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Weekend Edition | September 5-7, 2025 | Issue #55

Weekend Edition | September 5-7, 2025 | Issue #55

Dirk Lauf
September 05, 2025

📬 SEPTEMBER SIZZLES IN, SENSATIONAL SOUTHSIDERS!

Welcome to the weekend that proves September in DLR might just be the sneakiest best time of the year! While the rest of Dublin is mourning the end of summer and frantically preparing for back-to-school chaos, we're here settling into that golden sweet spot where the tourists have thinned out, the weather's still gorgeous, and our beloved local haunts are all ours again.

This weekend brings the grand finale of the Summer of Heritage tours (last chance to pretend you're cultured!), serious DART disruptions that'll test your patience, and property prices that continue to make us look like investment wizards. Plus, with Music in Monkstown on the horizon and the Echoes Festival gearing up for October, September is shaping up to be anything but sleepy.

🍂 WEEKEND WEATHER CHECK: Partly cloudy with sunny intervals, temperatures hitting a comfortable 19°C – perfect for market browsing without the August sweat, ideal for harbour walks without Arctic expedition gear!

🎯 THIS WEEKEND'S UNMISSABLE LINEUP:

Why Saturday's DART engineering works might actually force you to discover hidden local gems
The Summer of Heritage finale that's your last chance for free culture this season
Property prices that prove Blackrock is basically Manhattan (but with better coffee)
Sunday markets that'll have you pretending you always buy organic
Plus: Restaurant bookings that are harder to get than Taylor Swift tickets

Grab your keep cup and your market tote – let's dive into what makes September in DLR absolutely unbeatable...

🎪 WEEKEND EVENTS: SEPTEMBER'S SECRET STASH

SATURDAY'S SENSATIONAL SELECTIONS

🏛️ SUMMER OF HERITAGE GRAND FINALE

Saturday & Sunday, September 6-7 | Various Locations What: The last weekend of free guided tours showcasing DLR's hidden history Why It Matters: After this, you'll have to actually pay to learn about local history Insider Intelligence: The Maritime Museum tours at 11am and 12:15pm are the crown jewels – stories of shipwrecks, maritime disasters, and the Halpin Collection Pro Move: Book the Sunday morning slot – smaller crowds, better photo ops 📍 Book Now: Eventbrite - Summer of Heritage

📚 PAVILION THEATRE'S AUTUMN PREVIEW

All Weekend | Pavilion Theatre, Marine Road What: While September shows are being finalized, Between the Notes 2025 lineup is announced Coming Soon: Crash Ensemble performing Philip Glass's Glassworks (September 24 - October 5) Why You Care: Tickets for autumn shows go fast – book now while locals are distracted by school runs 📍 Box Office: Pavilion Theatre

SUNDAY'S SPECTACULAR FINISH

🎵 MUSIC IN MONKSTOWN TICKETS LAUNCH

Tickets On Sale Now | Festival September 19-21 What: The classical music festival that makes us feel sophisticated The Lineup: Details dropping any day now, but expect world-class musicians in that stunning church setting Local Advantage: We can walk there while others battle for parking Strategy: Buy tickets now, worry about the actual program later 📍 Info: Music in Monkstown

🚆 TRANSPORT TALK: WEEKEND WARRIOR WARNING

MAJOR DART DISRUPTION ALERT 🚨

THE BIG SHUTDOWN

Saturday & Sunday, September 13-14 | Grand Canal Dock to Greystones What's Happening: No train service between Grand Canal Dock and Greystones Affected Stations: Lansdowne Road, Sandymount, Sydney Parade, Booterstown, Blackrock, Seapoint, Salthill, Monkstown, Dún Laoghaire, Glenageary, Dalkey, Killiney, Shankill, Woodbrook, and Bray

Translation: Our entire coastal paradise is cut off from the city by rail

YOUR SURVIVAL GUIDE:

DART services run Malahide/Howth to Grand Canal Dock only
Bus transfers between Dún Laoghaire/Bray and Greystones for Rosslare connections
Dublin Bus accepts rail tickets on parallel routes
Pro Tip: This is the universe telling you to stay local this weekend

THE SILVER LINING:

Woodbrook Station celebrated its first month of operation in August – when services resume, we'll have even better connectivity!

