Treasure trail: Font and type maps of Ireland

UPDATE: A very humorous map of Ireland has been brought to my attention (thanks for the tip-off, Caitríona).

One day last year RTÉ 2FM's Rick O'Shea asked listeners: which questions would you put on an Irish citizenship test? Twitter went into overdrive and the talented team at Fluffy Button later selected 99 of the funniest responses with the #citizenshiptest hashtag to create this gorgeous A2 poster. It costs just €9 (plus postage) and half the proceeds go to the charity Médicins Sans Frontieres.

My Eoghan is always giving out to me for buying too many prints and posters, but he can't possibly be angry when the #citizenshiptest poster arrives through the letterbox, as one of his tweets is featured on it!

Eoghan, twitter.com/rice_e, suggested:
Emotions are a) things that should be talked about b) things Americans have
(He's down near Limerick on the map!)

Other gems include:

• Do you live in mortal fear of leaving the immersion on?
• You need to get a relative to hospital urgently. Do you a) Ring an ambulance or b) Ring Liveline
• When you're telling someone a great yarn and they implore you to "Stop", do you a) Stop or b) Keep going with gusto?
• Pronounce 'The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste met Tadhg and Caoimhe on Aungier Street between the Dáil and Ranelagh'
• How many g's are in 'ham sandwich'?
• If a feature on RTÉ News reports that an incident took place at tea time, what time did the incident take place?
• You see someone famous. Do you a) Approach them for a picture or b) Ignore them You wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

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Forget confusing grid references or silly symbols, an eye-catching font is all you need for a well-designed map.

Here's maps of Ireland like you or your old Folen's geography book have never seen them before.

Just type in your destination:

GREEN ISLE: This digitally printed map of Ireland by Etsy's Fontmap (above and below) showcases the 32 counties in punchy citrus brights. Sized to fit A3 frames, it costs approx €24.52 plus delivery. Unfortunately, Laois has become Leix.

PLACE FAME: Is your hometown on this detailed type map of Ireland (available in sheer slate and deep sea green, above and below) by the excellent team at Bold & Noble? I can vouch for the high quality of their prints, having purchased their Ireland and UK type map before they created the Ireland-only version. Approx €51.70 plus postage. Fits into IKEA frames.

NO SHORTCUTS HERE: Jane Steger-Lewis of the gorgeous I Love Mayo painstakingly cut this Papercut Map of Ireland (featuring birds and shamrocks) by hand over the course of the month. It costs just €22 thanks to the current post-Christmas sale (usual price €35) plus postage and packing and suits IKEA's Virserum Frame. Custom colours are available at a higher price.

City slickers: Dublin-inspired design

Back in my newspaper days, I met Andy Mac Manus, a very talented Irish graphic designer and artist who is now based in London.

At the time, he had painstakingly created a 360 degree view of Dublin's O'Connell Bridge and I was so taken with it that he printed off a section of it (my walls couldn't fit the whole thing!). 

ART CAPITAL: Two prints from Andy Mac Manus's Panoramic Dublin feature an extremely detailed view of O'Connell Bridge and hang in my living room

Andy, who last month completed a masters in graphic design at the London College of Communication, gave me a choice of two and I couldn't decide, so I took both!

I am obsessed with all things Dublin and the Panoramic Dublin prints take pride of place in my sitting room. You can see some of Andy other's work and the original Panoramic Dublin on his website, http://cargocollective.com/andymacmanus.

Here's a selection of other Dublin-inspired beauties:

SKY DRAPER: The view of the Liffey from the Ha'penny bridge onwards in this Dublin skyline print (approx €16.12 plus delivery) by Etsy shop birdAve is available in custom colours. Designed to fit into the IKEA Ribba 8" by 10" frame.

SITTING PRETTY IN THE CITY: Inspired by the city's Georgian architecture, this lovely digitally printed Dublin cushion designed by Zoe Beck (approx €60 plus delivery) is available from the Hidden Art shop.

TREE HOUSE: Turned into a 'tree towel' after it became the most popular print from their Eight Tree Exhibition, the Dublin 8 Tree Towel by Red Dog the Store has been reduced from €18 to €14.88. 

DRY ME A RIVER: This romantic Dublin Love gocco print (approx €12.09 plus delivery) is by artsharkdesigns on Etsy

PUB TRAWL: Marketed as a gift for your man on St. Valentine's Day, this typographical representation of Dublin's pubs and landmarks by Bates Mercantile Co on Etsy costs approx €5.60 for a printable PDF

STOP THE LIGHTS: This stunning laser cut map of Dublin is a feast for the eyes and was created by Dublin-based design company Alljoy. It costs €48 and is available from the Irish Design Store.

