Many films and television series have been made in Ireland in recent years, but I wonder if there is any other part of the country to which the cameras return more often than the Stoneybatter area of Dublin?
This sleepy inner-city village between Smithfield and the Phoenix Park - where coal and other solid fuels are still occasionally delivered by a bell-laden horse and cart, and whose air is often flavoured with the thick aroma of Guinness from the St James's Gate brewery - has been a regular film and music video set over the past few years.
And it is not difficult to understand why the cameras come back so often. If you ever wanted to see a place that could be considered close to the popular myth of Dublin in the "rare oul' times" - with no mock-traditional/phoney Paddy-whackery/lashings of Celtic coddle nonsense about it - then this is it.
Neighbours
Stoneybatter's mainly artisan-built streets are a complex warren of terraced two-up two-downs - a throw-back to an age when houses were built without cars in mind. Housing densities were high and neighbours couldn't avoid each other, even if they tried their best.
Among the more recent films which used the area as a backdrop were Neil Jordan's Michael Collins and Sweety Barrett, starring Brendan Gleeson. For Jim Sheridan's The Boxer, part of Oxmantown Road was transformed into a version of Belfast's Shankill Road on the Twelfth of July.
It was a curious sight, indeed, with the kerbstones painted red, white and blue, Union Jacks and bunting fluttering in the wind, large militant murals for "God and Ulster" hanging about the place and - perhaps most bizarrely of all - a ceremonial arch stretching across the street with a triumphant King Billy on his white horse at its centre. If walking through this loyalist display wasn't amazing enough, locals on their way to work could then watch film stars such as Daniel Day Lewis performing at the end of their street.
With so much filming taking place in the locality, residents (myself included) can sometimes miss some of the stars while they are working in Stoneybatter, and then see the results of their work in the most unexpected places.
After arriving at Leonardo Da Vinci airport in Rome recently, I went to the baggage claim area and waited for my luggage to appear. All around me, super-cool Italians communicated their arrival to as many people as possible via their mobile phones.
My attention was caught by a large television screen tuned to MTV. Bad as some of the music was, I felt it was an improvement on overhearing hordes of super-sauves continually saying "Ciao, sono arrivato" into their phones.
Then I was startled to see a vision of Stoneybatter appearing before me on the screen. There were all the familiar streetscapes, and the occasional horse and cart. Next, most surprisingly, the Spice Girls - all five of them - appeared singing their hit single Human Touch.
Singing along
A number of the younger Italians thought this was supercool and began singing along to the Spice Girls and, just for a while, even some of the mobile phone brigade stopped talking to watch. Certainly not Dublin in the rare oul' times, especially with Baby Spice wearing those awful pier-like platform boots.
Yet more filming has taken place this week in Stoneybatter. Everlasting Productions Ltd shot part of their film Everlasting Piece in the neighbourhood - turning Oxmantown Road into a loyalist area of Belfast once again with murals, Union Jacks and, well, you know the rest.
Before filming began, the company approached a number of locals about using their houses as part of a set. A neighbour and I repaired to Kavanagh's pub, one of Stoneybatter's finest establishments, to discuss the situation. You see, our houses were in competition for one of the scenes.
Brown envelopes
The possibility of brown envelopes aside, we joked about whether or not the winning residence would have the chance of an Oscar in the Best Supporting House category. Could it become famous as the house where what's-his-face said to so-and-so something like "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse"? And would we have to put up with van-loads of groupies having their pictures taken outside the house and asking to have a look inside?
Alas, our houses were just a few doors too far down the road and somebody else's home has been captured on celluloid. Still, we may get another chance of vicarious cinematic glory. For the word is certainly out among those who make movies and videos in Ireland that, if you're looking for an authentic, turn-of-the-century, inner-city neighbourhood, then Stoneybatter's your only man.