Dublin

RED FOOTBRIDGES 30 MARCH 2023

March 30, 2023 by infomatique

SEAN WALSH MEMORIAL PARK AND THE WHITESTOWN STREAM

I have not visited this park since April 2007 and things did not go well back then as I encountered multiple problems back then. This time the tram journey was unpleasant as the trams were overcrowded but the park had greatly improved since 2007 and it was worth visiting.

I could be wrong but I believe that the Whitestown Stream is also known as the Jobstown Stream.

This park is located in the heart of Tallaght on the N81. Ornamental formal gardens lie side by side with attractive water features such as ponds and waterfalls: extensive tree planting allows shaded areas for relaxation. Pedestrian paths around the ponds allow for a pleasant walks and passive recreation.

The park has horticultural interest all year round with displays of flowering bulbs in the spring, green trees and wildflowers in the Summer, and wonderful display of colour in Autumn. The landscape of Sean Walsh Park contains a range of habitats including stream, woodland, grassland and lake. The grey squirrel, rabbit, common frog and pipistrelle bat can all be found in the park. The launch of the Sean Walsh Tree trail took place on 4th October 2018, on the day the Green Flag was raised in Sean Walsh Park. There are 15 tree species in the tree trail with an information plaque at each point. Tree trail Information sheets giving information about each tree species can be downloaded This downloadable A4 sheet leaves a space for children to carry out a rubbing of the plaques. Tallaght Stadium was officially opened in the park in May 2009 and is a purpose-built, 6,000-seat, state-of-the-art football stadium.

TRAFFIC FREE MARY STREET

March 27, 2023 by infomatique

STARTING TODAY 27 MARCH 2023

Dublin City Council have made the section of Mary Street between Wolfe Tone Street and Jervis Lane Upper Traffic Free from Monday the 27th of March 2023.

This will be a similar arrangement to the section of Mary Street between Jervis Lane Upper and Capel Street and will provide more space for pedestrians and reduce vehicles in the local street network. Deliveries will be facilitated daily between 6am and 11am.

SAINT KEVIN’S PARK FEATURING CHURCH RUINS AND OLD GRAVES

March 26, 2023 by infomatique

26 MARCH 2023

There was a St. Kevin’s Church in what is now St. Kevin’s Park, Camden Row, Dublin, Ireland at least as far as the 13th century. After the Reformation, it became an Anglican church. The original church was replaced around 1750 by a new one, closed in 1912 and now in ruins. Both churches were dedicated to Kevin of Glendalough. There is also a Catholic St. Kevin’s Church a short distance away on Harrington Street.

The church was first mentioned in historical annals in 1226. It was situated some distance from the walls of Dublin, in the Irish-speaking part of the city, but close to a monastic settlement in the region of present-day Aungier Street. From the 13th century it formed part of the Manor of St. Sepulchre, which was directly under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Dublin. An archaeological excavation carried out in 1967 uncovered some medieval graves and coins. The present ruined church, built on the foundation of the medieval one, dates to around 1750.

The church is the burial place of Archbishop Dermot O’Hurley, who was removed from a Mass grave and interred here after his summary execution on 20 June 1584 at Hoggen Green. O’Hurley, ordained Archbishop of Cashel in 1581, was arrested after his return to Ireland and tortured in Dublin Castle. His grave became a place of veneration for Roman Catholics for several hundred years. In 1609, in view of the throngs of pilgrims coming to his grave, the church was rebuilt and a new entrance was made. Along with 17 other Irish Catholic Martyrs, Archbishop O’Hurley was Beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1992.

In the early years of the Irish Confederate Wars (1641–1649) incursions were made into the church lands surrounding St. Kevin’s by Confederate soldiers stationed in Wicklow. Trenches were dug near the church to help defend The Pale, but the Irish clans were able to raid cattle, horses, and the occasional merchant who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, all of which they carried away into the “wilds of Wicklow”. Despite cease-fires being arranged, this situation continued until the Battle of Rathmines sealed the fate of the Confederate and Cavalier forces.

In 1698, the time of the Penal Laws, the church was offered to the Huguenot community as a place of worship and cemetery. The graveyard, however, continued to be used by Catholics until the end of the 19th century.

CAPITAL DOCK AND NEARBY – INDEED ARE LOCATED HERE

March 25, 2023 by infomatique

AT THE END OF SIR JOHN ROGERSON’S QUAY

Over 200 people at Indeed’s Irish office may be subject to layoffs, with the multinational firm announcing that 2,200 people are set to be affected worldwide.

Capital Dock is a 22-storey mixed-use development at the junction of Sir John Rogerson’s Quay and Britain Quay in the Dublin docklands. Developed by Kennedy Wilson, the site was acquired in 2012 and construction finished in 2018. Upon completion, the 79-metre tower became the tallest storeyed building in the Republic of Ireland, and the third tallest on the island of Ireland.

The building was developed in a joint venture with the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) on the site of the proposed U2 Tower. Concrete foundations, as well as three floors below street level and one above level, had been completed on the original development before it was cancelled [Note: I cannot confirm this].

In 2012, Kennedy Wilson acquired the site and development started at the end of 2014. In May 2017, they sold the 130,000 sq ft (12,000 m2) 200 Capital Dock building to JPMorgan on a forward funding sale agreement. In December 2017, Kennedy Wilson signed a 20-year lease with Indeed, to fully occupy buildings 100 and 300 Capital Dock.

Retail tenants include Fresh, BrewDog, Freshii and the Art of Coffee.

TONEHENGE BY EDWARD DELANEY AT ST STEPHEN’S GREEN

March 22, 2023 by infomatique

ACTUALLY A STATUE OF WOLFE TONE

About twenty or more years ago I was standing here when a tour guide arrived with a group of tourists and when asked why the park was named Stephen’s Green the guide explained that it was named in honour of Stephen Green the famous Irish patriot. I really hope that the tourist did not leave Dublin believing that this was a statue of Stephen Green rather than Wolfe Tone.

At the Merrion Row corner of St. Stephen’s Green you will find a bronze statue of Theobald Wolfe Tone, the leader of the 1798 rebellion. Flanked by monoliths, it was immediately nicknamed ‘Tonehenge’ by the local population.

In 1964 the architect Noel Keating and the sculptor Edward Delaney won a competition to create the Wolfe Tone monument at the corner of St Stephen’s Green. That year Delaney was selected to make the Thomas Davis memorial on College Green.

Tone stands alone in front of a collection of granite monoliths, which prompted the nickname Tonehenge. It should be noted that there is a companion piece, the Famine Memorial, located just behind the granite pillars.

Theobald Wolfe Tone, posthumously known as Wolfe Tone (20 June 1763 – 19 November 1798), was a leading Irish revolutionary figure and one of the founding members of the United Irishmen, and is regarded as the father of Irish republicanism and leader of the 1798 Irish Rebellion. He was captured at Letterkenny port on 3 November 1798, and he died sixteen days later for reasons that are disputed.