THE SAD STORY OF STONEVILLA IN PHIBSBORO [STILL NO HAPPY ENDING]

THE SAD STORY OF STONEVILLA IN PHIBSBORO [STILL NO HAPPY ENDING]

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As you get older you begin to believe that old buildings and other things from the past have merit and as such should be preserved.

Maybe that view of life is not valid and maybe once something has served its purpose it should be replaced with something more appropriate. Anyway, all that I can say with any certainty is that it depresses me to see the gradual decline of this house and other similar buildings throughout the city. I last photographed this derelict building in May of this year and northing appears to have happened since then.

What I suspected would happen does appear to be happening. The building has been surrounded by a high fence in such a way that it has become invisible and as a result, over an extended period, people will forget that it ever existed.

At the very best the house will be demolished and replaced by a block of generic apartments any everyone will be surprised because they will not remember what was there. If you carry out a Google search you will notice that there has been few or no comments relating to Stonevilla since July 2014 but plenty of comment before then.

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The Calm Before The Storm [Hurricane Ophelia Is Due To Impact On The City Of Dublin]

The Calm Before The Storm [Hurricane Ophelia Is Due To Impact On The City Of Dublin]

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At the time of posting my photographs local media outlets are reporting that three people have already dies because of the storm.

 Many years ago colleague was killed in a major storm as the result of being struck by a piece of debris while passing a building site. The really sad thing was that his manager insisted that he turn up for work or face suspension.

 Today I had planned to visit a number of locations but because of really high winds I had to abandon that idea almost immediately I left my apartment. I then decided to visit a local Chinese Restaurant and was surprised to discover that the staff were unaware of the approaching storm.

 I must admit that I was surprised by the fact that Bolton Street and Dorset street were more-or-less devoid of traffic. If you zoom in you may notice some plastic bags floating in the sky towards the top of my photographs. I had hoped to pay one last visit to the 'Sculpture In Context' exhibition in the Botanic Gardens as it closed on Wednesday.


PHOTOGRAPHS SUPPLIED BY WILLIAM MURPHY ...  

 

OLD LIGHTSHIP - THE KITTIWAKE [HAS BEEN SCRAPPED]

OLD LIGHTSHIP - THE KITTIWAKE [HAS BEEN SCRAPPED]

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[UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2017] If my source is correct this little red ship was scrapped back in 2012 … what a pity!

 MORE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THIS LITTLE RED SHIP...

[UPDATE AUGUST 2011] Dublin docklands property developer Harry Crosbie has been refused permission to relocate the former lightship Kittiwake in front of the O2 Theatre, according to a report in the Irish Times. Crosbie had intended to convert the 1959 built Kittiwake into a café and bar after raising the vessel from her River Liffey berth and position onto the campshire of North Quay Wall, opposite the music venue. Dublin City Council told Crosbie that consent for the use of the campshires for the bar had not been agreed to by the board of the Dublin Dockland Development Authority (DDDA), which owns the quays, "and that said permission will not be forthcoming".

[OCTOBER 2010] Old Lightship (Kittiwake - There Must Have Been Two with The Same Name). Built 1957/59 by Philip & Son, Dartmouth; length 134 feet, breadth 25 feet, depth 15 feet; constructed of steel; cost £124,128; remains in Service, converted to automatic light float 1981. Sold out of Service in 2007. Now moored beside the Point Depot in Dublin. I was delighted to read in the Sunday Times that this little red ship could be used as a tourist attraction. According the the newspaper Harry Crosbie, owner of the Dublin 02, is seeking permission from Dublin City Council to raise the 500-ton lightship, Kittiwake and place on the quayside opposite The 02 Theatre. Currently the lightship is berthed nearby the East-Link road toll bridge and acts as a notable floating feature to countless daily commuters. I was very surprised to read the the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL) sold the 1959 built lightship to Harry Crosbie more than three years ago. If Harry's plan for the the former lightship is given a thumbs up, the vessel would act as a "welcoming point" for cruise tourists. Subject to planning permission, the lightship would undergo a re-conversion project to create an open-plan café bar for a period of five years. The veteran vessel would also have its lighthouse light restored and would "beam" across the docklands and entertainment venue. The lightship would maintain its customary 'red' hull with Kittiwake written in neon on the side.

