Bigbro's foray into the scary world of blogging
It's Friday evening in the capital city, so once again the trains are broken, running late, cancelled or missing in action. For once, the station announcers in Pearse seem to have decided that it's best to announce something to the rapidly angering mob - so at least we're enlightened enough to realise we should take the Maynooth train and change at Connolly to head north. My plans for hitting the cinema for an 8pm showing are rapidly receding into the distance...
Over 20 minutes behind schedule, we pull out of Pearse and into Tara, where there is a genuine angry mob being held at bay by an addled youth with a walkie-talkie. His tactic appears to be to answer all questions with a negative, thus minimising his commitment to delivering any useful information. Eventually someone asks the right question and he has to reluctantly agree that perhaps taking our train and changing at Connolly is an appropriate course of action. No, it will not take anyone to Howth.
But trains being screwed up is normal for Dublin - particularly for a Friday evening. Why do I even bother blogging about it? Because of Irish people - that's why. On reaching Connolly, the announcer, in an illuminating bout of competence notified those of us heading north that we should migrate to platform four. Ahead of me were a lovely old couple: peaceful in the throngs of people rushing to get to platform four before the train left, or possibly to try and get seats on the overcrowded carriages that pass for public transport in Ireland's capital, I don't know. I slowed my pace to watch as the man walked ahead with one hand behind his back, so the lady could walk behind him, clasping his hand firmly and follow along. I slowed my pace slightly to keep anyone from rushing behind and bumping into them. At the bottom of the ramp in Connolly, between platforms 6/7/8 and 4, the crowd naturally splits in two, around a large pillar. I laughed as the couple broke into a mini-dash, taking the far less crowded right hand side and headed up to the platform with the rest of us.
Perhaps it's that it's Friday evening... Perhaps it's that I've received some good news today... Perhaps it's that I rather spoiled myself and had both a Crunchie (it is Friday!) and a white Magnum ice-cream earlier... Perhaps it's the nice weather we're enjoying... maybe it's a combination of all these things - but mostly it's that in the face of unrelentingly incompetent, annoying, frustrating, noisy, uncomfortable, overcrowded and expensive public 'transport', Irish people can find something to make the best of the situation. I've always thought that young love was wasted on the young, but it made me laugh out loud in Connolly station to see an older generation firmly claiming it for themselves.
Oh yeah, btw, Dear politicians, please can we have some decent public transport in Dublin. Love 'n' hugs, Me.
posted at: 19:54 | path: /observations | permanent link to this entry
