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The life of a Grafton Street busker: 'People think you show up and play - but I've been here since 8am'

The scene on Dublin’s premium busking street can be competitive, one performer said.

TheJournal.ie / YouTube

GONE ARE THE days when you could simply show up with a guitar and start strumming away on Dublin’s Grafton Street.

Busking is far more organised these days; permits need to be obtained, noise guidelines followed – and you’re not allowed to occupy the same slot for longer than an hour at a time.

We caught up with three Grafton Street buskers – a violinist who has only recently started playing the street, a funk band making their first foray into busking and a singer-songwriter who plays his original songs for passers-by.

“Damien Rice and Glen Hansard were both buskers on Grafton Street,” that singer-songwriter, David Owens, said.

We have a culture of busking here and a lot of tourists come here specifically to see them.

The 29-year-old Galway singer said he originally worked as an engineer but quit his job to work full time as a musician. He’s visited 35 different countries over the past five years in the course of his new career.

The Grafton Street scene can also be quite competitive. Owens says there’s a specific queuing system for performers – meaning a performer could be waiting for two to three hours to play one of the designated busking spots.

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    Mute Gerard Aherne
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    Aug 6th 2018, 5:52 PM

    I work on grafton street and would desperately love to hear some original music or even actual trad music. All the musicians play the same Ed Sheeran, The Script etc bland music (it gets even blander after the 10000th time listening to it). Very little originality with any of the buskers.

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    Mute Ronaldo Blanc
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    Aug 6th 2018, 5:17 PM

    It must be challenging for the shop assistants on Grafton Street, having to endure on a Monday morning angst ridden snowflakes expressing to the world their feelings and pain on a badly played acoustic guitar.

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    Mute Anton Dec
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    Aug 9th 2018, 12:24 PM

    @Ronaldo Blanc:
    Yes. Music must be hard for people like you. I would suggest amputating your ears

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    Mute Brian Conlon
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    May 16th 2019, 4:25 PM

    @Ronaldo Blanc: I wish I could click “like” another million times

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    Mute Paul Mc
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    Aug 6th 2018, 4:19 PM

    Shopping on Grafton street is an expensive hobby.

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    Mute Nucky
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    Aug 6th 2018, 4:51 PM

    It can’t be that bad if he gave up an engineering job, and I’m sure he had a early start doing that too

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    Mute Daveinson
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    Aug 6th 2018, 5:24 PM

    @Nucky: busking on Grafton Street is small fry. An engineer with not travel in 35 countries in five years. That is why you would quit.

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    Mute Kian
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    Aug 6th 2018, 4:16 PM

    One of the only joys I get out of being dragged to Dublin for shopping is to relax on grafton street listening to the musicians.

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    Mute Larry Doherty
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    Aug 6th 2018, 4:52 PM

    Ah now, sure some of them are woeful.

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    Mute Eddie O'Neill
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    Aug 6th 2018, 5:55 PM

    Don’t really pay them much attention since most got the amps out, I think they are missing the point as far as the listener is concerned.

    And those three aul fellas on O’Connell St outside Kylemore Cafe need some serious lessons in singing and musicianship, what they currently produce is an embarrassment, also they are pushing some christian literature while they are there which they should not do. Nice bunch of lads apart from that and some people find them mildly amusing but the racket is dreadful.

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    Mute SC
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    Aug 6th 2018, 7:14 PM

    @Eddie O’Neill: They’re my favourite! Great fun! I love the live music around Dublin. I would like if shops were quieter though, I find myself leaving shops before I find what I want because the music is so bad and so loud.

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    Mute Sean
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    Aug 6th 2018, 4:42 PM

    He’s not bad that David Owens fella. Lovely mellow sound.

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    Mute Eamonn Tierney
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    Aug 6th 2018, 10:16 PM

    Sorely missed are the likes of Damien Rice and Glen Hansard as for noise restrictions, what restriction. turn up with an amp, backing tracks, and fool some the people some of the time. Busking all over the city has gone from bad to worse

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    Mute Victor Kuss
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    Aug 7th 2018, 4:59 AM

    Once pleasant, agreeable, ethnic and tuneful. That was a few decades ago. Now truly dreadful, the noise, and the crowds, make Grafton Street a place best avoided.

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    Mute Roy O'Rourke
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    Aug 7th 2018, 3:23 PM

    A large German tank with flame throwing abilities rolling down Grafton St eliminating every Sheehanist performer, their guitars splintered beneath the tracks, their tiny box of CDs for sale crushed to fragments is the only way to go. The dance troupes are even worse. I’d like to bring back the bloke who used to play the saw and that group of traveler kids who couldn’t play harmonicas but played them anyway outside Arnotts dressed is large suit jackets and cheap sunglasses. I’d be willing to reverse the tank back up the street if Keywest started setting up their equipment

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    Mute Lisa Byrne
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    Aug 6th 2018, 11:10 PM

    You can get robbed all the time, you can get attacked all the time. That’s really depressing to hear

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    Mute Patrick Marshall
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    Aug 7th 2018, 9:49 AM

    And sorry to say, they’re all still brutal !!

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