The new feature of Newcastle, Co Down, Norn Iron, is the spanking new promenade mid town which has been two years in the making. According to the wee girl in our local shop it is post modern or modrern as folks round here often have it). I have never been quite sure what that means as modern is surely modern, ie cutting edge new,-post modern might mean that things are going down hill and we are in danger of regressing retro-wards. Anyhow she has a boy friend who worked on the site and used to tell her, waxing lyrical, how it was going, block by block, which apparently invited the sharp retort ' I don't want to know what it is made of I just want to walk on it'. But she likes it and it
is striking with its steel tubular seats, flat topped lighting, charming flights of broad shallow steps sweeping into the sea, large wooden seats much too wide to sit comfortably on but would suit a passing dosser for a night or two. And at one end there is the very latest in public loos-his, hers and the disabled person. Shiny aliminum, with those kind of softly opening (and closing, one hopes) space capsule like doors from which you might expect Dr Who to emerge, duty done and zipped up with his bidee in (for the series)exiting from the distaff side similarly non-dishabillee.
Our transatlantic visitors might, if caught short, after over indulging on Guiness and Dundrum Bay oysters, be a bit dismayed by the apparent restrictions on the use to which these facilities can be put. A huge sign outside the neo-post modern toilets warns starkly:
NO DUMPING.
