Public 'Save The Cobblestone' meeting to be held over Zoom this week

A public meeting is to be held over Zoom on Wednesday, January 12, at 7pm – to discuss the latest stage of the 'Save The Cobblestone' campaign.

Following a prominent campaign last year, Dublin City Council refused planning permission for a controversial nine-story hotel to be built around The Cobblestone pub in November. Now, however, Marron Estates have appealed the decision – and are now proposing a slightly scaled back, seven-story scheme over the iconic traditional music pub. Marron Estates' architects claim the newly proposed development will allow for "the retention of the entire Cobblestone pub over all floors at basement, ground and first and second floors."

The upcoming Zoom meeting, organised by the campaign group Dublin Is Dying, will allow the public to discuss the "nature of the appeal made by Marron Estates to An Bord Pleanála" and "how to object to the appeal" – as well as plans for an "upcoming protest".

To access the meeting, send a direct message to the Dublin Is Dying Instagram account.

 

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The initial campaign to 'Save The Cobblestone' was met with huge public support last year – with some of the country's most notable musicians getting involved.

"The Cobblestone is far more than just a pub," John Francis Flynn wrote on Instagram at the time. "It is a bastion of Irish culture. People come from all over the world to share and learn Irish music, song, dance, language and storytelling.

"It is at the centre of this 'folk revival' we're seeing in Ireland," he continues. "The scene developed within those walls. Any fans of Lankum, Landless, Skipper's Alley, Lisa O'Neill, Ye Vagabonds, The Bonny Men, need to know how important The Cobblestone is for this community.

"Beyond that, and more importantly, the Cobblestone is the main hub for the broader traditional Irish Music community in the country. I have played with and learned from some of the very best musicians in the sessions. I have listened to some amazing music at The Night Before Larry Got Stretched sessions and Pipers Clubs gigs from musicians and singers you otherwise might never get a chance to hear. I have watched younger musicians develop into great musicians. I've watched dancers dance, singers sing, story tellers recite stories. There is nowhere else that can match the cobblestone for any of this and theres no place that promotes Irish culture to the same level as The Cobblestone. This is an attack on our culture in a city that's getting swallowed up by blind greed. We need as many people to oppose this as possible."