghost of the Celtic Tiger and the state it left us in”.
Last year, in addition to launching its Patreon, Rabble co-produced Notes on a Rave, a documentary detailing Dublin’s 90s rave culture.
Over the coming months, the publication says that it is aiming to throw a series of parties, events and exhibitions “to finish the project up on a positive note”.
The team says there are tentative plans for a “best of Rabble” publication and, to showcase its numerous illustrations, to host an art exhibition.
This really wasn’t an easy or quick decision, but for those of us involved it is the right one.
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