Up your hole productions presents
January 25, 2017 7:45 AM Subscribe
"In a part of Dublin known as the Liberties, which is also where the Vikings settled 1000 years ago, there is a small community of rebel horse owners. And a few years ago, a travelling street musician who goes by the name, "The Musical Slave", accidentally crashed her van into the wall of one of their urban horse yards – and out came a horse and a few boys. One of them brought her for a spin with a horse and two-wheeler, and from that day on she was hooked. She ended up buying her own horse and moving him into the yard... "
As a Dubliner I have complicated feelings about this, but I thought that metafilter would enjoy.
posted by Iteki at 8:33 AM on January 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Iteki at 8:33 AM on January 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
Feel like sharing those complicated feelings? I'd love to hear them.
From the outside, I thought it was quite touching how she called out all those boys and spoke to their good hearts, but didn't sugarcoat anything.
posted by sutt at 8:39 AM on January 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
From the outside, I thought it was quite touching how she called out all those boys and spoke to their good hearts, but didn't sugarcoat anything.
posted by sutt at 8:39 AM on January 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
That was magical.
I love that they caught the reactions of the boys hearing the song for the first time. Brenner is mesmerized, like a moth to a flame.
Having once been an urban boy myself, I also have to say that she perfectly captures the spirit of that preteen/teen brink-of-adulthood chaos and camaraderie.
posted by Kabanos at 8:49 AM on January 25, 2017
I love that they caught the reactions of the boys hearing the song for the first time. Brenner is mesmerized, like a moth to a flame.
Having once been an urban boy myself, I also have to say that she perfectly captures the spirit of that preteen/teen brink-of-adulthood chaos and camaraderie.
posted by Kabanos at 8:49 AM on January 25, 2017
What is this "small community of rebel horse owners" (why "rebel"?) and are the horses treated properly?
If they're the horses that drag tourists around all day, I feel sorry for them.
posted by pracowity at 8:56 AM on January 25, 2017
If they're the horses that drag tourists around all day, I feel sorry for them.
posted by pracowity at 8:56 AM on January 25, 2017
I'm totally conflicted too, because it is a lovely song, and it has the romance of kids in the city owning horses. Which I thought was just fantastic when I was growing up.
But sulky racing through the streets of Dublin is such a bad idea. Not to mention the fact that there are a whole raft of animal welfare issues associated with owning horses in the middle of a city.
Ireland has a terrible record on animal welfare, thousands of dogs are put down every year in pounds. Charities do their best but often end up sending these dogs to Sweden, the UK, and elsewhere. Feral cats are also causing issues, but as they are often dealt with by pest control (which I think is actually illegal but I'm not 100% sure on that) its difficult to get numbers on it.
Horses, being more expensive to look after, and another huge problem. There are so many horses, ponies, and donkeys in Ireland that are abused and neglected. Animal charities are really the only ones to try and deal with them, I think most pounds just have them put to sleep if not reclaimed. A quick google brings up a huge number of articles about animal welfare/cruelty cases surrounding horses in Dublin.
And that's without getting into the lack of future for these kids. Because that's just too depressing to think about.
posted by Fence at 9:31 AM on January 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
But sulky racing through the streets of Dublin is such a bad idea. Not to mention the fact that there are a whole raft of animal welfare issues associated with owning horses in the middle of a city.
Ireland has a terrible record on animal welfare, thousands of dogs are put down every year in pounds. Charities do their best but often end up sending these dogs to Sweden, the UK, and elsewhere. Feral cats are also causing issues, but as they are often dealt with by pest control (which I think is actually illegal but I'm not 100% sure on that) its difficult to get numbers on it.
Horses, being more expensive to look after, and another huge problem. There are so many horses, ponies, and donkeys in Ireland that are abused and neglected. Animal charities are really the only ones to try and deal with them, I think most pounds just have them put to sleep if not reclaimed. A quick google brings up a huge number of articles about animal welfare/cruelty cases surrounding horses in Dublin.
And that's without getting into the lack of future for these kids. Because that's just too depressing to think about.
posted by Fence at 9:31 AM on January 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
What is this "small community of rebel horse owners" (why "rebel"?) and are the horses treated properly?
