William Murphy

BETWEEN DUN LAOGHAIRE EAST PIER AND THE BATHS

August 17, 2023 by infomatique

THIS AREA HAS BEEN BADLY NEGLECTED

There are plans for a new walkway between Dún Laoghaire’s East Pier and the Dún Laoghaire Baths in 2023. Unfortunately, much of this area along Queen’s Road has been badly neglected for decades.

While I was in Dun Laoghaire I could see the Cruise Ship “Carinval Pride” at anchor in the the bay. Carnival Pride is a Spirit-class cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line. Built by Kværner Masa-Yards at its Helsinki New Shipyard in Helsinki, Finland, she was laid down on March 30, 2000, launched on March 29, 2001 and completed and delivered to Carnival on December 12, 2001. She was christened by American scientist and astronaut Tamara Jernigan in Port Canaveral, Florida, on January 7, 2002.

Carnival Pride has 1,062 passenger cabins. She is currently based out of Tampa, FL.

THE EXO BUILDING

August 16, 2023 by infomatique

CORNER OF THE NORTH WALL QUAY AND EAST WALL ROAD

The Exo Building is a 17-storey office building located at the corner of North Wall Quay and East Wall Road in Dublin 1, Ireland. The building is adjacent to the Point Depot (now the 3Arena) fronting on to the river Liffey and Dublin port. As of 2021, it is the tallest office building in the Republic of Ireland at 73 metres tall. The name Exo is in reference to its exoskeleton which reflects the traditional industrial crane and gantry landscape of the port area.

State owned postal services and delivery company An Post have signed a lease in 2021 to become the anchor tenant of the building. As of 2023, An Post intended to occupy 6 floors of the building with around 900 of its staff.

The building was constructed on a site which was previously earmarked for a Harry Crosbie Celtic Tiger era 40-storey residential skyscraper named The Watchtower. The building was later revised down to 32 stories before planning was granted by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority in 2006. While construction began on the building soon after with excavations being completed in full and foundations and a 3-storey underground basement nearing completion, following the collapse of the Irish property market, the scheme was ultimately mothballed.

A succession of one off amusements and instalments including the underground Harry’s bar and the Wheel of Dublin operated in and over the filled-in space for a period owing to its location adjacent to the 3 Arena. Crosbie’s loans ultimately transferred to NAMA in 2013 and soon after Grant Thornton were appointed receivers with the development officially ceasing.

I WAS TESTING A NEW SAMYANG 12MM LENS WHICH I COLLECTED A HOUR EARLIER

August 15, 2023 by infomatique

KINGS INNS

As already mentioned I purchased a Samyang 12mm lens at a very good price. Initially I had a lot of problems using it and the main problem was that most of the images were very over exposed and because it is a fish-eye lens there was a lot of distortion and lack of sharpness towards the edges. Also the colours were different, much warmer, than those produced by my Sony lenses. I discovered that my White Balance settings were incorrect.

The Samyang 12mm F2 AF E-mount lens is a wide-angle prime lens for Sony APS-C mirrorless cameras. It has a focal length of 12mm (equivalent to 18mm in full-frame terms), a bright aperture of f/2, and a minimum focus distance of 7.48 inches. The lens is made from 11 elements in 9 groups, including 2 aspherical elements and 2 high refractive index elements. It features a linear STM autofocus motor for fast, quiet, and precise focusing. The lens is also weather-sealed to protect it from dust and moisture.

SCOUTS DEN IN LEIXLIP

August 15, 2023 by infomatique

THIS WAS A CHURCH THAT WAS BUILT IN 1750

The present Church of Our Lady’s Nativity dates back to 1833 and replaced the previous church which was built around 1750. This 1750 church was built on the banks of the Rye and is now the scouts’ den for the Leixlip Scout Unit.

The River Rye or Ryewater is a tributary of the River Liffey. It rises in County Meath, flowing south-east for 19 miles. Although the river has been the subject of arterial drainage schemes, it is generally fast flowing over a stoney bottom. The Rye’s major tributary is the Lyreen.

THERE ARE TWO TRAIN STATIONS IN LEIXLIP AND I USED BOTH TODAY – THIS ONE IS CONFEY

August 14, 2023 by infomatique

LEIXLIP 14 AUGUST 2023

Confey is a townland in the civil parish of Leixlip, County Kildare, Ireland. It is located on the Royal Canal, about 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) southeast of Leixlip town centre.

The Battle of Confey or Cenn Fuait was a battle fought in Ireland in 917 between the Vikings of Dublin and the Irish King of Leinster, Augaire mac Ailella. It led to the recapture of Dublin by the Norse dynasty that had been expelled from the city fifteen years earlier by Augaire’s predecessor, Cerball mac Muirecáin of Uí Fáeláin, and his ally Máel Finnia mac Flannacáin, the King of Brega.

The Battle of Confey took place during a time of increased Viking attacks. The victorious Vikings were led by Sigtrygg Caech (also called Sigtrygg Gael or Sitric the Blind). The Annals of the Four Masters include among the 600 Irish dead several leaders in addition to Augaire mac Ailella the King of Leinster: “Maelmordha, son of Muireagan, lord of Eastern Life; Mughron, son of Cinneidigh, lord of the three Comainns and of Laois; Cinaedh, son of Tuathal, lord of Ui-Feineachlais; and many other chieftains, with the arch-bishop Maelmaedhog, son of Diarmaid, who was one of the Ui-Conannla, Abbot of Gleann-Uisean, a distinguished scribe, anchorite, and an adept in the Latin learning and the Scotic language.”

Augaire was killed by Palmairslau also known as Palner Tokesen from Funen, the father of Palnatoke.

Norse settlers founded the town of Leixlip after the battle.

Sitric was a member of the Norse dynasty which had ruled Dublin from the middle of the ninth century until 902. In that year the Ivar II, King of Dublin, and his family were driven from the city by Cerball mac Muirecáin Ó Fáeláin the King of Leinster and Máel Finnia mac Flannacáin the King of Brega. In the Annals of Ulster Sitric Caech and Ívarr II are both referred to as ua Ímair, “grandson of Ímar”, a reference to Ivar I, who was the King (or co-regent) of Dublin from about 853 until his death in 873 and the ancestor of most of the Norse rulers of the city. Sitric, therefore, was either a brother or a first cousin of the ousted Ivar II (who had died in Scotland in 904).[10] It is probably safe to assume that he was born in Dublin and was a young man when he and his family fled for their lives in 902.

Following his victory at Cenn Fuait, Sitric occupied Dublin, which was to remain a Norse stronghold until the King of Dublin was ousted by Diarmuit mac Maél na mBó, King of Leinster and later High King of Ireland, in the year 1052.