william murphy

MARIAN STATUE ERECTED IN 1955 RATHER THAN 1955

July 5, 2023 by infomatique

OSCAR SQUARE PARK

Even thought this statue was erected in 1955 rather than 1954 I assume that it is a Marian Statue.

I went on a walking tour about twenty years ago and the tour guide claimed that Oscar Square and the associated streets was named in honour of Oscar Wilde. However, the reality is that Oscar Square is not named after Oscar Wilde, but rather Oscar, son of Oisín of Na Fianna. Nearby, Clarence Mangan Road was named in honour of the poet, and O’Carolan Road for the harpist.

A friend of mine lived in the area and claimed that there was once a World War II bomb shelter in the small public park but that the park may not have been a public park back then. In December 2020 A local lady told me that when she was young it was known as Rosary Park, and it was always closed to the public except on Sundays, but it is now known as Oscar Square Park even though it is not square [there was also a joke that I cannot include here]. I checked a few maps and it looks square to me but I did come across an account that described it as a triangle.

THE MARIAN STATUE AT BROADSTONE

June 19, 2023 by infomatique

HAS IN REALITY BECOME MORE ISOLATED

Because of its colour, or should I say total lack of colour, this Marian statue is not very visible from The Western Way or from Constitution Hill. I know some who are aware of it but did not know that there was a narrow walkway behind it and that there were steps leading up from the street below.

As a result of the the construction of the LUAS tram stop and the Broadstone Gate plaza access to statue should be easier that it was in the past but unfortunately the raised space directly in front of the old Broadstone railway station is uninviting and somewhat unattractive. It, also, acts as a magnet for anti-social activity especially the over consumption of alcohol.

There are hundreds of statues of the Virgin Mary dotted around Ireland and there are at least 26 so called Marian Statues in Dublin and most were put up in the Marian Year of 1954, when entire communities mobilised to erect a statue for their area.

As far as I can tell the majority are are still in good condition and regularly maintained by the people around them.

STATUE OF SAINT COLUMBA

June 18, 2023 by infomatique

ST COLUMBA’S CHURCH ON IONA ROAD IN DUBLIN

The plaque may cause one to believe that the saint lived for a thousand years.

St. Columba, also called Colum, or Columcille, (born c. 521, Tyrconnell [now County Donegal, Ireland]—died June 8/9, 597, Iona [Inner Hebrides, Scotland]; feast day June 9), abbot and missionary traditionally credited with the main role in the conversion of Scotland to Christianity.

Columba studied under Saints Finnian of Moville and Finnian of Clonard and was ordained priest about 551. He founded churches and the famous monasteries Daire Calgaich, in Derry, and Dair-magh, in Durrow.

The Sony A7RIV is by far the best camera that I own and on paper the Sony 85mm GM is my best lens but for various reasons I have not used the camera since my visit to Cork in 2022.

THE FAMILY VAULT OF ROBERT MANDERS

June 13, 2023 by infomatique

MOUNT JEROME CEMETERY

This may have been the family that established the Robert Manders & Co, New Brewery, 113 James Street, Dublin.

In 1862 Robert Manders & Co brewery occupied 111-113 at the north side of James Street. The concern was also the business address of the Manders family.

Association with the Phoenix Brewery (Dublin) Ltd. was terminated in 1897 and carried on though restricted to ale brewing until c.1907.

Apart from the brewery they had flour mills at Islandbridge and bakeries at Fownes Street, Moore Street, Church Street, Camden Street, and Baggot Street. The brewery continued until 1909.

Phoenix Brewery (Dublin) Ltd publicly advertised itself as “the largest brewery in Ireland but one”. Founded in 1788 by Charles Madder who by all accounts was a brilliant technical and innovative brewer. He had come from London to brew porter in Dublin. His business and trading activities were poor and the brewery was rescued by one John Brennan and later his son Charles. Essentially a porter brewery with a capacity to produce 350,000 bulk barrels per annum, it launched its own O’Connell’s Dublin Ale. This was probably due to the fact that when they took over Robert Manders & Co’s Brewery, their next door neighbours in 1897 it replaced Mander’s Dublin Ale. It enjoyed a local and export trade however for whatever the reasons it became bankrupt and closed in 1909. The franchise of brewing O’Connell’s Dublin Ale was given to D’Arcys.

RICHARD MANDERS Died 1854
ERNEST MANDERS Died 1858
Infant MANDERS Died 1859
THOMAS MANDERS Died 1859
ANNE GEOGHEGAN Died 1861
RICHARD MANDERS Died 1864
Infant MANDERS Died 1864
ROBERT MANDERS Died 1866
LAURA MANDERS Died 1868
FRANCES MANDERS Died 1870
HERBERT MANDERS Died 1871
ROBERT MANDERS Died 1873
ARTHUR MANDERS Died 1904
ELIZABETH MANDERS Died 1914
HERBERT MANDERS Died 1928
CHARLES MANDERS Died 1995
JEAN MANDERS Died 1998

A QUICK OVERVIEW OF AN OLD VICTORIAN CEMETERY

June 10, 2023 by infomatique

MOUNT JEROME IN HAROLD’S CROSS

I frequently visit this cemetery as my father’s parents are interred here but I have never been able to locate the grave as they were buried there before the cemetery began to deteriorate and become the target for serious and sustained vandalism. I could be wrong but I suspect that the headstone no longer exists and when I searched online I did find a grave but while the names were correct [William and Brigit] I later discovered that the dates were incorrect. An aunt of mine, who died a few years ago, had promised to meet up and show me the actual grave but that never happened.

The cemetery has one of only two Christ-thorn bushes in Ireland (the other is in the Botanic Gardens).

Mount Jerome Cemetery & Crematorium is situated in Harold’s Cross on the south side of Dublin, Ireland. Since its foundation in 1836, it has witnessed over 300,000 burials. Originally an exclusively Protestant cemetery, Roman Catholics have also been buried there since the 1920s.

In the 1970s, the condition of the Cemetery began to deteriorate and in 1984 it was put into voluntary liquidation.

By the late 1990s, it had fallen into a serious state of neglect and was subjected to a high level of vandalism. I actually lived beside the cemetery in 1983-85 and almost every day I was amazed to see what was being stolen from the graves.

In 1998 the cemetery was purchased by a private enterprise it has undergone a complete reversal of fortune. The ongoing funds provided by a new Crematorium afforded the Cemetery the means to put in place a proper maintenance program to prevent it falling into decline again. Over time it is possible that the cemetery will become a major tourist attraction as has Glasnevin Cemetery.