[APRIL 2009] Kittiwake (were they two with the same name?) Built 1957/59 by Philip & Son, Dartmouth; length 134 feet, breadth 25 feet, depth 15 feet; constructed of steel; cost £124,128; remains in Service, converted to automatic light float 1981. Sold out of Service in 2007. Now moored beside the Point Depot in Dublin.

[FEBRUARY 2009] For Sale: The Kittiwake Lightship At The O2 

SOS - SAVE OUR SHIP

SOS - SAVE OUR SHIP

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There was a campaign to save this ship but I have not heard if they had any success. Naomh Éanna, Ireland’s oldest remaining merchant ship, completed in Liffey Dockyard in 1958. It is moored in the number 2 graving dock in Grand Canal Dock, Dublin Port.


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FULL TURN A SCULPTURE BY MARK RYAN

FULL TURN BY MARK RYAN [SCULPTURE IN CONTEXT 2017]

 I used a manual lens today and focus was a bit off in some cases because of my lack of experience with the lens in question [to be honest I was adjusting the wrong dial]. Mark Ryan is a sculptor who works in a variety of materials – wood, clay, plaster, steel, stainless steel and bronze.

More about the artist: http://www.markryansculptor.com/

PESKY RABBITS BY JO HATTY [40 EURO EACH AT SCULPTURE IN CONTEXT 2017]

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It was not easy to photograph this as there was a lot of vegetation blocking a clear view. Artist Jo-ann Hatty operates from a gallery in Bangor, Northern Ireland. My understanding is that she has designed some of Northern Ireland’s most popular sculptures at Laganside, Belfast, and the Causeway Hospital, Coleraine.

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THE PLACE FOR DIM SUM IN DUBLIN [MR DINH ON CAPEL STREET]

THE PLACE FOR DIM SUM IN DUBLIN [MR DINH ON CAPEL STREET]

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This was Hanoi Hanoi, the best Vietnamese restaurant in Dublin, but over a period of time it changed name a few times. It is now known as Mr. Dinh and it offers a number of Asian styles but it is essentially a Hong Kong Chinese restaurant and it has become one of the most popular places for Dim Sum in Dublin [served from 12 to 4:30 every day].

 

RHINOCEROUS BY FREDERIC RUCKENBROD [SCULPTURE IN CONTEXT 2017]

RHINOCEROUS BY FREDERIC RUCKENBROD [SCULPTURE IN CONTEXT 2017]

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“Ruckenbrod bespoke design studio is located in south city Dublin. It provides personalised story telling furniture, each or sets of furniture will present clients story, memory or message, they are unique pieces to the clients also functional. Ruckenbord bespoke only produce high quality with environment friendly materials. Our product includes: interior furniture, outdoor furniture and children’ world furniture. Ruckenbrod bespoke also provide restoring valuable antique furniture service and art work to the collectors.”


 https://www.ruckenbrodbespokedesignstudio.com/sculpture

SONY MOBILE BRINGS 3D SCANNING TO SMARTPHONES WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THE XPERIA XZ1 AND XZ1 COMPACT

SONY MOBILE BRINGS 3D SCANNING TO SMARTPHONES WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THE XPERIA XZ1 AND XZ1 COMPACT

  PRODUCT IMAGES

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Xperia - available in Ireland from mid-September  Dublin, 8th August 2017: Sony Mobile Ireland has announced the launch of two new smartphone devices in its flagship Xperia family; the Xperia XZ1 (available from mid-September) and the Xperia XZ1 Compact (available from October).

