Thraw, there is a book in boxty’s stories
[QUOTE=“Thrawneen, post: 1008089, member: 129”]Features ed. got back. They’re going to run it as soon as I get a photo of the chap and his name.
Debuting in the IT! I feel like how Michael Knighton must have done doing his keepie-uppies at Old Trafford![/QUOTE]
Epic stuff. Great piece Thraw - I really enjoyed it.
I’d agree with you there. Once I get a handle on the Travel and Subs I’ll make my way over to Leitrim if he’s willing.
Bring a bottle of powers…
“a” bottle.
I think we’d be the kind of chaps who might lower two to three. And drive home.
Snap, do the same myself
[QUOTE=“Thrawneen, post: 1007999, member: 129”]Final version. I’ve stolen off Fagan and will send him 10% commission when the Gorey Guardian prints it and pays me €15.
“HATS. FLAGS and HEADBANDS!?”
The cry is as much a part of the GAA match experience as the rusty turnstile and the over-priced programme. I decided to approach a “casual trader”, or “hawker”, as they’re universally known, and see what’s it’s like to be the one calling out that immortal phrase.
At first, John* looks perplexed as to why anyone would want to ask him any questions other than, perhaps, “how much is that Monaghan flag?”. Nevertheless, he tolerates my presence with unfailing politeness, as himself and his sales assistant go about packing up. A job, I see, which involves the filing away of county colours with no little amount of military precision.
I begin with a variant of the “do you come here often?” line.
“30 years here”, he tells me.
What got him into it?
“I was unemployed and gave it a go and I’m still at it.”.
John’s from Pearse Street originally but lives in Ballybough and prefers the hurlers to the footballers. I’m shocked already, but admire his good taste. I ask him does he mind missing being at the football matches anyway, in this era of Dublin success. Not really, as it happens.
”I’d be for the Dubs, d’you know what I mean? But, I’d rather the hurling than the football”.
I had looked up the rates for the casual trader licenses on the Dublin Council website and tentatively asked John if he has one. “Oh yeah, I’m working right now. It’s €38 for Croke Park days and €25 for down the o2.”
If you want to make a living as a casual trader it seems you have to put the hours in.
“You have to be pro-active now”, John tells me. “Years ago there was a handful of us doing it and now there’s hundreds out”. John says he’ll be out two hours before the first match of the day.
I ask him if he just does Croke Park and he scoffs and tells me he’ll be at the o2 and anywhere else hosting a big event, all year round.
Casual traders selling hats, flags and headbands (with a nod to the enterprising ladies who sell 3 chocolate bars for a pound, out of a pram) have been around since the 1960’s. Before that I’m told that it was customary for men to pin pennants featuring the stars of the day to the lapels of their suit jackets. I ask the oldest person I have to hand, (my dad, 60), what he remembers them selling. “Rosettes, paper hats and miniature dolls to wear on one’s chest”, he tells me.
“When it rained, the dye in the paper hats ran down your face”. This led, he says, to many a person in the stadium sitting or standing with what looked like a county colours face-painting job gone wrong.
I quickly see how the (cotton/cowboy) hats, flags and headbands took over.
Whilst they need not diversify much, competition appears to have made the business even harder.
“You have your good days and your bad days”, John tells me.
Dubs matches, I enquire, must be the best days?
John is quick to reply: “No. You’d be surprised. Dubs in an All-Ireland final, maybe, but what you want is a team that doesn’t get to Croke Park often, a team that hasn’t been up here in years. They buy the most souvenirs.”
I chance my arm and ask him who his best ever customers were. For a moment, he stares off into the distance, a grin grows on his face, and, eventually, he replies: “Donegal, 1992”.
Yeah?
“Yeah. I went up on the Saturday, the day before the final and I cleaned up.”
That heart-warming story aside, he has nothing but scorn for the “drunk northerners” who booze all the way down on the coach and then interfere with his stall when they get off the bus.
“Messy fuckers”, he says.
To round off, I ask him will he be at the Limerick-Kilkenny Hurling semi-final the next day.
Almost before I finish the question he replies:
“Oh, rain, hail or snow. Rain, hail or snow.”
I was at that game myself and we had both rain and hail. Sure enough, there he was, plastic covers shielding his wares and extolling the virtues of a Limerick flag to a potential customer as I walked by.
*“John” refused to tell me his name.[/QUOTE]
Thraw, well done mate, it’s a good article. It would have been very easy to slip into a condescending or smarmy manner when writing it and I think many journos would have done so without even realising it. You’ve put the subject at the centre or the article and remained an interested observer on our behalf, which is a very positive aspect of it. I would probably have liked to see you talk to a few other hawkers to flesh it out a bit, but otherwise it’s an engaging and interesting article. Brilliant stuff that it will be in the IT, make sure you post a link.
A future subject for you - ticket touts - do they even exist anymore outside grounds or are they all online now?
Ya there’s definitely a more detailed article in it. Carryharrys idea wasn’t bad of it being a series of stories. If this one is well received perhaps hold off on anymore GAA related ones until next season and see if they’d be interested in a series of articles from “behind the scenes” at the various county grounds as the summer progresses.
[QUOTE=“Thrawneen, post: 1008089, member: 129”]Features ed. got back. They’re going to run it as soon as I get a photo of the chap and his name.
Debuting in the IT! I feel like how Michael Knighton must have done doing his keepie-uppies at Old Trafford![/QUOTE]
Sensational scenes. Far play! Liked the piece, great topic. I think Rockos advice is excellent. When I read it I didn’t hear POG who is a patronising coot IMO it was Henry McKean who has the same curious nature and is far more affable (and v underrated IMO).
Good luck
[QUOTE=“carryharry, post: 1008100, member: 1517”]Ever considered an article on the casual cannabis smoker? Cannabis is so widely used by a largely different demographic of people within current society.
I can’t ever remember reading a detailed article on the subject.
Okay, most people tar the average pot smoker as a “waster” or “benefit taking” type when in reality a large degree of smokers I know hold down very good well paid professions.
Thoughts?[/QUOTE]
Thinly veiled pick me! Pick me! Post there from @carryharry
[QUOTE=“carryharry, post: 1008100, member: 1517”]Ever considered an article on the casual cannabis smoker? Cannabis is so widely used by a largely different demographic of people within current society.
I can’t ever remember reading a detailed article on the subject.
Okay, most people tar the average pot smoker as a “waster” or “benefit taking” type when in reality a large degree of smokers I know hold down very good well paid professions.
Thoughts?[/QUOTE]
5.30 pm: He rushed home from work high already on the anticipation of sparking up a big one. First though put on the dinner, large pepperoni and garlic bread (il probably put half in the fridge for tomorrow he thought, not convincingly), two litre of Coke chilling.
6.30 pm: he sank into the comfy couch hoping, fervently, that none of his housemates would come home looking to share his smoke. Excellent reeling in the years, can’t quite figure out what decade it is yet
8pm: university challenge yeeeeeeeessss. Suddenly he Is disturbed by the shrieking of the smoke alarm oh fuck the dinner…
Roaster alert
IT dude said they’d use a photo not showing his face. I re-read his email and it sounds like he wants to have an IT photographer go do the job.
He must’ve been pissed last night and none of this is happening. It’s too unbelievable.
Some great fucking suggestions above lads anyway. Thanks to you all. It’s wonderful encouragement even if this doesn’t happen.
There’ll be a few bob slipped, I’d say.
Suggestions as to amount welcome.