THE 2024 PHOTO BLOG

ST MICHAN’S PARK IS HOME TO THE ÉIRE 1798 MEMORIAL

January 21, 2024 by infomatique

PHOTOGRAPHED USING A SONY FX30

I usually enter this park via Green Street and exit via Halston Street and today was no different.

Inspired by the French and American revolutions, the Society of United Irishmen launched a four-month rebellion against British rule, which failed and ultimately led to Ireland’s incorporation into the UK in 1800.

The statue of Éire is the central feature of the park. It is positioned on a raised area of the green with a high pedestal; and dated at the base to 1903. This date puts the installation of the statue at some five years after the park opened. When the site was transformed into a public park the mound had been designed to hold a memorial and the pedestal was installed by at least 1899.

The site was inherently political due to its association with Newgate prison, the walls of which were consciously retained as the outline of the park. Newgate Prison was where many United Irishmen (here commemorated in relief tablets around the base) were incarcerated and this monument was raised to commemorate
the centenary of the death of rebel leader, Robert Emmet.

Éire’s demeanour is subdued and downcast, holding a funerary wreath, a wolfhound looks up at her from one side and in the background the nationalist symbol of the high cross is clearly visible. The base of the monument has an inscription in Irish script with reference to the history of the prison. It reads:

Within this park once stood Newgate prison
Associated in dark and evil days with the doing to death of
Confessors of Irish liberty who gave their lives to vindicate
Their country’s right to National independence
This memorial is erected to perpetuate their memory
To honour their motives and to inculcate a grateful reverence
In Irish minds for sacrifices thus nobly made
For freedom and to proclaim Ireland’s fidelity
To the principles of the men whose names are heron inscribed
In the belief that these will yet redeem and
Regenerate our fatherland for subjection

EXPLORING LEINSTER ROAD

January 19, 2024 by infomatique

19 JANUARY 2024

In 1960’s Rathmines was known as “Flatland”. There were many large houses on Leinster Square, Leinster Road and Grosvenor Square where students would stay and many civil servants lived in low cost digs. Digs is/are the type of accommodation where a lodger stays in a family home and pays for lodgings as well as board. The food and the utility bills are included in the rent, so budgeting is not usually an issue. The students would bring their laundry home with them every weekend. Many of the civil servants would travel to their family homes every Friday by bus and return to Dublin early every Monday morning meaning that they did not engage in any social activities in Dublin and that had a negative impact on the area. They spend Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in Dublin and many worked as much overtime as was available.

An aunt of mine owned and lived alone in a large house on Leinster square which appears in a few of my photographs, it always smelled of town gas. At the other extreme I remember visiting a cousin who had a bedsit on Leinster Road and I was horrified. There was a common bathroom shared by ten female tenants [in terrible condition] with a notice saying “do not flush after 8pm” and another saying that visitors were not permitted after 9pm. My mother explained that as my cousin was a civil servant who went home to the country ever Friday she only stayed in the bedsit four nights ever week and therefore was not too concerned about the quality of the accommodation.

I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE SOMETHING BEGINNING WITH C ON LEINSTER ROAD

January 19, 2024 by infomatique

A CHERRY BLOSSOM IN JANUARY

When I young there were no Cherry Blossoms in flower before April or May so I was surprised to see one today. In fact I came across another one on Belgrave Road near the Beechwod Tram stop.

Using Google’s Bard AI I asked if cherry blossoms grow in Ireland and I have included the answer below:

Yes, cherry blossoms grow in Ireland. They are a popular ornamental tree in the country, and there are many places where you can see them in bloom. The peak bloom time for cherry blossoms in Ireland is typically between late April and early May. However, the exact timing can vary from year to year depending on the weather conditions.

