Legless in Cork: Crane Lane Theatre

Crane Lane Theatre
Phoenix Street, Cork
cranelanetheatre.ie


I have only been to Crane Lane once and that was after The National in the Marquee in the summer of 2013. It was the height of our Irish heatwave and spirits were high. The place was absolutely rammed with the post-gig crowd and it certainly rammed a way into my heart. This is probably because the DJ played 'Fill Me In' by Craig David.


What has it got?

Seating: Plenty of moveable chairs here and low tables. 

Doors: Most of the venue is open plan but all of the doors are wide and easy to open. 

Ground: Grated wooden flooring. 

Stairs: There are a couple of steps in the front entrance but the bouncers will bring any wheelchair users around to the side entrance. You also get to skip the queue this way. Win. 

Bathrooms: They have a large wheelchair bathroom near the side entrance. 

Spaciousness: Enough room for hundreds of punters to throw shapes to Craig David, that's for sure. 

Helpfulness of Staff: The bouncers were great here and showed me to the accessible entrance before the thought even crossed my mind. 

Parking: You're out drinking. Leave the car at home please. But if any Cork folk could tell me where parking is, please do. 

Rating: 9/10

Why did it lose points? Now, I have a lot of grá for this place but they don't seem to promote their access enough so a lot of people are not aware of what they have to offer, even Yelp says it's not wheelchair friendly when it is. So, Crane Lane, if you're listening, promote the JAYSUS out of your access. 

Voodoo Lounge

Voodoo Lounge

39-40 Arran Quay, Dublin 7

facebook.com/vldublin

The last time I was in Voodoo Lounge, I was 17 and masquerading as a rocker. While I have given up the charade of pretending to like Billy Talent, this place is still going and, lo and behold, it has improved over the years. I managed to see Bantum and Alright the Captain there on Saturday night as well as my friend Gary giving a 10/10 impression of Rihanna. It's a grand spot for some music and being ridiculous with your mates. 

What has it got?

Seating: There are a number of low tables with moveable chairs but it is mostly high stools and tables here as well as booths with fixed chairs. There are a couple of couches near the pool table. 

Doors: The doors were a little heavy but they are wide enough for a wheelchair. 

Ground: In the hallway, the floor is tiled and in the bar, they have wooden floors. 

Stairs: There is an upstairs seating area but everything you need is on the ground floor with no steps anywhere. 

Bathrooms: They have a wheelchair bathroom - huzzah! You don't need to ask at the bar for the key - huzzah!

Spaciousness: Plenty of room here. I had no problems with getting to and from the bar or the bathroom. 

Helpfulness of Staff: The bouncers helped me out with the doors making sure I was alright. 

Parking: There is wheelchair parking around the back of Voodoo in Smithfield Square as well as plenty of street parking. 

Rating: 10/10

Why did it lose points? Voodoo is very easy to get around which is a huge triumph for a bar with live music.

The O2, Dublin

The O2 (but The Point forever in our hearts)
Northwall Quay, Dublin 1
theo2.ie


For a long time, Dublin's biggest concert venue was The Point. It was a large warehouse with the mystique of a large, red velvet curtain separating us from the toilets and popcorn stands. In 2008, it reopened as The O2, the exact venue that you can find across the UK. For every complaint you can make about poor sound quality, remember, you're never more than a mere skip and a jump from one of their 14 bars.


What has it got?

Seating: There is an assigned wheelchair area (limited space so be sure to buy a ticket for the wheelchair area if you need it) with fold-up chairs provided for you, your friend or your carer. 

Doors: The doors are all very wide and easy to open. 

Ground: It's a type of lino which means that it doesn't become a complete ice rink when drinks spill. 

Stairs: There's lifts to every floor and at the end of the concert, all wheelchair users are brought to a larger, industrial lift to skip the queues for the main lifts. 

Bathrooms: To every ladies and gents with dozens upon dozens of cubicles, there is one wheelchair bathroom which is very large. You will often have to queue up for these. 

Spaciousness: Plenty of room here. 

Helpfulness of Staff: The O2 "angels" will direct you to your seats and help with the lift. Inside the venue, the staff in blue shirts are very helpful with getting to and from your seats. 

Parking: There is wheelchair parking available in the Gibson Hotel car park beside The O2. There is onstreet wheelchair parking but these are rarely free. 

Rating: 9/10

Why did it lose points? I docked The O2 one point because you will always have the same view at a concert here. The wheelchair viewing area has a decent view but if you go there regularly, if you could shake it up a little, that would be great. 

At least the silver lining here is that if you buy a wheelchair ticket a lot of the time, you will get a free ticket for your carer/assistant/friend. 

The Grand Social

The Grand Social
35 Lower Liffey Street, Dublin 1
thegrandsocial.ie


The Grand Social is a very laid back and easy-going bar and they have bands playing very regularly in their upstairs venue. It's one of my staple bars.


What has it got?

Seating: The majority of the chairs here are moveable and will fit a wheelchair. They also have couches. 

Doors: The doors are easy enough to open. The front doors are manned by bouncers almost all of the time and they will grab them for you. 

Ground: The floor here is lino, I believe, so when drinks are spilled, you won't go sliding too far. 

Stairs: There are no steps at the entrance and on the ground level you have a bar and a wheelchair bathroom. There are about three steps down to the second bar and, unfortunately, their music venue and lovely smoking area are up a flight of stairs. 

Bathrooms: They have a decent sized wheelchair bathroom here and it has a mirror. You'd be surprised how many wheelchair bathrooms don't have mirrors. You need a code to open the door for the bathroom but ask at the bar and you'll be looked after. I would put the code here but I don't want to be the reason behind any bathroom babies. 

Spaciousness: This place can get pretty busy. The front bar is a bit of a bottle neck with people coming and going. I normally sit at the far end of the bar and I have enough room to get to and from the bathroom but I send my mates up to get my drinks. 

Helpfulness of Staff: The staff here are very helpful and have often leant an arm and some muscle when I want to go upstairs. 

Parking: There's wheelchair parking on Bachelors Walk and on Great Strand Street (map here). 

Rating: The rating will be funny here.

As a bar: 9/10

As a music venue: 1/10

Why did it lose points? As a bar, it only loses one point because it is quite tight to move around but you have everything you need on the ground level. 

As a music venue, it lost 9 points because you can only get up there via piggyback. I personally have no problem being lifted up but it is not ideal, probably not very safe and basically a pain in the ass. It got one point because the upstairs is totally flat, so if you make it up there, you can go between the venue and smoking area with ease. However, the bathrooms up there are small cubicles.