EXCELLENT STREET IMAGES

SOME OF THE DERELICT BUILDINGS REMAIN

May 7, 2023 by infomatique

RICHMOND STREET SOUTH

I refer to the street as South Richmond Street rather than Richmond Street South. In case your are wondering about it there is a North Richmond Street but it is on the North Side of the city (O’Connell Secondary School is located there).

When I was young I visited the street once a week as it was home to the Caroline Record Shop a few years later I opened my own record shop in Bray County Wicklow and then moved on again to work for Memorex (magnetic tapes) in California.

A number of years ago I mentioned South Richmond Street was at the same time interesting and ugly mainly because there were so many buildings that are derelict or in very poor condition. Some of the derelict buildings have gone but the street has not become less ugly.

The 1837 Ordnance Survey map showed one building on the western side of Richmond St. (excluding property belonging to the Portobello Hotel), which corresponds to no. 34, which was the Caroline Records shop (closed in 2003).

The hotel at the nearby harbour was opened in 1807 (the architect was James Colbourne). In 1858 it was taken over by a Catholic order of nuns, who used it as an asylum (St. Mary’s) for blind girls. A few years later they successfully appealed to the Guardians of the South Dublin Union for some finance (it cost £10 to keep a girl for a year), though the Irish Times in an editorial frowned upon this proselytising by “Romanists”, while they lauded the efforts of the Protestant-run “Home for Orphans” at 7 South Richmond Street (which advertised frequently for “fresh souls to save” in the same newspaper).

Ten years later the Asylum was sold to a Mr. Isaac Cole, who renovated it and returned it to its original function as a hotel, to accommodate 100 persons. It was popular among officers visiting the nearby Portobello Barracks (who would occasionally pop across South Richmond Street to the Grand Canal Tavern for a drink) and claimed it was the nearest hotel to the Royal Dublin Society grounds. However, it was slow in providing catering facilities – in 1871 a Rathmines businessman, in a letter to the Irish Times, lamented the absence of restaurants in the neighbourhood, and enjoined upon Mr. Cole to provide same, preferably a two-course meal for two shillings (the price to include beer and punch).

BRETZEL BAKERY ON LENNOX STREET ESTABLISHED 1870

May 7, 2023 by infomatique

ORIGINALLY A JEWISH BAKERY

Back in the the 1980s I lived close to this bakery and visited it on a regular basis but back then it looked very different (or at least I think that it did).

The bakery established in 1870 but it is no longer operated by the same family as it was purchased in 2000 by William Despard and Cormac Keenan.

My understanding is that the bakery was established by a Jewish baker known as Mr. Grinspon but it became Elliman’s Bakery in 1900 which was later taken over by the Stein family and later again by the Hacketts.

A WALK ALONG WEXFORD STREET AND CAMDEN STREET

May 6, 2023 by infomatique

ALSO PHOTOGRAPHED THE BLEEDING HORSE PUBLIC HOUSE

ABOUT THE BLEEDING HOUSE PUBLIC HOUSE

Camden Street links Ranelagh/Rathmines (Dublin 6) to the southern city centre of Dublin via Wexford Street. It is divided into Camden Street Upper (southern end) and Camden Street Lower (northern end).

The name is likely derived from the Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden (1714-94). The fact that the street name first appears on maps in 1778 would rule it out as originating from his son John Pratt, Marquess Camden (1759-1840) who became Lord Lieutenent of Ireland in 1795. An attempt to connect the name to Saint Kevin (Old Irish Cóemgen) is regarded as spurious.

A prominent company located on Upper Camden St for over a century was Earley and Company (1861–1975). They were ecclesiastical furnishings and stained glass manufacturers and retailers. The firm was one of the largest and most prestigious ecclesiastical decorators both in Ireland and the U.K.

