Blimey! Since the start of the year our neighbourhood has been designated a "hip" destination by the international media.
The Guardian kicked it off in January with a piece by Irish novelist Rob Doyle about how...
"Following a surge of ambivalently received gentrification, Stoneybatter has become synonymous with Dublin hipsterism. Mountain beards and craft beers are de rigueur, and you needn’t look hard to find 'hot yoga' venues, art spaces and community squats. Alongside the greasy spoons and chippers, there are newer, more self-conscious cafes of the produce-our-own-newsletter variety. Through a double shot of sudden money and cultural ferment, the area has become something of a little Williamsburg by the Liffey."
Sudden money? I could do with a bit of that myself.
A week later the Irish Times woke up to the Guardian story with a follow-up piece headlined "People of Stoneybatter prepare to be gentrified". Turned out to be more about Little Italy, as in the district of New York, rather than the splendid shop of the same name in Smithfield, D7.
On 10 March there was a passing mention in the Evening Standard's "Things to do in Dublin: where to stay, eat, drink and shop".
Then, this morning, "Dublin's hidden hip hotspot": a full page in the London and other UK editions of the Metro freesheet.
Its main focus is on food and drink, rather than the area's rich history or wider cultural stuff. The Lilliput Stores, L Mulligan gastropub, the Green Door Bakery, Walshes, the Cowtown Cafe and Slice all get photos and a mention.
The article even quotes me. Janey Mac, I've arrived. Next I'll be getting notions.
All these articles talk about young men with beards, and none mention the Maureen Death Stare. Ah well. You can't have everything. Better batten down the hatches for an invasion of hungry (and thirsty) tourists.