WE BUILT THIS CITY ON ROCK (CAKE) AND ROLL: The Map of Dublin tea towel (€6.75 and made from organic cotton) is one of many design treats available from The Cake Café

CITY GUIDE: The gorgeous Dublin Landmarks notebook by Ursula Celano is made in our capital city and the landmarks featured include the Pigeon House, Liberty Hall and the Ha'penny Bridge. It costs €9.95 and is available from Ursula Celono or from Article, Powerscourt Townhouse, Dublin 2. Thanks for getting this for me, Nathalie!

TOTE-ALLY DUBLIN: Part of a range of Dublin-themed products designed by Designist in collaboration with Le Cool Dublin, this 100% cotton Love Dublin tote bag (€8.50) features tweets that trended on a particular day in 2011 which demonstrate why we Dubliners love our city.

Word play

Top of the most-read list on the Guardian's website today is Charlie Brooker's suggestions for New Year's resolutions. He writes: "These are the things I want humankind to stop doing immediately, on the grounds they've been doing them too long." First on his list is an appeal to stop creating 'Keep Calm and Carry On' variants.

WAR OF WORDS: An original copy of the 'Keep Calm and Carry On' poster at Barter Books,  Northumberland, England. Image via Wikipedia

The iconic WWII poster, aimed at motivating the British public during those dark days (according to Wikipedia it was intended to boost morale in the event of invasion), has found itself brought back to life from fridge magnets to undies and subverted into other catchphrases *inspired* by the original. Even Amazon sells a copy of the ubiquitous poster.

In his typically cynical and humorous piece, Brooker draws his readers' attention to the fact that the design belongs to a second-hand book shop in Alnwick, Northumberland, England, called Barter Books, where an original copy of the poster was discovered some years earlier.

"It belongs on a poster, or a mug, or a tea towel sold by Barter Books. But not on a packet of condoms or a soft drink. Or a cushion. Or engraved on your baby's face. Every bastard's churning out "Keep Calm" merchandise these days. Check your attic. Someone's probably up there screen printing it on to a hammock right now."

WHAT A CARRY ON: Unfunny variations on the 'Keep Calm and Carry On'  slogan. Image from All Posters.

But there has been one positive to this nostalgia-driven commercial-athon: the rise in interest in catchphrase and slogan-based designs.

Irish designers have created their own striking typography-driven posters which are original in their own right. Here's a selection of my favourites:

PRINTS CHARMING: This beautiful 'Come Here to Me' poster (approx €15.32 plus delivery) is one of many designs available at Irish Etsy shop FunkyGibbo

TEA-MENDOUS: Mrs. Doyle's cuppa catchphrase has never-ending appeal in this poster by Jane Steger-Lewis of I Love Mayo (€22 plus postage and packaging). It also fits nicely into IKEA's Virserum frame, which is handy.

AP-PEEL TO YOUR BETTER SENSES: A line uttered by many mammies over the years. Available on sale for €50 with free delivery from Grand Grand Grand Grand

BLESS SUCCESS: A classic Irish blessing is immortalised in this poster (from €9.95 plus postage and packaging, available in two sizes and three shades) by I Love Mayo

COP SHOP: This motivational poster (€20) from Grand Grand Grand Grand comes in the appropriately named Guard Blue shade.

A Luas connection?

Back in the days before electronic destination signs, bus, tram and train drivers had to yank the relevant placenames into view using blinds and scrolls.

Vintage transport signage (particularly those featuring London and New York boroughs) have become very popular in the interiors world in recent years, with many companies re-creating them and offering personalised options.

However, I had to laugh when I stumbled upon this offering from Etsy shop GoingUnderground (which produces subway art with beautiful typography at reasonable prices).

VIA WHERE? Dublin's Luas lines seem a lot more glamorous (and interconnected) in these beautifully produced posters. They measure 11" by 17" and cost approx €38 plus delivery for the set of three.
Photo: GoingUnderground on Etsy

Based in New York (and therefore too far away to know about the short-sightedness of previous transport planning in this country), I'm guessing that GoingUnderground don't realise our two Luas lines are not connected (unless you count the little man walking from one to the other in the official Luas map below).

The poster on the left features Red Line stations only (though in random order), while the middle and right have a mixture of both Green and Red Line stations.

Much as I'd like to get to Dundrum via James as per the poster on the right, I don't think that this will be an option for a very many number of years (the Luas BXD line is due to begin construction in 2015).

And as someone who uses the Red Line, I don't think I have any particular sentimental reason for wanting to be reminded of my local stops such as Suir Road, or indeed Balally on the Green Line. 

The two Luas lines opened in 2004 complete with electronic destination signs, so lack the historical aspect of the shop's other offerings, such as the gorgeous red posters below.

JOURNEY THROUGH TIME: I love some of the placenames on this scroll, particularly the first two on the poster on the left. A set of three San Francisco scrolls is also approx €38 plus delivery for the set of three.
Photo: GoingUnderground on Etsy

It would be a nice idea to re-create the scrolls of the long defunct Harcourt to Bray rail line. The destruction of this transport link in the 1950s was extremely short-sighted and it cost millions to rebuild sections of it for the Luas Green Line.