An intact Edwardian shop interior existed at number 39, Carvill’s Off Licence until the early 21st century. The Bleeding Horse pub is also a notable building, with a public house sitting on the site since 1648. It is mentioned in the work of Sean O’Casey, and both James Clarence Mangan and Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu were patrons.

There were two cinemas on the street: The Camden Cinema and the Theatre De Luxe. The Camden Cinema was located at 55 Upper Camden St., where the headquarters of Concern Worldwide is now located. It closed around 1912. The Theatre De Luxe was opened in 1912 by Maurice Elliman, a Jew who escaped the pogroms in Eastern Europe. The first building was designed by Frederick Hayes, MRIAI, and built by George Squire & Co. It was enlarged and rebuilt in 1920. The exterior was remodelled in Art deco style in 1934. It closed in 1975. The building is now a hotel, Hotel De Luxe, and a night-club.

THERE HAVE BEEN GARDENS HERE SINCE THE 17Th CENTURY

May 5, 2023 by infomatique

DUBLIN CASTLE 5 MAY 2023

There have been gardens at Dublin Castle since at least the early years of the seventeenth century.

The current gardens are situated immediately south of the Chapel Royal and the State Apartments within an enclosing stone wall. The gardens are entered through wrought-iron gates of Celtic-inspired spirals. Beyond a ‘four seasons’ garden lie four smaller gardens, one at each corner of the site.

All gardens contain specially commissioned works of sculpture. Three of these have since been designated as memorial gardens. One is dedicated to the memory of investigative journalist Veronica Guerin. Another contains a bronze sculpture commemorating the Special Olympics held in Ireland in 2003, with the names of the 30,000 volunteers who contributed to the games inscribed on plaques.

The third and largest of these corner gardens is the sheltered Garda Memorial Garden, redesigned and completed in 2009. In this garden the names of all members of the Gardaí (Irish Police) killed in the line of duty are inscribed on a roll of honour. Several sculptural works are also incorporated into the layout. These works and the overall design of the garden are intended to reflect how the premature deaths of loved ones leave a trace or imprint, like ripples in a pool, on the lives of those left behind.

At the heart of the gardens is the grassy sward of the Dubh Linn Garden, where patterns representing sea serpents are cut into the lawn. This lawn is on or near the site of the original dubh linn or ‘black pool’, where the Vikings harboured their ships and set up a trading base. It was this pool that gave its name to the city: Dublin.
The Castle Gardens are immensely popular with visitors and the citizens of Dublin alike. On sunny summer days the gardens are crowded with people enjoying the beautiful surroundings of this special place.

IN MEMORY OF IRISH POLICE PERSONNEL KILLED IN SERVICE

May 5, 2023 by infomatique

MEMORIAL GARDEN AT DUBLIN CASTLE

On Saturday, 15 May 2010 the Garda Memorial Garden at the Dubhlinn Gardens at Dublin Castle was officially opened

An Garda Síochána Memorial Garden honours the members of An Garda Síochána (Police) who were killed in the service of the State. The names of the members of An Garda Síochána who were killed are inscribed in stone within the garden. Additionally, a specially commissioned glass sculpture commemorates the sacrifice of the families left behind and a specially commissioned stone sculpture is a tribute to all deceased members of An Garda Síochána, the Royal Irish Constabulary and the Dublin Metropolitan Police.

The Garda Síochána, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí or “the Guards”, is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.

Since the formation of the Garda Síochána in 1923, it has been a predominantly unarmed force, and more than three-quarters of the force do not routinely carry firearms. As of 31 December 2019, the police service had 14,708 sworn members (including 458 sworn Reserve members) and 2,944 civilian staff. Operationally, the Garda Síochána is organised into four geographical regions: the East, North/West, South and Dublin Metropolitan regions.

The force is the main law enforcement agency in the state, acting at local and national levels. Its roles include crime detection and prevention, drug enforcement, road traffic enforcement and accident investigation, diplomatic and witness protection responsibilities. It also provides a community policing service