📍 Live Updates: Irish Rail Engineering Works

🏠 PROPERTY PULSE: THE NUMBERS THAT NEVER DISAPPOINT

DLR STILL REIGNING SUPREME 👑

Latest figures cementing our status as Ireland's property royalty:

THE HEADLINE GRABBERS:

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown median: €675,000 (still highest in the nation)
Blackrock (A94) median: €780,000 in June 2025 (most expensive Eircode in Ireland)
Glenageary (A96) median: €725,000+ (because sea views aren't free)
Annual growth: 6.6% in Dublin, but DLR premiums holding strong

NATIONAL CONTEXT:

Ireland median: €370,000
Dublin median: €486,000
Leitrim median: €190,000 (bless them)

Translation: Your morning coffee costs more than some people's mortgage payments in Leitrim.

EXPERT FORECAST:

Property experts predict continued 5% growth for 2025, with supply shortages keeping our area scorching hot until at least 2030. That renovation you've been putting off? It's basically printing money.

📍 Source: Central Statistics Office

🛒 MARKET MANIA: SUNDAY'S SOCIAL SCENE

DÚN LAOGHAIRE COCO MARKET

Sunday | 10am-4pm | People's Park & The LexIcon

THE SETUP:

50+ vendors split between two prime locations
Food Village (near LexIcon): Hot food that'll ruin your diet
People's Park: Arts, crafts, and things you don't need but must have

VENDOR LEGENDS TO FIND:

McNally Family Farm: Actual farmers at a farmers market (novel concept)
The Irish Charcoal BBQ: Dan Murphy's been perfecting this since 2012
Organic Delights: 10 years at the market and still going strong
Great American Food Company: Sugar donuts made fresh (resistance is futile)

Insider Timing: 10:30am for best selection, 3pm for vendor deals, 1pm for maximum social encounters

📍 Info: DLR CoCo Markets

BLACKROCK MARKET BRILLIANCE

Weekend | 11am-5:30pm | 19A Main Street

Why It Still Matters:

30+ stalls of eclectic excellence
Liath Restaurant hiding in plain sight (October bookings open September 1st at noon!)
That fortune teller who predicted nothing about property prices
The Georgian house setting that makes everything feel posher

This Week's Intel: September brings out serious antique dealers – perfect for finding that "investment piece" (aka expensive dust collector)

📍 Details: Blackrock Market

🍴 FOODIE FLASH: SEPTEMBER'S DINING DILEMMAS

RESERVATION ROULETTE

🌟 LIATH RESTAURANT ALERT

October Bookings Open NOW What: Our Michelin-starred secret in Blackrock Market The Deal: October reservations released September 1st at noon The Reality: Probably already gone, but check the waitlist Why It Matters: 14 seats only – more exclusive than getting your child into that oversubscribed school 📍 Book: Liath Restaurant

LOCAL CHAMPIONS STILL DELIVERING:

September (Blackrock): The wine bar that's created a cult following
Volpe Nera: Contemporary Mediterranean between Blackrock and Foxrock
The Blackrock: Where the rugby crowd pretends to understand cocktails
Ouzos (Dalkey): Still making us pretend we're in Mykonos

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION UPDATE:

Still. Coming. Soon. At this rate, our grandchildren might taste those éclairs.