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The new devices feature world-first smartphone technology – a 3D scanner called Creator. The technology enables the user to capture 3D scans in just one minute, using up to four scan modes; head scan, face scan, food scan and freeform scan. Scans can be used to create a host of content including 3D stickers for messenger apps, highly-detailed PlayStation characters, avatars for apps and wallpapers and much more.  

Scans can also be uploaded to growing 3D communities such as Sketchfab, which counts over one million global users, or sent to a 3D printer and made into a memorable keepsake of a well-known landmark, a memory from a special event or the face of a friend or family member. The ‘Find More’ button within the 3D Creator app allows consumers to explore a wider and ever-growing 3D ecosystem, available through Google Play. Alongside the 3D Creator, the XZ1 and XZ1 Compact introduce consumers to additional, content-capture functions such as the Predictive Capture camera tool.

Predictive Capture automatically starts buffering images before the shutter button is pressed by intelligently recognising subtle movements like a smile. The user can select a moment that may have been uncaptured from a selection of up to four shots. In another development, both devices introduce Autofocus Burst which sees the camera intelligently follow its subject, adjusting the focus to make sure fast-moving, action shots stay sharp.

The Xperia XZ1 will be available from selected Irish operators from mid-September in Black and Moonlit Blue. The Xperia XZ1 Compact will be available from selected Irish operators from October. Pricing and arrival dates will be revealed in the coming weeks. Commenting on the arrival of the new devices, Ciaran Cleary, Sony Mobile Communications Ireland said: “Consumers are capturing more content on mobile than ever before and Sony Xperia is right at the heart of that. With over 70 years’ heritage of innovation in technology, Sony continues to allow consumers to capture special moments and memories in new and exciting ways. “The 3D Creator feature is a first for smartphone, allowing consumers to capture memories in a continually evolving way. We’re looking forward to seeing how it is enjoyed in the Irish market when the XZ1 arrives to retailers mid-September.”


Other key features of the Xperia XZ1 include:
• The latest Motion Eye™ camera built using know-how from Sony’s ‘α’ and Cyber-shot™ camera ranges, for capturing life in ways no other smartphone can. Its memory-stacked Exmor™ RS image sensor pushes motion capture to the next level, producing exceptional image quality.
• Video record function at 960 frames per second, providing stunning Super slow motion video playback. Rounding off the premium camera experience is the first-class 13-megapixel front camera with a 1/3” sensor and a display flash so you’ll get outstanding selfies in any light.
• Sony’s BRAVIA TV technology to bring more colour and contrast to TV shows and movies in stunning realism, by incorporating HDR (High Dynamic Range) in its 5.2” full HD display. Further technologies, including TRILUMINOS™ Display for mobile, X-Reality™ for mobile and Dynamic Contrast Enhancer work together to give razor-sharp, detailed and brighter images on screen.
• The authentic sound of Hi-Resolution Audio, allowing every nuance and detail in a track to be enjoyed. Evolved stereo speakers with S-Force Front Surround, bring 50% more sound pressurethan previous Xperia models. Plus, built-in Digital Noise Cancelling (DNC) technology reduces exterior noise by up to 98% when paired with DNC headphones for perfect, undisturbed listening. Sony’s new h.ear (pronounced ‘hear’) headphones will also be available this year.
• Timeless design exterior with signature flagship loop surface and seamless metal body for a premium, understated look and refined feel in the hand. Designed with active usage in mind, the device has been constructed with a full body joint structure that is strong against any twist and bend. Equally tough against outside elements, Xperia XZ1 is water resistant, dust-proof and reinforced with Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5 on the display so it’s tough enough to withstand bumps and drops.
• For a personalised touch, the integrated fingerprint sensor works to intuitively recognise the owner, giving unique and secure assurance.
• Smart Stamina works ahead of time to keep users powered-up by estimating how long battery will last, based on how the smartphone is normally used, prompting users to activate Stamina mode when needed. • Powered by the cutting-edge Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 835 Mobile Platform with X16 LTE, the XZ1 is designed to provide blazing-fast Gigabit LTE downloads speeds (up to 1Gbps) and performance. The Snapdragon 835 Mobile Platform is engineered to support stunning graphics, smooth performance and enhanced battery efficiency, perfect for smooth, responsive gameplay of PlayStation®4 games on PS4 Remote Play. File transfers are also super-charged thanks to the USB 3.1 connection which is 10 times quicker than USB 2.0 with a transfer speed of up to 5Gbps.

