Dun Laoghaire

THE PUBLIC BATHS PROJECT IN DUN LAOGHAIRE BUT WITHOUT A SWIMMING POOL

April 9, 2023 by infomatique

8 APRIL 2023 – EASTER WEEKEND

Dún Laoghaire Baths reopen a few weeks before Christmas 2022 as a public amenity after a 17-year campaign but without the pool that many had hoped for and even expected.

Works at the Dun Laoghaire Baths were substantially completed on 2nd December 2022 and will provide for the continuing public use of the area. Works included the retention and securing of the existing Baths Pavilion and the removal of dilapidated structures to the rear of the Pavilion to create a new route between Newtownsmith and the East Pier. This walkway is at a level that will create a safe and secure walk offering panoramic views over Scotsman’s Bay. The form of this walk reflects the original rocky shoreline and the historic alignment of the old gun battery that was originally located on this site. The walkway now incorporates sitting and viewing points and the land adjoining this walk will be re-graded to create sloping grassed areas. The scheme also proposes the refurbishment of the small gazebo situated along this route.

The existing Baths Pavilion together with a smaller outbuilding was retained, weathered and secured while the remaining dilapidated outbuildings to the rear and side of the Pavilion were removed.

It is proposed to fit out the Pavilion to accommodate studio space for artists and to provide gallery and café facilities. The studios will be managed by the Arts Department. The original Baths entrance along Windsor Terrace has been restored to provide access. An outdoor ‘café terrace’ linked to the new café provides an attractive sitting area for viewing eating and relaxing.

It is also proposed to create new public toilets facilities at street level which will also be accessible for wheelchair users. Footpaths along Windsor Terrace will be upgraded, and new street trees planted.

These uses and improvements will create new life and provide enhanced public facilities which will complement and link the area to the adjoining Peoples Park, the completed Metals Project Phases 1 and 2 and the recently completed DLR Lexicon Environs project.

VIEWS OF THE DLR LEXICON LIBRARY

April 9, 2023 by infomatique

A KEY COMMUNITY SPACE IN DUN LAOGHAIRE

dlr LexIcon is the centrepiece of a new public space in Moran Park. It houses a public library – a key community space where all are welcome, a municipal gallery, a Studio theatre space, extensive exhibition and performance spaces, a local history level and meeting rooms. There are 100 study spaces, 60+ computers for public use and 80,000 items in the adult and junior libraries. The building is fully accessible to people with disabilities and Brambles Café is situated on the Moran Park Level 1.

I worked in Dun Laoghaire for about fifteen years and most of my co-workers from the town and nearby objected strongly to the planning and construction of this building while I thought that it was an excellent idea.

The DLR Lexicon Building houses the main public library and cultural centre of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council (DLR CC). It has attracted controversy, with opponents critical of its massive façade and its €36.6m cost at a time of austerity in Ireland, and supporters praising its interior, usability, and environmentally responsible construction.

The site chosen was Moran Park, a partially derelict public park with bowling green, running perpendicular to the coastline down an escarpment. I was based there [Marconi House] for about two years back in the 1970s and more recently I was based in Haigh Terrace and by then Moran Park had become a no-go area at night because of anti-social activity relating to drugs. We were advised by management not to be in the immediate area after 7pm.

The site was chosen because it was already owned by DLR CC and would link The Metals (Queens Road) on the busy seafront to the north with George’s Street.

NOTE: Guglielmo Marconi sent the results of the Kingstown [now Dun Laoghaire] regatta from a steam tug named The Flying Huntress beyond Dún Laoghaire harbour to his assistant and shore receiver in the Harbourmaster’s house [Marconi House], which currently houses the Design Gallery between the Lexicon library and the Pavilion complex. This was the very first time wireless technology was used in journalism.

DUN LAOGHAIRE WATERFRONT FACING SCOTSMAN’S BAY

January 14, 2023 by infomatique

BADLY NEGLECTED AT PRESENT

Dún Laoghaire is a suburban coastal town in Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown.

