Infomatique

MORE EXAMPLES OF DUBLIN STREET ART

January 27, 2024 by infomatique

POINT VILLAGE IN DUBLIN DOCKLANDS 2016

It is fairly obvious that Harrys Bar artwork is commercial the other example was within a nearby construction site that has yet to be fully developed [January 2023] … I think that it is now known as the Waterfront Project.

THE CROPPIES’ ACRE MEMORIAL GARDEN FEATURING A NUMBER OF MEMORIALS

January 25, 2024 by infomatique

PHOTOGRAPHED NOT LONG AFTER THE PARK RE-OPENED

The Croppies’ Acre, officially the Croppies Acre Memorial Garden, is a public park in Dublin, Ireland. It contains a memorial to the dead of the 1798 Rebellion.

The Croppies Memorial Park, closer the Heuston Railway Station, is a different entity.

Note: The naming is somewhat confusing and differs from account to account.

The site, located on the north bank of the River Liffey to the south of Collins Barracks (formerly the Royal Barracks) is traditionally believed to have been used as a mass grave for Irish rebel casualties of the 1798 Rebellion; they were known as Croppies due to their short-cropped hair. It was also called Croppies’ Hole at the time. Some rebels’ bodies were also exhibited at the Croppies’ Hole, tied to pikes.

The National Graves Association maintains that it was also used after 1798 to bury veterans of the conflict, including Matthew Tone, brother of Wolfe Tone. Bartholomew Teeling was also supposedly buried at Croppies’ Acre after being hanged at Provost Prison, Arbour Hill. However, archaeological investigations have failed to find any human remains and its status as a grave is uncertain.

The precise site of the burials was long disputed, all being known was that the dead had been buried on marshy ground near the Royal Barracks. Other reports mentioned that the corpses of the executed were thrown into the Liffey as a public deterrent; the river being tidal at this point. In addition, the River Liffey was realigned in this area to extend the city’s quays. The supposed “Croppies’ Acre” was for a long time a soldiers’ playing field.

The Memorial Park was designed and laid out in 1998.

It was closed in 2012 by the Office of Public Works due to anti-social behaviour, including drunkenness and the use of hard drugs. Ownership was transferred to Dublin City Council and the Croppies’ Acre was reopened in 2016 and that is when these photographs were taken.

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 YEW CIRCLE AT ST ANNE’S IN APRIL 2016

July 22, 2023 by infomatique

WHEN THERE WAS STILL A WATER FEATURE

Please be aware that these photographs were taken on the 16th April 2016 and that the circle has been restored but the water feature has been infilled. I plan to publish more recent photographs later in July or August [2023].

Back in 2015 I was getting more than worried about the future of the “follies” in St. Anne’s park as most, if not all of them were in very poor condition.

When I visited in April 2016 there was still a basin at the Park, minus its central statue however the hedges were no longer in an overgrown state.

An account from 1873 (W. Heale, 1873) describes the yew circle in detail: “On the east side of this [Dutch style flower] garden is an amphitheatre some 150 feet in circumference; the outer portion is a well-kept Yew hedge with five entrances; equidistant from each entrance are four marble statues representing Europe, Asia, Africa and America; Australia is not yet represented. The centre is a costly marble basin with fountain and stocked with gold and silver fish.‟

In a quarter of the walled garden was a circular yew hedge with alcoves and arches in which stood allegorical Italian statues representing the five continents. These statues were reflected in the great circular marble basin which occupied the centre (Malins and Bowe, 1980). The 1939 auction catalogue included these statues: “Lot 1471 – 4 carved stone figures representing the continents, on square bases with carved mouldings‟ (Adam, 1939).

The description below refers to the Yew Circle as it was prior to my visit in April as it was anything but overgrown when I had visited in April of that year. The yew trees had been cut back to what appeared to be to an extreme degree.

The Yew Circle at St Anne’s Park in Dublin was created in the 1830s by Benjamin Lee Guinness, a member of the famous brewing family. The circle is made up of a circular yew hedge that was originally planted with five alcoves, each of which contained an Italian statue representing one of the five continents. In the centre of the circle was a fountain, which is now no longer extant.

The Yew Circle was part of the formal gardens that were once located at St Anne’s House, the Guinness family’s mansion on the site. The gardens were designed in the Italianate style, and they included a number of other follies, such as a Roman-style viewing tower and a cast-iron floral temple.

The Yew Circle fell into disrepair after St Anne’s House was demolished in 1939. However, it was restored in the 1980s, and it is now one of the most popular attractions in St Anne’s Park. The circle is still overgrown, but the five alcoves and the fountain base are still visible.

The Yew Circle is a fascinating example of 19th-century garden design. It is a reminder of the time when St Anne’s House was a grand estate, and it is a popular spot for visitors to the park today.

Here are some additional details [that no longer apply] about the Yew Circle:

The yew hedge is about 100 feet in diameter.
The five alcoves are each about 6 feet wide and 4 feet deep.
The fountain base is about 10 feet in diameter.
The statues in the alcoves represent the continents of Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and Australia.
The Yew Circle is located in the northeastern part of St Anne’s Park.