Here are some of the best places to see cherry blossoms in Ireland:

Herbert Park, Dublin: This park has one of the largest collections of cherry blossom trees in Ireland. The trees are planted along the pathways, creating a beautiful tunnel of blossoms.
St Stephen’s Green, Dublin: This park is another popular spot to see cherry blossom trees in bloom. The trees are located near the lake and the National Gallery of Ireland.
Trinity College Dublin: This historic university is home to a number of cherry blossom trees, which can be seen in bloom around the campus.
National Botanic Gardens of Ireland: These gardens are home to a variety of cherry blossom trees, including some rare and unusual species.
Carlow Arboretum: This arboretum is located about an hour’s drive from Dublin and has a large collection of cherry blossom trees, including some weeping varieties.

YESTERDAY A MAN DIED IN AN EXPLOSION IN HIS ROOM IN DUBLIN CITY CENTRE

January 19, 2024 by infomatique

THIS WAS A COMMUNITY ART GALLERY BUT IT IS NOW A HOMELESS SHELTER

Yesterday [18 January 2024] A controlled explosion was carried out at the scene where a man died in a blast at the homeless hostel on Little Britain Street.

When I first photographed this building, many years ago, it was a community art gallery. I am not sure when but it became a DePaul hostel and it has had some problems over the years. A man was arrested in march 2022 and charged with arson having started a fire which injured six people leaving a 22-year-old woman with catastrophic injuries. The man was jailed for 9½ years.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation, but authorities are not thought to suspect foul play.

The explosion was confined to a single room in the hostel, which is said to have room for about 50 men and women.

Issue Date: 18th January 2024

Gardaí at the Bridewell are actively investigating the cause of an explosion at a property on Little Britain Street, Dublin 7, on Thursday, 18th January 2024.

Gardaí and emergency services responded to an incident at a residential premises on Little Britain Street shortly after 3:00 pm, following reports of an explosion inside the property. An adult male aged in his 30s sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The explosion was confined to one room within the property, and no one else was injured.

Residents at the premises were evacuated, and a cordon, along with local traffic diversions, remain in place.

The precise cause of the explosion is currently under investigation, and the Garda Technical Bureau have commenced a forensic and technical examination with assistance from Army EOD.

The Coroner has been notified, and a post-mortem examination is due to be carried out by the State Pathologist at Dublin City Morgue tomorrow.

Anyone with information that can assist investigating Gardaí is asked to contact the Bridewell Garda Station on 01 6668200 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.

The investigation is ongoing.

Depaul was born out of the Passage Day Centre in Victoria, London. It started as a Vincentian partnership between the Daughters of Charity, the Society of St Vincent de Paul and the Passage Day Centre itself, as a response to the growing number of young people on the streets of London in the late 1980s. Founded by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Ireland [ROI] in 2002 and in Northern Ireland in 2005, Depaul is a separate charity helping people most in need.

IS THAT MY BALL OR IS IT A BUOY

January 19, 2024 by infomatique

A CONFUSED DOG IN THE RIVER NORE IN KILKENNY

According the owner the dog was confused because he was convinced that the buoy was a ball.

The Nore rises on the eastern slopes of the Devil’s Bit Mountain in the townland of Borrisnoe, County Tipperary. It then flows south-eastwards to County Laois and County Kilkenny before joining the River Barrow just north of New Ross near the Barrow Bridge. The river passes near Durrow, County Laois then through Ballyragget, the city of Kilkenny and then the villages of Bennettsbridge and Thomastown. Further south, it forms a picturesque V-shaped river valley, particularly notable near the village of Inistioge, the tidal limit. Major tributaries of the Nore include the Dinan, the Breagagh at Kilkenny City, the King’s River, the Little Arrigle and the Black Water.

The Nore rises on a sandstone base but the catchment soon turns to limestone and remains so to the sea. The countryside is one of mixed farming, with some tillage, quite a bit of pasture and dairying and some bloodstock. The river has a fairly steep gradient but the flow is checked by innumerable weirs and it is probably true to say that shallow glides are the pre-dominant feature.

In pre-Famine years, there were many water-powered industries in the Nore valley, particularly in the ten-mile (16 km) stretch between Kilkenny City and Thomastown, including breweries, woollen mills, sawmills, marble works, distilleries and grain mills. Flax and linen were produced just north of Kilkenny City.