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BRAY SEAFRONT AND BRAY HEAD

July 11, 2023 by infomatique

A HOLIDAY RESORT IN COUNTY WICKLOW

When I was young my father promised to bring us to Disneyland, as a reward, and we ended up in Bray and had a great time … I must admit that I became soon began to suspect that we had been conned.

Back in the 1970s my business was based in Bray. I imported and sold hi-fi equipment, I imported and retailed records [vinyl] and had a large stake in Bray Local Broadcasting [later became East Coast Radio]. However, for a variety of reasons I moved to Santa Clara in California to join Memorex as a Quality Engineer. At a later date I became a core member of the team responsible for establish Memorex operations in Europe. Anyway, I really enjoyed my association with the town of Bray.

When I was based in Bray it was well past its peak as a holiday town but it was a prosperous town which why I located there.

Bray is a coastal town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is situated about twenty km (12 mi) south of Dublin city centre on the east coast. It has a population of 33,512 making it the tenth largest urban area within Ireland (at the 2022 census). Bray is home to Ardmore Studios, and some light industry is located in the town, with some business and retail parks on its southern periphery. Commuter links between Bray and Dublin are provided by rail, Dublin Bus and the M11 and M50 motorways. Small parts of the town’s northern outskirts are in County Dublin.

Originally developed as a planned resort town in the 19th century, Bray’s popularity as a seaside resort was serviced by the Dublin and Kingstown Railway, which was extended to Bray in 1854. During the late 20th century, the town’s use as a resort declined when foreign travel became an option for holiday-makers. However, day-trippers continued to come to Bray during the summer months.

Bray’s pubs and restaurants include the first Porterhouse bar, who brew their own ales, stouts and beers. In 2010, the Lonely Planet Guide ranked the Harbour Bar in Bray the Best Bar in the World and the Best off the Beaten Track Bar in the world. The O’Toole family owned the bar for three generations, but it was bought by the Duggan family in 2013. The Duggans also operate two seafront premises, Katie Gallagher’s and the Martello, both include restaurants on site.

There are twelve fully licensed restaurants, several unlicensed restaurants and cafes, and fast food outlets in Bray. In 2015, The Irish Times published a study which analysed the presence of fast food outlets in Ireland. Bray was found to have the lowest per capita concentration of the ten towns and cities included, with just 0.09 stores per 1,000 people.

Bray is home to Ireland’s oldest film studios, Ardmore Studios, established in 1958, where films such as Excalibur, Braveheart and Breakfast on Pluto have been shot. Custer’s Last Stand-up was filmed in Bray and the town was also used to film Neil Jordan’s 2012 film Byzantium, part of which was shot in the Bray Head Inn. Neil Jordan’s 1991 film The Miracle is set in Bray.

EUROCOPTER EX135 T2

July 9, 2023 by infomatique

IT IS NOT OFTEN THAT I GET TO SEE A HELICOPTER UP CLOSE

The Air Corps in conjunction with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform currently operate two EC135 T2 aircraft. The first aircraft entered service in 2003, and both operate seven days a week in the Garda Air Support role.

Operational control of the aircraft remains with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, whereas the Air Corps provide pilots to the Garda Air Support Unit to fly the aircraft.

The Eurocopter EC135 (now Airbus Helicopters H135) is a twin-engine civil light utility helicopter produced by Airbus Helicopters (formerly known as Eurocopter). It is capable of flight under instrument flight rules (IFR) and is outfitted with a digital automatic flight control system (AFCS). First flying on 15 February 1994, it entered service in 1996 and 1,400 have been delivered up to September 2020 to 300 operators in 60 countries, accumulating over 5 million flight hours. It is mainly used for helicopter emergency medical services, corporate transport, law enforcement, offshore wind support, and military flight training. Half of them are in Europe and a quarter in North America. The H135M, certified under the name Eurocopter EC635, is a military variant.

BACK IN JULY 2022 THIS PUB HAD TO CLOSE BECAUSE OF A FIRE

July 6, 2023 by infomatique

DROP DEAD TWICE ON FRANCIS STREET

Kelly O’Malley, one of the co-founders of Drop Dead Twice, has launched a Go Fund Me campaign in order to rebuild and reopen the popular Dublin bar, following a very destructive fire. Now a year later the pub is still closed. My understanding was that they needed to raise €10,000 and they manage to raise more than €5,000 within a week.

AND A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL

July 4, 2023 by infomatique

NEAR THE OLD CENTRAL BANK NOW RENAMED THE CENTRAL PLAZA

The plaza contains the sculpture Crann an Oir (tree of gold) by Derry sculptor Éamonn O’Doherty, which became a symbol of the Central Bank, Irish Banking, and the Celtic Tiger boom and bust. When I was younger I thought that it was named “The Money Tree”.

According to the developers: “Central Plaza’s crowning glory is its spectacular 15,500 sq ft rooftop venue and visitor viewing experience. Soaring ten-storeys above the city, this will be a magical place to socialise amid awe-inspiring vistas of Dublin.”. Anyway, as you can see there is much action at street level especially as the complex is an important part of Temple Bar. Dublinbikes Docking Station 14 is located on Upper Fownes Street which is home to a number of unique small clothes shops.

The Foggy Dew is a famous pub on Fownes Street. The building was constructed as part of the rebuilding of the area which took place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The influence of John Ruskin’s fashionable architectural theory is evident in the elaborately carved dressings. A well-executed plaque to the tympanum of the central first floor window records the initials of vintner John J. Corry, owner from 1885. The interior was remodelled 1995 by Frank Ennis and Associates. Fownes Street was named after Sir William Fownes, Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1708. While the street was unnamed on Charles Brookings map of Dublin dating to 1728, a number of large houses are depicted on the west side of Fownes Street on John Rocque’s map of Dublin dating to 1756.

Central Plaza, also known as the Central Bank of Ireland Building for its former tenant, is an office building on Dame Street in Temple Bar, Dublin. It was the headquarters of the Central Bank of Ireland from 1979 to 2017. It is Ireland’s only suspended structure building, with its 8 floors hanging from central concrete cores. Each floor was built on the ground and then raised into place. It was controversial for being out of scale with its surroundings and for being constructed 30 feet (9.1 m) taller than approved.

LONGFORD TERRACE AND CLOSE BY

July 4, 2023 by infomatique

SALTHILL AND MONKSTOWN TRAIN STATION

I got off the train at Salthill-Monkstown Station with the intention of walking to Dalkey but I ended up exploring the Glenageary area instead.

Longford Terrace, Monkstown is a set of 28 houses in two terraced blocks of Victorian buildings all of which face the sea and the railway track. There is a linear park between the houses and the railway and I think that it is known as Seapoint Park.

Salthill and Monkstown railway station serves the areas of Salthill (on the coast) and Monkstown (just inland) in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland.

It is situated between Seapoint and Dún Laoghaire DART stations. The station has a car park, ticket office, automated ticket and vending machines. The ticket office is open between 05:45-00:15 AM, Monday to Sunday. The original Salthill station opened in May 1837. It was built by the Dublin and Kingstown Railway. It closed in 1960 and was electrified and reopened in 1984 with the arrival of DART services.