New book celebrates Dublin’s working prams

IT has already been the subject of an acclaimed photographic exhibition but now Susan Weir’s pictures of our capital’s street sellers are brought together in a new book.

‘Dublin’s Working Prams – a Photographic Portrait of Dublin Street Traders’, which features over 100 pictures, was launched recently at the Dublin Adult Literacy Centre on Mountjoy Square by RTE’s Joe Duffy and Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Naoise Ã? Muirí who jokingly asked whether he could haggle over the price of the Toblerones, proudly displayed on a Silver Cross pram.

“Ever since I was a little girl growing up in Dublin, I have been fascinated by the old prams used by the street traders,

? Susan told Northside People.

“For as long as I can remember, I could never pass a dealer’s pram without slowing down to admire it.

?

Indeed, the city is perhaps unique in the prominent use of prams by traders to sell goods. Susan’s photographs were taken between 2008 and 2012 in various parts of Dublin, including Capel Street, Mary Street and Henry Street.

Remarkably, there are still many makes and models of pram in use and some have been on the streets since the 1940s.

Joe Duffy told those at the launch how on one occasion, a Silver Cross model was involved in a collision with a car but absorbed the impact, leaving the infant unharmed.

The factory replaced the chassis, re-sprayed the pram body and returned the pram to its owner ‘as new’. Such machines were built to last.

However, the traders have not always had an easy life. During the 1980s, many were chased by the gardaí in an effort to get them off the streets for good.

Retired trader Ellen Preston (84), who was present at the launch with her family, recalled how on one occasion she ran up Dominic Street and hid in a confession box in St Saviour’s Church.

Fortunately, she and her fellow traders had a strong advocate in Councillors Tony Gregory and Christy Burke and in 1993 some local businesses presented 12 new pitches to them in Cole’s Lane.

Also present at the launch were re-nowned folklorist Terry Fagan and Dublin City Councillors Maureen O’Sullivan (Ind) and Nial Ring (Ind).

“It is great to see a book like this being published,

? said Cllr Ring. “Like the song, Dublin keeps on changing, but the prams are still there.

?

‘Dublin’s Working Prams – a Photographic Portrait of Dublin Street Traders’ is self-published by Susan Weir and is available from all good bookshops, priced

?¬19.95.