At least in some cases, Travelers. Also in some cases, not treated well.
posted by Bee'sWing at 10:45 AM on January 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
At least in some cases, Travelers. Also in some cases, not treated well.
posted by Bee'sWing at 10:45 AM on January 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
Fence articulates it well for me, along with this woman being, in many ways, a harbinger of gentrification. She addresses this herself, one of the boys saying she's invaded his space. At the same time, where are any other women in that space, these boys who become men who take up the space in those streets. But it's a great snapshot, it feels loving and unsentimental towards these shitty little kids with their hands in their pants and their skinny, ghost pale frames. I got goosebumps when the lads sang with, and got a bit weepy when the "wans" at the end invite this strange woman to the pub, offering to pass a hat around for her, but suggesting that she lets them get a few drinks in before she performs.
posted by Iteki at 12:12 PM on January 25, 2017
posted by Iteki at 12:12 PM on January 25, 2017
The pull quote is, btw, from the artist. I think she just means outsiders when she says rebels, but they're not even really outsiders where they are. Or perhaps "unlikely", but there's been horses in the inner city forever, albeit less since the horse market closedthere'closed. There's proper stabling for working horses not far from these lads.
posted by Iteki at 12:17 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Iteki at 12:17 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
What Fence said. And what Bee's Wing said. And also this video makes me seethe.
Sulky racing should be banned. But 99% of the people who race sulkys are Travellers, and they are a minority group who's way of life has already been massively oppressed. On the third hand, speaking only from my own experience, that way of life involves very poor animal welfare. I volunteer for one of the rescues Fence mentions; we get dogs straying off the local halting site constantly and each one arrives with about a billion euros worth of veterinary needs.
The horses are far, far worse and much harder to rescue. The best case scenario is that they are abandoned or pastured on public land, like -- and I am not kidding here -- the middle of a roundabout. The worst case scenario is that they are pastured and ignored or abandoned on private land, in which case they have to be seized by the SPCA; rescues can't legally access them. Those horses are almost always put down: 2,683 horses were seized in 2015, and 2,191 of them were destroyed.
If you're concerned about the horses and ponies in this video, please make a donation to Dublin rescue My Lovely Horse. That's where the lucky Liberties horses end up.
posted by DarlingBri at 2:19 PM on January 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
Sulky racing should be banned. But 99% of the people who race sulkys are Travellers, and they are a minority group who's way of life has already been massively oppressed. On the third hand, speaking only from my own experience, that way of life involves very poor animal welfare. I volunteer for one of the rescues Fence mentions; we get dogs straying off the local halting site constantly and each one arrives with about a billion euros worth of veterinary needs.
The horses are far, far worse and much harder to rescue. The best case scenario is that they are abandoned or pastured on public land, like -- and I am not kidding here -- the middle of a roundabout. The worst case scenario is that they are pastured and ignored or abandoned on private land, in which case they have to be seized by the SPCA; rescues can't legally access them. Those horses are almost always put down: 2,683 horses were seized in 2015, and 2,191 of them were destroyed.
If you're concerned about the horses and ponies in this video, please make a donation to Dublin rescue My Lovely Horse. That's where the lucky Liberties horses end up.
posted by DarlingBri at 2:19 PM on January 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
Amhrán iontach!
That quickly moved up to #1 on my hit parade.
posted by james33 at 7:37 AM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
That quickly moved up to #1 on my hit parade.
posted by james33 at 7:37 AM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
A horse trotting at speed on pavement is like a person doing skateboard tricks: you don't age well. These are young horses, and they aren't going to get old doing this. This may be what makes DarlingBri seethe.
Horses are a big part of Traveller culture, and they care about them deeply, but not in the sense of a long-term obligation. They're not pets, just friends, so they can bid goodbye with no personal obligation or harm.
posted by netowl at 12:27 AM on January 27, 2017
Horses are a big part of Traveller culture, and they care about them deeply, but not in the sense of a long-term obligation. They're not pets, just friends, so they can bid goodbye with no personal obligation or harm.
posted by netowl at 12:27 AM on January 27, 2017
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posted by honest knave at 8:09 AM on January 25, 2017 [2 favorites]