Whoa - back in the day I spent a lot of time in Bray, where I had a lady friend.
Nights out during summer were always a blast. A few drinks in Jim Doyle's front garden in the sun then off to The Dug Inn for the midnight show. John Martyn was a regular - he did solo shows after midnight for a fiver in. Usually after his main gig with his band in The Boxing Stadium on the south circular. He was friendly, courteous, and whacked up on the Colombian marching powder. Bray was bustling back then, the streets full of party people.
On a site now called The Maltings, I rented an enormous space in what used to be a wallpaper manufacturers, and the first floor was a storage space full of baths and sinks. I took a space of around 120sqm for £20 a month. It wasn't safe but I took my chances and left my working kit there so I could show up any time. I'd often take the last bus out to Bray and spend the night working alone.
It was very spooky. Half the roof was missing or caved in down the front end, and my end was full of pigeons. At night there were all sorts of weird noises and it sometimes freaked me out enough to take the torch and have a look around that there wasn't a burglar scoping me out. As I was looking around this one time, a startled pigeon took flight right next to my ear and I almost passed out with the fright. Eventually I had to move out as the site was bought by a developer and renovations were to begin.
A couple of years later a pal of mine moved into an apartment his folks bought as an investment. He stayed there in between guests (usually famous people who needed a place nearby Ardmore Studios). So Daniel Day Lewis, Juliette Lewis (no relation) Jim Kerr, and several other big names stayed there. When it was empty for a while, he invited me over for dinner. I couldn't fucking believe it: his lounge used to be my studio. Except now it's absolutely fucking stunning. The beams of the ceiling had been cut through to make a floating bed above the lounge. Massive kitchen, several bedrooms, art, antique furniture, the works.
I got to sleep up on the gantry above the lounge. I had nightmares - really vivid and very scary. I started remembering the pigeons and the noises I used to hear. A dead friend (his brother) showed up in one dream. In the end I found a bedroom offside the lounge and slept there instead. The place is listed for millions at the moment but I'm not sure who owns it now.
This one is located at the far end of the building to where my studio was, it's smaller but still has lots of the old beams and stonework.
www.property24-7.ie
Talk about fashionable addresses.