Features of the Xperia XZ1 Compact include:
• A premium compact smartphone in Sony’s uncompromised design philosophy, featuring beautiful diamond cut edges and a metallic finish.
• IP65/IP68 for water resistance iv, a metal antenna on top and bottom for improved connectivity and a strong, anti-twist and bend full-body structure with Glass Fiber reinforced plastic material together with Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5.
• Download speeds of up to 800Mbps to download an episode of a TV series in 30 seconds. Performance is also boosted by the intelligence of Smart Cleaner which automatically detects unused apps and clears the cache, giving the fastest, smoothest performance possible. Accessories
• A range of supporting accessories will be available including Style Cover Touch in corresponding colours for Xperia XZ1 and Style Cover Stand in corresponding colours for both Xperia XZ1 and Xperia XZ1 Compact.
• Also available is Quick Charger UCH12W providing hours of battery time by plugging in for just a few minutes.
• The new SBH24 Stereo Bluetooth® Headset, allows users to enjoy music and talk wirelessly, and the STH32 Stereo Headset will both be available in perfectly matched colours to both smartphones. Availability
• The Xperia XZ1 will be available from selected Irish operators from mid-September in Black and Moonlit Blue. Pricing will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
• The Xperia XZ1 Compact will be available from selected Irish operators from October. Colour variations and pricing will be revealed in the coming weeks.
• Both will ship with Android™ 8.0, Oreo. For more information on Sony Mobile Communications Ireland visit www.sony.ie. To keep up to date with Sony Xperia product news and launches in Ireland, visit @SonyMobileIE on Facebook and @SonyXperiaIE on Twitter and Instagram.


 -ENDS-

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TEIFEACH BY CLIODNA CUSSEN [SCULPTURE IN CONTEXT]

TEIFEACH BY CLIODNA CUSSEN [SCULPTURE IN CONTEXT]

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Cliodna Cussen was born and educated in Co. Limerick. She attended third level education in Dublin and Florence and is presently based in Dublin and Kerry. She works as a full-time sculptor using mostly bronze and stone. Cliodna does graphic work in the Graphic Studio Dublin and she also illustrates and publishes Irish Children's Stories. She has exhibited widely and won a number of awards for her work, including the Listowel Gold Medal for sculpture and the sculpture prize at the Oireachtas.

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MORE BY THIS ARTIST

HOW MANY TIMES CAN A RESTAURANT CHANGE ITS NAME [+55 BAKERY NUMBER 61 BOLTON STREET]

HOW MANY TIMES CAN A RESTAURANT CHANGE ITS NAME [+55 BAKERY NUMBER 61 BOLTON STREET]

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The name appears to change about every eighteen months.  

  It is now known as the +55 Bakery but I have yet to visit. This was at one stage the location of my favourite restaurant in Dublin and what is now on offer here looks good so I will try my best to visit the +55 within the next few days. By the way Pulidos was excellent and very popular since it opened in April of last year. There have been so many restaurants here that I cannot remember them all but here are some of the names: Sab Inn Cafe [my favourite], Fairy’s Cake, Blue Skies Cafe, Budapest Restaurant and Pulidos. To the best of my knowledge there was a well known Video Rental shop at this location back in the days when people actually owned video recorders.   Here are some of them:

SAINT JOHNS CATHOLIC CHURCH [PARNELL STREET IN WATERFORD CITY]

