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IT’S PLANNED NEW by-laws for buskers in Dublin will come into effect in March, following a meeting of councillors yesterday.
88 submissions were received on the issue as part of a consultation process — the majority of which related to excessive noise.
It’s emerged, however, that there will be no ban on amplifiers as part of the new regime. Instead, musicians applying for a permit will have to pay an extra €30 to use speakers.
This morning, we’re asking: do you ever give cash to buskers, as you pass?
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They should ban the shops from blasting loud music out their doors. Last Christmas many shops had PA systems thumping tunes out their doors. It was so loud any busker without a speaker system could not be heard. I think that’s more wrong
Here here, i was in Dublin in December and I was astounded by some shops having dj’s…IN THEIR WINDOWS…the tines we live in eh??
Been happening since the 80s
Totally agree, crappy music coming from shops, was cringing for the dudes djing in the window. Some of the buskers are great though, and tourists and locals love it.
When did all buskers “go electric”? Is it like a Dylan thing? It used to be a guy with an acoustic guitar, now everyone has an amp. Don’t ban buskers, ban the amps.
I agree with Carl. Most instruments can be heard well acoustically at short range. The amps seem to be either a mechanism for drawing in crowds, or part of a commonly felt misconception by musicians that their sound is too low.
It would be a very sad day if there were no buskers on grafton street. Along with the bogs in Brown Thomas, they are the main attraction.
There’s bogs in Brown Thomas? I’ve been wasting 20 cent in Stephens Green all these years.
Agreed. However some how I doubt the max decibel level that they have set, will be either adhered to or enforced.
You’ve hit the nail on the head, Carl. Nothing wrong with buskers, but they shouldn’t be able to use amps – it’s awful, and quiet singers, concertina players, etc can’t compete with their blaring, bullying cacophony.
the first busker i ever saw using a mic and amp was damien rice.
I love some buskers but I think if complaints are made against a particular busker they should be banned. There’s a guy with a piano accordion and an amplifier under the dart bridge on lower abbey street. It’s like a 100 cats being killed and you have to walk right past it. That’s not music.
Few lads and lassies playing a bit of music,yes,it’s these fire-breathing and football tricks chaps that get on my moobs,taking up half of Grafton Street,clapping their hands for half an hour before anything happens,why is it so cold.
There should be an annual tv contest with weekly public voting in which the winner receives a prestigious busking license. Ireland’s Next Top Busker…
The Great Irish Busk-Off.
There’s sometimes a unique buskar getting drowned out by some gobshat with a guitar
I just hate the street performers who dance around and seem to attract crowds of on lookers on grafton street.. It’s so annoying especially if you are in a rush. The crowd sometimes goes from wall to wall on grafton street as it’s so narrow and you have to squeeze through. And on busy summer weekends there could be 2/3 up and down the street. Now that’s a nuisance. They should be banned….the amount of room they required for their performance is basically the width of the street.
Tom I’d say you’re great craic.life and soul of a party
Tom, No offence, But if You are in a hurry, Its probably best to avoid Grafton street. Its like saying I love driving down the long mile road, But the cars and Busses get in the way.
“I love driving down the long mile road”
Said no one. Ever.
I’m amazed how you came to that conclusion after an opinion on annoying street performers. Maybe you could enlighten your 0 followers on twitter how you did reach that conclusion.
“I love driving down the long mile road
Said no one. Ever”
Apart from Brian Kearns. Who just said it.
Keywest. Never mind Grafton street, they should be banned from music anyway. The singer’s whiny simpering should be a public order offence.
:)
I like buskers, they are part of the fabric of the city.
There is something special walking down Grafton street on a Saturday afternoon and seeing the wide variety of performers, Break dancing, Juggling and playing some of the best live music You will ever hear.
Glen hansard, Tom Dunne, Bono, The Waterboys and Rodrigo y Gabriela All Played the streets of Dublin honing their skill. Who knows what future Star is playing on our streets today?
I dont have a lot of time for the Mime / Statue artists who hand Lolly pops to Kids and then expect You to pay for something You never asked for , These should be banned. Not the true artest’s Just these con men.
