THE HEADLESS PHOTO BLOG
THE BLUE BUILDING WAS A SCHOOL
Lána na Cuaiche is the Irish name for this laneway.
The school which was located on this very narrow lane was associated with the nearby Roman Catholic church of Saint Michin’s, this was one of several primary schools in the area, and is of significance as a repository of memory for local people who attended. Its current use by a long-established fruit and vegetable wholesalers continues the markets tradition of the area.
CONNECTING LITTLE BRITAIN STREET TO NORTH KING STREET
Green Street Courthouse is a courthouse between Green Street and Halston Street in the Smithfield area of Dublin, Ireland. It was the site of many widely discussed criminal trials from 1797 until 2010, when the Criminal Courts of Justice building opened.
Note: There was a Great Britain Street but it is now Parnell Street.
OPENS EARLY IN THE MORNING
I live close to Mary’s Lane and even though Brendan’s Café has operated here since 1985 I was unaware of it until I noticed it being used by a film crew a few weeks ago. According to a friend of mine who worked in the area Brendan’s opened as early as 5pm when the markets were fully operational but it now opens every day, except Sunday, at 6am and at 7am on Saturdays.
SO THE LIFFEY STREET PUBLIC REALM WORKS SCHEME IS SLIGHTLY DELAYED
In May 2919 I wrote the following: “Construction of a 310-room hotel at this location is underway. When completed in mid-2020, the hotel will be operated by the budget hotel brand Motel One. It is claimed that the development will transform the area, encouraging tourist footfall and general retail activity in the surrounding area.”
It is now January and for various reasons the hotel is still a work in progress.
Dublin City Council, through its’ Public Works Contractor, Cairn Construction, now propose to commence work on the LIFFEY STREET PUBLIC REALM WORKS Scheme in the fourth (4th) week of January 2023 (Monday, 23rd). This brief postponement of commencement (from the previously advertised 9th January Starting Date) is consequent on unexpected delay(s) to the completion of Motel One on Liffey Street Upper (previously due to open at the end of December). Unfortunately, there is not enough space on the street to accommodate both the Motel’s Contractor and the Roadworks Contractor at the same time.
Liffey Street (both Upper and Lower) provides an important link between the north and south city centre shopping and tourist precincts. Liffey Street can experience some 30,000 pedestrians and some 2,500 vehicles per day, and accommodation of same will present the Contractor no small challenge during the Works.
This scheme is being progressed as part of the Public Realm Strategy, the City Centre Masterplan and the Reimagining Dublin One Study, which was developed to meet the objectives of the overarching Dublin City Council Public Realm Strategy ‘Your City Your Space’ document.
A high quality design is being utilised to improve the ambiance of the street, with increased greening and wider footpaths creating a quality space to be enjoyed by all.
The proposed Works will involve a full upgrade of the footpaths and carriageway at this location. The footpaths will be widened and repaved in granite, and notable new planting will be included to match those already introduced in other recently completed city centre streets.
The above Works include, but are not limited to:-
The proposed works extend the full length of Liffey Street Upper and Lower from its junction with Henry Street running south to its junction with Ormond Quay and Bachelor’s Walk along the Liffey Quays. The Scheme’s Works endeavours to minimise disruption to local businesses and the general public.
The Liffey Street Public Realm project involves the excavation, reconstruction, milling and reconstruction of the asphalt carriageway and the repaving of the footpaths with new granite slabs and setts laid on a new high strength bedding mortar, replacing the existing pavement materials, and as shown on the scheme design drawings.
The existing pedestrian area on Liffey Street Upper is extended to the intersection with Abbey Street. A new pedestrian plaza will be created on Liffey Street Lower between Strand Street and the Quays.
The Works involve the replacement of an existing gas main, the provision and installation of new water mains, the provision of new surface water sewers, public lighting and communications ducts, street furniture in the form of bollards, benches, bicycle stands, and bins and the replacement of some utility covers and frames within the site extents.
The Works also involve the provision of planted areas throughout the scheme.
Liffey Street lower is currently open to one-way southbound traffic along its entire length from Abbey Street to the Quays.
There are pedestrian footways on both sides of the road. Insofar as is reasonably possible, through-traffic will be maintained for the duration of the works between Abbey Street and Strand Street. However, it is acknowledged in advance, that Temporary Road Closures (affecting vehicular traffic) will have to be an integral part of these Pubic Roadworks.
Temporary Traffic Management will be a major part of the proposed Works, with the safety of pedestrians and other road users remaining paramount throughout the construction period.
The Contractor will do its’ utmost to preserve vehicular passage along the street insofar as is reasonably possible, during the course of the Works.
Dublin City Council, and its’ Public Works Contractor, Cairn Construction, apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption these Works may cause.
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.