🎭 COMING ATTRACTIONS: SEPTEMBER'S SOCIAL CALENDAR

NEXT WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS

MASSIVE DART DISRUPTION

September 13-14: No coastal DART services – plan accordingly or embrace being marooned

MUSIC IN MONKSTOWN

September 19-21 | Monkstown Parish Church What: Three days of classical excellence in stunning surroundings Tickets: On sale now – don't procrastinate Why It Matters: Makes us look cultured without leaving the neighborhood 📍 Details: Coming soon to Music in Monkstown

OCTOBER PREVIEW

📚 ECHOES LITERARY FESTIVAL

October 3-5 | Dalkey Castle What: Maeve Binchy's legacy lives on with Ireland's coziest literary festival The Draw: Contemporary Irish writers, performances, and Dalkey charm Early Bird: Programme launches September – get ready for ticket warfare 📍 Info: Echoes Festival

📚 COMMUNITY CORNER: LOCAL LEGENDS

LIBRARY LOVE CONTINUES

September at our libraries is bringing:

Heritage Week wrap-up events
Back-to-school study spaces (already claimed by Leaving Cert students)
Autumn reading programs launching
Free everything while your wallet recovers from summer

RANDOM ACTS OF SEPTEMBER AWESOME

Spotted This Week:

Neighbours organizing DART disruption carpools via WhatsApp
Local cafés creating "September Survivors" coffee loyalty cards
Someone left "Free Apples" boxes outside their house (the season begins!)
Blackrock Market vendors creating special "locals only" deals (wink wink)

🎯 WEEKEND WISDOM: YOUR SEPTEMBER STRATEGY

SATURDAY SUCCESS FORMULA

Morning Mission (9-11am):

Hit Blackrock Market before the lunch crowd
Book those Music in Monkstown tickets
Check out Summer of Heritage tours

Afternoon Adventure (12-4pm):

Long lunch at a local spot (you've earned it)
Coastal walk while weather holds
Plan your DART disruption survival strategy

SUNDAY'S PERFECT PIPELINE

The Ideal Itinerary:

10am: People's Park Market reconnaissance
11am: Maritime Museum tour (last chance!)
1pm: Market lunch from multiple vendors
3pm: Harbor walk to digest
5pm: Early dinner somewhere without a reservation requirement

📱 SOCIAL BUZZ: THE DIGITAL WATER COOLER

🔥 Hot Takes:

"Is September in DLR better than August? Discuss."
"DART disruption is just the universe saying stay local"
"Blackrock property prices now require scientific notation"

📸 Instagram Gold:

Last-of-summer harbour shots (#SeptemberSunsets)
Market haul flat lays (#LocalAndLovingIt)
Heritage tour discoveries (#HiddenDLR)

💌 CLOSING THOUGHTS

Here's what I love about September in DLR – it's like that perfect Sunday evening feeling stretched across an entire month. The summer madness has passed, the autumn coziness hasn't quite arrived, and we're left with this golden moment where everything feels just right.

Sure, the DART's about to make our lives complicated for a weekend, and yes, those property prices mean our children will probably need to discover a new planet to afford living here. But this weekend? This weekend we have markets to browse, heritage to discover, and the last wisps of summer to chase along our spectacular coastline.

September in DLR isn't about endings – it's about settling into the rhythm that makes this place special. It's neighbours bumping into each other at markets, it's booking restaurants months in advance, it's knowing that even engineering works can't diminish the magic of living where others vacation.

Weekend Challenge: Visit one Summer of Heritage site you've always passed but never entered. Share your discovery with someone who thinks they know everything about DLR (spoiler: they don't).

Here's to September – the month that reminds us why we're the smartest people in Dublin! 🌊

🔔 STAY CONNECTED WITH SOUTHSIDE SCOOP

Spotted something newsworthy? Got intel on that French éclair situation? Know the real story behind the DART delays? Overheard October restaurant opening rumors?

📧 Drop us a line: [email protected] 📱 Follow us: @SouthSideScoop 🔄 Share this newsletter: Because good neighbours keep each other informed

Next week: DART disruption survival guide, Music in Monkstown preview, and why September restaurant bookings are the new currency.

Until then, embrace September's golden glow! 🍂

SouthSide Scoop is written by locals, for locals, with just enough insider knowledge to navigate DART disruptions and just enough community spirit to share our secret parking spots (just kidding, we're taking those to the grave).