I’m not sure about the €30 and €60 charge, It seems that the cost of administering this would hardly be covered By this relatively small charge, How many Buskers are there in Dublin? A simple registration or licence would probably have been enough.
Ban that junkie who sings the filthy raps, he is a complete nuisance and an embarrassment! They should also ban that idiot that comes out of hiding at Christmas time, Bono something or other!
They can leave nothing alone.. The streets are a public platform let them at it and F off with your rules and regulations..
Buskers that play amplified third party music are a public nuisance.
There’s s guy on Shop Street in Galway that should be definitely banned, he is so annoying & can’t even sing! He thinks he is brilliant!
Is the Spanish guy with the guitar still there? He came to Galway about 15 years ago, and for about 6 months, he only knew 3 songs. Used to perch himself outside the shop I worked in. Was fit to kill the fecker by the end of the summer.
the guy with the bongos?
Eastern European accordian buskers, blasting out polkas and tangos should be banned.
It’s just so naff.
Not as naff as someone who brings has petty bigotry to a conversation about buskers. You’d like Eastern Europe it has lots of exterme right wingers like yourself. BTW, not a music fan are you? Tangos are not Eastern European & Irish trad music is tripping over Polkas including my favourite Murphy’s Polka
Ridiculous comment.
So if you think Kanye is rubbish does that make you racist too?
Singling out buskers from a particular part of the world to be banned is-shock horror – bigotry. So someone from Brittany comes and plays polkas on an accordion, it’s all right by you? I happen to like Klezmer music , maybe you have a problem with Jewish music or the people who play it. Is said bigotry you use the word racist.
Oh, and lose the stupid mask, you look ridiculous.
I dont mind buskers they bring a bit of life to otherwise dull streets with the exception of beggars with instruments they can’t play. The noise is pretty damn awful
I would not be against controls on buskers that use amplification or worse still backing tracks. If you can’t cut it on the street with a voice & an acoustic instrument then you have no business being there.
My sympathies to people in shops who have to listen to the same thing being blasted over and over again.
That said how about controls on shops that put speakers facing out to blast crappy music weather you want to hear it or not, this is equally irritating.
It’s just another form of public nuisance, akin to chuggers, beggars and bird crap
@jayo. Those singing or playing an instrument, I agree are nothing like chuggers, but, as mentioned above, those with unicycles and juggling equipment can be very aggressive. Encouraging people to stand around for half an hour or more then demanding money, telling how much you should give and berating people who don’t give or who don’t give the suggested ‘ donation’.
“Turn your amp down please. You are not playing Croke Park.
This is a street. I like to hear myself think.”
No problem with buskers in general, it’s those so called street performers, if some guy paints himself silver and pretends to be a statue and expects people to hand over hard earned cash for that. Well he just about go #### himself.
I find them weirdly arousing.
I love buskers but they should not be allowed to use amplification.
Some famous actors and musicians once started out as buskers, Rod sterwart, bb King, Eddie Izzard, Pierce Brosnan and even Robin Williams (who started out as a busking mime performer).
I’ve heard many a fine busker, I like to judge them on their ability to perform and if it means busking as a platform then I wish them all the best.
They should ban pop music and annoying music in gyms instead
I love the buskers, add a bit of life to the city. Don’t see why they have to be so restricted now.
Buskers add atmosphere to any town or city. When ever I go somewhere where there are buskers it adds a buzz about the place. Let them play Jesus what harm are they doing? Worst case scenario they sound a bit crap, couldnt people be at a lot worse?!
What’s wrong here is the state isn’t getting a slice of the donation
Part of Dublin street culture and long may busking last as long as they can play of course! ;) Some of the amps are over the top as are the sound systems in various retail shops too. That does need looking at to come to a happy balance for all. As long as one group is not hogging the street and drowning out other individual performers then fair enough. Tourists love it too and music is at the center of our culture both in Dublin and all over the country.. lets keep it that way and feck off to the likes of the Indo’s Ian O’ Doherty with his OTT article.
Make sure they have proper work visas if they’re from a non-eu country. Make them pay taxes in the first place! I have to give part of my earnings to the government, I doubt they do it too. Also, if they didn’t make enough out of it, they wouldn’t be doing it.
Oh and a complete ban around December on Grafton street…they take up too much space!
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