The town was built following the 1816 legislation that allowed the building of a major port to serve Dublin. It was known as Dunleary until it was renamed Kingstown in honour of King George IV’s 1821 visit, and in 1920 was given its present name, the original Irish form of Dunleary. Over time, the town became a residential location, a seaside resort and the terminus of Ireland’s first railway.

John Rennie (1761-1821), who was Scottish, was one of the leading civil engineers of his day. He designed many bridges, canals and docks, including those at Hull, Liverpool, London and Leith. Keeping an effective link between Ireland and England was vital in the early 19th century and Rennie was responsible for the construction of Howth Harbour a decade earlier than Dunleary. He had been asked for his observations on Dublin Bay just two years after Bligh’s survey in 1800. Rennie suggested that: “Dunleary, or rather a little to the east of it was a good site for the construction of a harbour of asylum, for ships which, under unfavourable circumstances get embayed in Dublin Bay and cannot with safety enter the present harbour”.

The Bay between the East Pier and The Forty Foot is now known as Scotsman’s Bay in Rennie’s honour. He died in 1821 and is buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. His son, also John Rennie was a distinguished engineer and he carried out further work at Kingstown [Dun Laoghaire] Harbour.

Dún Laoghaire Harbour and Carlisle Pier were constructed in the nineteenth century for the purposes of sheltering ships and accommodating the mailboat which sailed between Dún Laoghaire and Holyhead. The nearby settlement of Dún Laoghaire has also previously been known as Kingstown and also as Dun Leary. Carlisle Pier has been known previously as Kingston Pier and the Mailboat Pier.

THE REFURBISHED BATHS BUT WHERE IS THE POOL

January 8, 2023 by infomatique

DUN LAOGHAIRE 8 JANUARY 2023

After an almost twenty year local campaign Dún Laoghaire baths reopened as a public amenity in December 2022 but without a pool. Apparently a rectangular concrete void has been left below the surface of the amphitheatre and will allow for the inclusion of a tidal pool in future works.

My birthday was on New Years day and my brother had organised a party for me at his home not far from Scotsman’s Bay and I had planned to photograph the recently refurbished baths while I was in the area. Unfortunately, on the last day of 2022, my brother and his wife discovered that they had contracted Covid so my visit to Dun Laoghaire as well as my birthday party was cancelled and I did not get an opportunity to visit until today.

When I arrived the first thing that caught my attention was the number of dogs and I mention this because three dogs jumped over a wall into the water without knowing what was on the other side. One owner was very distressed but the dog survived and did not appear to be in any way distressed. The other two dogs were on leads and did not hit the rocks and were easily recovered.

Two separate bathing areas existed in, what is now, Dun Laoghaire in the 1790s. Baths were built by the Royal Hotel in 1828 but were removed to make way for the construction of the railway in 1836.

In 1843, John Croswaithe built baths on the corner of Scotsman’s Bay. Originally known as the Royal Victorian Baths, they were only used by those who had the means to afford them. This is the site of today’s Dun Laoghaire baths.

Victoria Baths were public baths on Queens Road. Over the years, they had a number of different configurations. They provided salt-water or fresh water baths, baths for swimming or baths for washing or “turkish” baths for cleansing the pores, hot, cold, or tepid baths, individual or shared baths. In their last configuration as Rainbow Rapids in the 1980s, they provided water slides and other ways of enjoying the water.

Restoration Works at the Dun Laoghaire Baths were substantially completed on 2nd December 2022. Works included the retention and securing of the existing Baths Pavilion and the removal of dilapidated structures to the rear of the Pavilion to create a new route between Newtownsmith and the East Pier. This walkway is at a level that provides a safe and secure walk offering panoramic views over Scotsman’s Bay.

The walkway features sitting and viewing points and the land adjoining this walk has been be regraded to create sloping grassed areas.

The long derelict Baths Pavilion together with a smaller outbuilding was retained, weathered and secured while the remaining dilapidated outbuildings to the rear and side of the Pavilion were removed.

The original Baths entrance along Windsor Terrace was restored to provide access. An outdoor ‘café terrace’ linked to the new café will provide an attractive sitting area for viewing eating and relaxing.

THE REFURBISHED BATHS IN DUN LAOGHAIRE BUT WHERE IS THE POOL 013