BENCHMARKS continued
Recently one of the
colleagues was pushing his bicycle along Dublin's Moore Street when,
in the distance he espied an enormous rubbish skip, loaded to the
gunwales and promising who knows what potentialities. Quickening his
pace in tandem with his accelerating heart rhythm and respiration,
and oblivious of other pedestrians, he sped towards the object and
upon arrival commenced a head down frantic search of its innards. His
initial optimism soon faded to disappointment on discovering that it
contained nothing more than analogue mobile phones, 405 line
television sets, and dial-up modems. He was about to turn away when
his eye was struck by the sight of a green label affixed to a
cardboard box; it seemed strangely familiar. Carefully lifting the
box he held it out before him and read these words entered in a fine
penmanship on the label - Enrico Caruso: The Phoenix Hall
Sessions.
“This
just might contain something worthwhile”, he thought.
The
box being somewhat soiled, he picked up some old papers from the
skip, wrapped it in these and placed it in his satchel before cycling
off home.
However
when he got there, more disappointment ensued. On opening the box he
discovered that it contained nothing more than some cylinders, all
with a wax coating. Cursing his luck they went into the bin; and as
the old papers he had used as wrappings were about to undergo the
same fate, he paused to read what was printed on them. Remarkably
they turned out to be recording scripts and continuity announcements
for programmes on Radio Eireann from some indeterminate date in the
1950s.
One of
them is reproduced below.
The
website trading under the title thegpo.net may have a Facebook
page which it uses to trumpet it's achievement in reaching a
significant number of internet hits. However we at benchmark-sites
are much more understated (a.k.a. snobbish) in how we offer ourselves
up for praise. But not so subtle that no one gets it; we hope. That
would be very, very embarrassing indeeed.
Below:
The 'mark at the junction of Infirmary Road and Parkgate Street in
Dublin City.
Above:
The junction of Infirmary Road and Parkgate Street with the 'mark at
the corner on the base of the railings.
P.K.'s
childhood home is at extreme left just masked by the tree. It is now
the offices of CAFNBO - Cumann Arachais Fear na mBuan
Oglaigh - a friendly society for members of the defence forces.
M.C.'s childhood home was at extreme
right - where the flags are displayed. It was demolished in the 1990s
and on the site at present is a Sally O'Brian's type public house.
Maybe those who have made contributions to this site will one day all get together and celebrate there?
