Life in Ireland with DJ Ram IN 1987 I started working as a chef in a few places in Dublin like The Cedar Tree, a Lebanese restaurant in the centre of town, and then at Wolfman Jack’s in Rathmines, an American-style steakhouse and burger bar. I still know the owner Jay Bourke, a proprietor of several hostelries around Dublin.
I started as a kitchen porter in both establishments and worked my way up from there. I remember one of the most famous customers, while I was at The Cedar Tree, was Mick Hucknall from Simply Red.
As well as my work as a chef I had started out as a film extra. I worked with some well-known film and television actors over the years, such as Dennis Hopper, Craig Charles and Daniel Day Lewis.
When the latter and his production company were looking for extras to work on In The Name of the Father, I was chosen because of my Rastafarian appearance. I recall the set of the film was like a big family. And they remembered me, too – three years later I got to work on The Boxer. It was an honour to work with Daniel Day Lewis.
Getting to know people in the film business such as Jim Sheridan was another good result of getting involved in movies. All of this time I was building up my contacts, something which has really helped me here.
During Ireland’s last recession in the 1980s, I wasn’t a shop owner, but now that I am I feel differently about the current downturn. Life has certainly come full circle for me.
When I first came to Ireland there was no ‘tiger’ economy. The country was moving forward, but one step at a time. A lot of people I knew in Ireland back then had to emigrate as there were no options left to them.
The difference now is that over the last 20 years, so many people made so much money in that time. Despite the recession, there are a lot of people who have money – fortunes made from investments.
And there are more people now – four million compared to the three million here in the ’80s. Many people who emigrated then have returned to the country, and there is peace in the North. All these things have made a difference.
I mention the North because in the ’80s we used to cross the border for bargains, but when the economy improved we started going to New York instead. Now, things have come full circle and people are going over the border again to shop!
This recession is a big lesson to a lot of people who don’t deserve to be in business – they are chancers. The country was awash with money. Builders became developers overnight, and they hadn’t a clue about the business.
The banks played a big part in helping those fools, and that is part of the reason why we’re in this situation. But I think some small traders are less badly affected, as they have been much more careful in their investments.
Four or five years ago, when I was trying to find a location for my shop, it was impossible. But today it’s the rent that has made it difficult for everybody, especially now that there’s less money around.
Years ago I used to tell my friends and customers: “Ten years from now my shop will be as big as Tower Records!” I’m glad it didn’t go that route, or I’m sure I’d be closed by now.
To be continued...
DJ Ram, originally from Libya, is a DJ and proprietor of the Dublin-based reggae music store In Dub
