Dublin Electoral Constituency Google map

Anyone coming to my blog looking for Dail constituencies, I don't have em.

The official Constituency Commission has images and detailed reports on the boundaries and changes.

Go here for the 2012 boundaries in google-kml http://www.tallyroom.com.au/maps (freeif credited to Ben Raue ) or here for more detailed ones with Electoral (sub) Divisions http://icampaigned.com/blog/dail-constituency-maps/ (not free) or go Ordnance Survey Ireland for commercial use files.

Of course I think digital boundaries files of useful detail should be information should be free for non-commercial reuse.

I had traced on the Dublin city and County Electoral commission for 2004 and made it available on bbs.keyhole.com but the Electoral Commission put out a report and new maps for 2012.

Dublin County Constituency (draft v2.0) and for Google Earth program and for Googlemaps to view in your browser

A lot of outer Dublin wasn't very clear in GE but they updated some areas like the Dublin mountains so I can trace the border more accurately, but not the very northwest of county Dublin.

Just the Dublin City Electoral Constituency (draft v2.0) for Google Earth program and for Googlemap to view in your browser.

So I've updated them here I consider it still a draft until more eyes have been on it to spot any mistakes I may have made. I had hesitated on publicising them more because I thought maybe bad maps are worse then no maps. But along as have caveats about their accuracy people may still find them useful. At some point I saved an old map over a newer ones I had double checked which so I wasn't sure which I had double checked which browned me off on the whole thing. As new higher resolution photos of Dublin appear the lines no longer match exactly...:/ And the commission maps doesn't stretch and match over the GE satellite image either. I don't think they'll ever be perfect.

I'll add links descriptions, TD's, election result and other constituency stats.

2004 Dublin City and County Constituency Commission polygons and map overlay draft 2004

The Index of streets of the electoral register for Dublin City might be helpful to you, via Vocal Voter.
Dail at wikipedia Politics.ie Dail wiki Boundaries at electionsireland.org South Dublin

View Larger Map

PS. The creator of itison.tv has pointed there the OSI have new web service called Smartmaps He shows us some different views of Tara, Rath Lugh and Lismullin. There have couple of different types of maps you can buy but you can't seem to preview them. Also strangely there are earlier maps then the ones at the NPWS with maps from ~2003 that shows the scar of the M3 going through Tara, these aerial photos are very different a step clearer and brighter feel 70's.

PPS. Eirepreneur continues to jump start Irish uses of new mapping apps by giving an example of a collaborate google mymap, he has started one on wifi hotspots. I hope to find a project to create my own and get people involved. I was wondering would it be efficient to use this collaborative method to create maps for the constituencies for the rest of Ireland and the European and local elections, but I don't know whether hand traced maps data would eventually be useful for anybody to use and mash up to display other information. Any other ideas for useful Irish collaborative maps?

Catholics called to Cudgel Secularists by Cardinal Brady

Cardinal calls on Catholics to fight against secularism. By Johnny O`Hanlon, in Rome.

NEWLY elected Cardinal, Archbishop Sean Brady, called on Catholics to "take up the cudgels against secularism" in Ireland when he informally addressed the guests at a reception at the Irish College in Rome on Monday evening.

Well if you want to talk aggressiveness how about this sort of talk from a bishop! :)

As I said before the bishops are conflating materialism with secularism again. They might be two noted trends of the modern era but I don't see the direct connection between them. It such a big subject I haven't managed to channel my anger at his ill-considered speeches to into a blog entry that would sum up the issue, it is admittedly hard to define secularisms place in society (without using words such as values), I have started to correct people when they use the word freedom when they mean capitalism but maybe secularism is a counterpart of capitalism although I personally would consider secularism as having more value to a society then capitalism.

Although heres an interesting counterpoint to my opinion on commercialism.

Bertie Ahern talked in the Dail about 'aggressive secularism'. Yet all I see is secularism 101, its this church which is aggressivly trying to keep its privileged position.

The bishops say the word secularism far more then they say materialism, although they are taking the word as secular meaning the secular and the profane rather then secularism as in creating society neutral to religion.

Here are some examples of recent comments from the bishops, where they compare secularists with...drug addicts,violence, killings, alcoholics, convicts, vain celebrities...

Being an Irish celebrity can-be-dangerous-warns-bishop Bishop of Limerick Donal Murray waffles.

Preaching in Christchurch Cathedral, Dr Neill reminded the congregation that it was not only the socially deprived who were vulnerable. "Those who have lost all sense of direction and meaning in life, in a society focused on wealth creation and instant gratification, are extremely vulnerable," he said.

"The drug culture that has recently come to public attention is indeed about addiction, but it is also about wealth, instant self-gratification and criminal activity including mindless violence and murder.

Unfortunately we have to depend on the Pope to actually name capitalism rather then just secularism as a threat. Pope Speech in Brazil For some reason the Bishop can't manage to say the word capitalism in a critical manner? The Pope Denounces Capitalism and Marxism

The headlines is Brady says Ireland's secular project has failed Welcoming economic growth in the Republic as "a fantastic and very welcome achievement", he warned of "becoming intoxicated with it" as there was "growing concern about evidence of a gradual breakdown in social cohesion". This arose from "an emphasis on the happiness of the individual, particularly of the individual as a consumer".

This evidence included a "dramatic increase in the levels of violent crime", with "increasing use of illegal drugs", "the phenomenon of gangland killings", and the fact that "our young people have some of the highest levels of alcohol addiction in Europe". The most tragic evidence was "the unprecedented levels of suicide, notably among the young".

There was clear evidence that "many people are getting tired of the emptiness and stress of a life built predominantly on secular and consumerist values".

He is suggesting secularism can't battle greed as well as catholicism can. But as always secularism isn't trying put itself in that position, I don't know what is. Innate commonsense, considered thought and mutual aid perhaps.

Archbishop: We're addicted to wealth and shallow celebrities