SAINT JOHNS CATHOLIC CHURCH [PARNELL STREET IN WATERFORD CITY]

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This church, attributed to John B. Keane (d.1859), is an important, monumental exercise in the Gothic Revival style, which has been very well maintained to present an early aspect, both to the exterior and to the interior. The construction of the street (north-west) elevation reveals high quality local stone masonry, particularly to the carved stone detailing which retains its intricacy. The church incorporates many features and fittings of considerable artistic merit (including the cast-iron railings to the boundary), while the exposed timber roof construction is of some technical significance. The church is an imposing feature in the streetscape of Parnell Street and forms an attractive landmark in the locality, identified by the soaring spire that adds incident to the skyline.

 

WATERFORD WALLS [AN ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL STREET ART FESTIVAL]

WATERFORD WALLS [AN ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL STREET ART FESTIVAL]

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The street art festival was the reason for my visit to Waterford this week. There was a lot to see and photograph making it difficult for me to describe the locations or the artists so if you want more information I suggest that you visit http://waterfordwalls.ie/ In general the local population appeared to be very excite about this year’s festival which is good.  

VIEW ALL  MY PHOTOGRAPHS OF THIS FESTIVAL

 

SAINT BRIGID’S CHURCH [KILLESTER]

SAINT BRIGID’S CHURCH [KILLESTER]

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With the building of a large number of houses in Killester, in the 1920’s, a church became necessary for the spiritual needs of the new community. The church was consecrated by the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr. Edward Byrne, on the 26th September 1926. With the large growth of housing developments in the 1940’s and 1950’s it became necessary to increase the length of the church .

THOUSANDS SIGN PETITION [TO SAVE TREES IN FAIRVIEW]

THOUSANDS SIGN PETITION [TO SAVE TREES IN FAIRVIEW]

I am never happy about trees being cut down but in this instance I do not know the full story and may never do so.

Having read the news about the petition I decided to visit Fairview to see what the fuss was about and also it was a good excuse to visit the area.

According to one local that I spoke to the City Council is planning to remove about fifty trees in order to make way for a new cycle path but a second lady explained that as the trees will be replaced by the Corpo [Dublin City Council] she was not interested in the petition.

As the planting began in 1906 some of the trees are over a hundred years old and according to the City Council officials some of the older trees are distressed because of restricted growing space and need to be felled regardless of their plans for a cycleway.

On the main Fairview road there is a large number of trees marked with yellow bands and I assume that these are the trees destined for the chop. However, according to some online accounts it is the trees along the park’s main footpath that are under threat. I think that some reports have used stock photographs of random trees in the park.

By the way the Irish Times are not in favour of the petition see: https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/fairview-trees-row-shows-why-dublin-remains-a-mess-1.3183739

DIM SUM NOW AVAILABLE AT MR DINH [CAPEL STREET]

DIM SUM NOW AVAILABLE AT MR DINH [CAPEL STREET]

Some time next week they plan to introduce Dim Sum at Mr Dinh’s Hong Kong style restaurant in Capel Street. I am really excited about this as the restaurant is less than five minutes walk from my apartment.

Dim sum (Chinese: 點心; pinyin: diǎnxīn; Cantonese Yale: dímsām) is a style of Chinese cuisine (particularly Cantonese but also other varieties) prepared as small bite-sized portions of food served in small steamer baskets or on small plates. Dim sum dishes are usually served with tea, and together form a full tea brunch. Dim sum traditionally are served as fully cooked, ready-to-serve dishes. In Cantonese teahouses, carts with dim sum will be served around the restaurant for diners to order from without leaving their seats. The Cantonese tradition of having endless cups of tea and dim sum is also called Yum Cha.

PUBS AND RESTAURANTS ...

THE WATERWAYS OF GALWAY [RIVERS - CANALS - LAKES]

THE WATERWAYS OF GALWAY [RIVERS - CANALS - LAKES]

I plan to revisit Galway at the beginning of September. My last five visits were in August and the weather has been bad every time. The main problem was rain.


