Anything audiophile in Ireland?

Discussion in 'Music, Movie and Hardware Store Guide' started by hammr7, Mar 12, 2019.

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  1. hammr7

    hammr7 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I'll be traveling to Ireland in a few months (Dublin, Belfast, Galway and Cork) and was wondering what places I might find for records and gear. I've heard things are somewhat rare and usually expensive, but figured I would ask.
     
  2. Noise Annoys

    Noise Annoys Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ireland
    Probably far too late with this response, but anyway, I don't like seeing a thread unanswered!

    Dublin city is, unfortunately, very poor for record stores. I think the changing nature of the city (high retail rents, more tech workers, less artists) has forced many to close. There are only a handful left and they are really not great - generally a poor selection of vinyl with prices too high for what you're getting. Having said that, the best is probably The Record Spot on Fade Street, in a basement underneath a place called RAGE, which sells old video games.
    Other than that, Freebird Records on Wicklow St sometimes has some ok stuff.
     
  3. hammr7

    hammr7 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Thanks for the reply! I was amazed to see this thread become one of the most viewed without a response ever.

    It is too late for my first trip (last May) but I will be heading over again, as my son resides in Dublin. I had no luck with records or equipment when I was there. But I was so busy that it wasn't a problem.

    I was thinking of heading back over in December to see the Martha / Rufus Wainwright Holiday Show (Dec 2 and 3 at the Royal Concert Hall). But flights from the US are tough because of our Thanksgiving holiday. I would certainly recommend it to anyone local, as it has been among the best holiday shows of any kind I have ever attended. You never know who might show up. They have it every year, but in different cities and continents.
     
  4. Noise Annoys

    Noise Annoys Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ireland
    My wife works in that venue so I might well go to that!

    If you're coming again for an extended stay and have use of a car I would recommend one record shop in Arklow, County Wicklow, around an hour's drive south of Dublin. It's called Beat That Records and is right in front of you as you cross the bridge into the town. An old-school vinyl place, with a friendly owner, good prices and the best selection I've seen in an Irish second-hand record store in a long time.
     
    culabula and zphage like this.
  5. hammr7

    hammr7 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    If you go please let me know. Looks like I may make it after all.
     
  6. nlgbbbblth

    nlgbbbblth Senior Member

    Location:
    Ireland
    Dublin is totally different to what it was. Back in the late ’90s, Saturday was my day for doing the record shop circuit. I’d start in Virgin and HMV as the indie shops were too cool – maan – to open before 11.00am. From there I’d hit the likes of Freak Out, Trinity, Smile, Road, Big Brother, Spin Dizzy, Mac’s, Rhythm, Record Collector, Mojo, The Secret Book and Record Store, Tower, Comet, Borderline, Abbey Discs, Tag, Outlaw, Chapters and Freebird.

    Aside from The Rage and Freebird mentioned above, Spin Dizzy still exists. George's St Arcade - about a minute's walk from The Rage. They do new and used.

    The charity shops have plenty vinyl but nearly always overpriced and in mediocre condition. We were a poor country in the 1960s and 1970s and people didn't have that much spare cash in which to buy records with. Hence we played what we had a lot. Occasionally you'll get lucky.

    For gear, Cloney Audio in Blackrock is good.

    For new records there's a chain called Golden Discs, 18 stores throughout the country. They abandoned vinyl in 1992 but it's back with a bang now.
    Oh yes, we have a Tower Records. Now based in Dawson Street. It opened in 1993. Still staffed by condescending hipsters and flaky people that don't reply to Twitter messages. Plus ça change.
     
    culabula likes this.
  7. culabula

    culabula Unread author.

    Location:
    Belfast, Ireland
    BELFAST:

    Dragon Records
    Timeslip
    Octopus's Garden
    Voodoo Soup
     
  8. culabula

    culabula Unread author.

    Location:
    Belfast, Ireland
    BANGOR :

    Bending Sound (New and Second-hand)

    Choons (right next door)

    Frequent fairs in Belfast, Holywood, Bangor, Derry.
     
  9. culabula

    culabula Unread author.

    Location:
    Belfast, Ireland
    DERRY:

    AbbaZappa
     
  10. hammr7

    hammr7 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Thanks for the references. I'll be back this Fall and will check at least a few out.
     
  11. xennial

    xennial Active Member

    Location:
    kildare
    the guy can be a bit awkward but it's a legit music store for sure
     
  12. xennial

    xennial Active Member

    Location:
    kildare
    tower records was always a freakshow staffwise, but it didn't stop me wasting my 20s in there
     
  13. hammr7

    hammr7 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Last visit I didn't make it as far south as Arklow. Went North to see GOT sites, went west to see where some of my ancestors lived before heading to the US, saw a lot of Dublin, and got down to Glendalough to do some hiking. Expect to do the south next Spring.
     
  14. xennial

    xennial Active Member

    Location:
    kildare
    generally Id avoid dublin completely, except if you want to spend a couple days around the north of the county, which has remained moderately irish- rush, skerries, malahide, portmarnock, donabate, and all the small townlands are ctually very cool in a way.

    wicklow is ok, but suffers from being turned into a dublin commuter county. arklow is pretty authentic though, with a nice small maritime museum, and a couple cool graveyards as well as the afforementioned beat that records. arklow has the largest free standing pyramid outside egypt- a freemason mausoleum, if you can believe it. there are also a lot of random victorian and famine era abandoned graveyards around wicklow.

    I can actually give you a breakdown of any part of ireland, but its up to you.

    my own favourite counties are Mayo, sligo, roscommon, and wicklow despite its recent decline.
     
  15. Noise Annoys

    Noise Annoys Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ireland
    ...and fans of Van Morrison can walk around the streets of Arklow, listening to the song Streets of Arklow.
     
  16. Noise Annoys

    Noise Annoys Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ireland
    Yeah, wow, I used to do something similar as well. It really is a pale imitation of what it used to be.

    If you're a metal fan it's worth checking out the Sound Cellar, down a very narrow staircase around the corner at the end of Grafton Street. It's been there since the 1970s. I never bought a lot of music there but it was great for gig tickets.
     
  17. xennial

    xennial Active Member

    Location:
    kildare
    do you remember Gun records?
     
  18. xennial

    xennial Active Member

    Location:
    kildare
    we must have overlapped to a certain extent.
     
  19. nlgbbbblth

    nlgbbbblth Senior Member

    Location:
    Ireland
    Forgot the Sound Cellar! I'd only go in there if I wanted something specific. No prices on anything.
     
  20. nlgbbbblth

    nlgbbbblth Senior Member

    Location:
    Ireland
    It's not ringing a bell. Where was it?
    I'd say we definitely overlapped. I lived in Dublin from 1991-2003 so was doing the record shops practically every week. Still work in the city centre but commute in now.
     
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