2016 Photo Blog

CONNOLLY RAILWAY STATION

July 22, 2023 by infomatique

THE BUSIEST IN IRELAND

Connolly Station or Dublin Connolly is one of the busiest railway stations in Dublin and Ireland, and is a focal point in the Irish route network. On the North side of the River Liffey, it provides InterCity, Enterprise and commuter services to the north, north-west, south-east and south-west. The north–south Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) and Luas red line light rail services also pass through the station. The station offices are the headquarters of Irish Rail, Iarnród Éireann.

Opened in 1844 as Dublin Station, the ornate facade has a distinctive Italianate tower at its centre. The station was renamed in 1919 after James Connolly, a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising.

Here are some additional facts about Connolly Station:

The station has seven platforms.
The station is wheelchair accessible.
There is a car park at the station.
There are a number of shops and cafes at the station.
The station is open 24 hours a day.

TWISTED AND DISTORTED TREES AT ST ANNE’S PARK

July 22, 2023 by infomatique

AS THEY WERE BACK IN APRIL 2016

When I visited the park in April 2016 I had to shelter for about three hours as the rain was so intense but I was able to devote time to photographing the trees.

One of the most distinctive characteristics of St Anne’s Park in Raheny are the avenues of fine trees, which originally framed the main house. Notably the long and wide East/West Avenue is planted with Holm oaks (Quercus ilex), Monterey pines (Pinus radiata) and Austrian Pines (Pinus nigra). There are several other avenues framed with yews (Taxus baccata), horse chestnuts (Aesculus hippocatanum), Holm oaks or Monterey pines. Another feature of St. Anne’s Park is the extensive planting of holm oak. This species, resistant to sea wind, was selected by the Guinness family to act as a shelter belt along its coastal boundary and along the boundary of the park. It was also Lord Ardilaun’s favourite tree.

The Naniken River flows through the park and its banks are dominated by large and mature beech (Fagus sylvatica). Adjacent woodlands contain Holm oak, Monterey cypress, yew, and horse chestnut, as well as self-seeded trees, including wych elm (Ulmus glabra), ash trees and sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus).

Woodland species, such as wild garlic (Allium ursinum), Hart’s-tongue (Asplenium scolopendrium), lords and ladies (Arum maculatum), lesser celandines (Ficaria verna) and primroses (Primula vulgaris) can be found in the field layer during springtime.

THE ROMAN TEMPLE AT ST ANNE’S PARK

July 21, 2023 by infomatique

AND PLENTY OF RED SAWDUST

The Roman Temple (Herculanean House) is situated near what was originally the northwestern corner of the walled garden near the house. It was a perfect replica in classical Roman style, with a courtyard and interior paved with tiles copied from a design found during the excavations of the original Herculaneum. During recent restoration work these original courtyard mosaic tiles were unexpectedly unearthed and found to be remarkably intact and in very good condition. Works to the dome structure involved reinstating the stone parapet, reinstating the marble tiles and installing new stainless steel railings to the six bays. Works to the courtyard involved repointing and consolidating the surrounding brickwork and installing a new column at the entrance to match the existing.

Here are some additional facts about the Roman Temple:

It is made of limestone and granite.
It is 20 feet high and 15 feet wide.
The courtyard is paved with 2,000 square feet of mosaic tiles.
The temple was restored in 2016-2017.

The one thing that I stood out was the red sawdust so [in July 2023] I asked Google Bard AI about it and got the following response: Both red cedar and European redwood are relatively rare in Ireland, so you are not likely to see them very often. However, if you do see a tree with red sawdust, you can be sure that it is one of these two species.

LAGANSIDE ART TRAIL LOCATION OF 17th CENTURY TOWN DITCH AND GATE

January 26, 2023 by infomatique

DUNBAR STREET BELFAST

These photographs from 2016 were not published until now as I was trying to find the background story but as I have failed to find any relevant information I decided to go ahead and process them.

One problem that I have when I visit Belfast is that it is often very difficult to find any information relating to items that I photograph. These bollards or whatever feature a plaque indicating that they are located on the Laganside Art Trail and that they mark to location of the 17th century town ditch and gate. Unfortunately I cannot find any information relating to the 17th century town ditch and gate and I cannot determine what the bollards [or sculptures] represent … some do appear to be representations of coins.

FORMBY-CONNINGBEG MEMORIAL ON THE QUAYS IN WATERFORD

January 20, 2023 by infomatique

PHOTOGRAPHED IN MAY 2016

The Formby-Conningbeg Memorial: Honours the memory of those lost when two Waterford steamers SS Conningbeg and SS Formby were torpedoed in December 1917.

These vessels were sister ships, both homeward bound to Waterford from Liverpool in December 1917. They were torpedoed by the same U Boat within days of each other, with a total loss of 83 lives.

I photographed this sculpture back in August 2016 and reprocessed them in January 2023. I had planned to visit Waterford again in 2023 but I am unwilling to pay the prices that the hotels are currently charging. I also had to cancel the 2022 visit.