The River Corrib in the west of Ireland flows from Lough Corrib through Galway to Galway Bay. The river is among the shortest in Europe, with only a length of six kilometres from the lough to the Atlantic.

The Corrib may be one of Ireland's shortest rivers, but with a mean long term flow rate of 104.8 cubic metres per second, it is Ireland's second largest river, only surpassed by the River Shannon (by flow).

RETRO WIND SHELTERS IN CLONTARF [DESIGNED IN 1934 BY HERBERT SIMMS]

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 Dating from the 1930s is a number on interesting structures along the Promenade in Clontarf including the wind shelters shown in my photographs.

The shelters were designed by Herbert Simms in 1934. The design and construction such public structures arose from a concern for the welfare of the working class and facilitated a rise in communal outdoor recreation before the advent of modern affordable holidays.

During the 1930s, Dublin Corporation Housing Architect, Herbert Simms, took the dualistic approach to slum clearance of building both new urban blocks and suburban cottages. The flat blocks were considered essential architectural ingredients of the slum clearance project and from 1932 to 1939, twenty-one schemes comprising 1,002 inner-city flats were completed. In 1935 alone 1,552 dwellings were completed.

During the sixteen years he was in office, Simms was responsible for for the design and erection of some 17,000 new homes, ranging from striking blocks of flats in the central city, influenced by new apartment blocks by de Klerk in Amsterdam and J.P. Oud in Rotterdam, to extensive suburban housing schemes such as those at Crumlin and Cabra.



MORE ABOUT SIMMS

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MOUNT ST. ALPHONSUS [REDEMPTORIST CHURCH IN LIMERICK]

MOUNT ST. ALPHONSUS [REDEMPTORIST CHURCH IN LIMERICK]

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The Redemptorist Church at Mount St. Alphonsus, South Circular Road, Limerick is more than 150 years old. It is open twelve hours every day so it is more accessible than most churches in Ireland and it is well worth a visit and if you do visit you will have plenty of time to view it.

The Redemptorists have been in Limerick since 1853 and are known locally as “The Fathers” and they have had a huge impact on life period however there is a very unpleasant event, the Limerick Boycott in 1904, associated with the order.

The Redemptorists first came to Limerick in 1851 to preach a mission in St John’s. Two years later they established a temporary presence in Bank Place and moved to the present site, which they named Mount St Alphonsus, in 1854. The current church was dedicated on December 7th, 1862.

MR. DINH A NEW DINING EXPERIENCE [CAPEL STREET]

MR. DINH A NEW DINING EXPERIENCE [CAPEL STREET]

Be aware that this restaurant is at the Bolton Street end of Capel Street [where O’Hagan Design was based many years ago].

When it comes to eating out the choice in Dublin 1 and 2 is getting better by the day. I keep finding new restaurants every time I walk around the area.

I reviewed this restaurant on Capel Street at least twice since it first opened as Hanoi Hanoi. When it first opened I was very excited because it was a genuine Vietnamese restaurant rather than being a Chinese Restaurant that somehow morphed into being Vietnamese by virtue of doing nothing more than slightly changing the menu. Anyone that I invited to join me for a meal was more than impressed.

A while ago new management took over and they undertook many changes some of which were more successful than others and having learned from experience they shutdown for a week and then relaunched as Mr. Dinh and today was their first day.

They did a strange thing in that their core cuisine is now Hong Kong Chinese but they are also offering other Asian cuisines including Japanese and to a lesser extent Thai, Malaysian and Vietnamese.

What I like is that they are not offering Fusion Asian which is frequently a bit of a con but rather they are offering Hong Kong style dining as you would expect if you were to visit Hong Kong.

In case you are not aware the excellent Hungry Mexican has relocated to Aston Quay but will not be open to the public until August. Also if you are a Pizza fan you must visit BoCo on Bolton Street.