December 2025 Index
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30 CHURCH STREET IN HOWTHI had planned to have lunch at this restaurant in Howth today but I was unaware that they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays so I gave up on the lunch idea and…
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A WALK ALONG LOWER ABBEY STREETIf you are visiting, Lower Abbey Street is essential for a trip to the Abbey Theatre or a pint in The Flowing Tide to soak up literary history. However, it is…
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BELFAST INSTALLATION MAY 2025Someone painted the wall using brown paint and also painted over the elements of the installation so I had to doctor the photographs to make the metal figures… 
BULLOCH HARBOURDiscover the history and spelling mystery of Bullock Harbour (or Bulloch Harbour) in Dalkey. A brief winter visit reveals 12th-century castles, local seals, and…
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CAPEL STREET ON A WET MONDAYThere is a specific kind of atmosphere on Dublin’s Capel Street in November that begs to be photographed. It’s moody, the lights reflect beautifully off the… 
CAPTAIN BOYD MEMORIAL ON THE EAST PIERDiscover the tragic story behind the Boyd Memorial on Dún Laoghaire's East Pier. Learn about the 1861 storm, the lost crew of HMS Ajax, and the legend of the… 
CHRISTMAS 2025 IN DUN LAOGHAIREChristmas is usually a binary choice: you are either hosting the madness, or you are a guest sleeping on a relatives' air mattress. This year, I decided to try… 
CHRISTMAS MORNING VISIT TO THE EAST PIERThere were not many people on the pier when I visited because it was very windy and very cold but the night before was much worse as I had to abandon my plan to… 
CHRIST THE KING SCULPTUREDiscover the fascinating history of Dún Laoghaire’s Christ the King statue (the Triple Cross). Sculpted by Andrew O'Connor, rejected by Archbishop McQuaid, and…
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DUBLIN AT NIGHTToday, following a late lunch at Eatokyo on Wellington Quay, I decided to test my Fujifilm X100VI, which I have fitted with the TCL-X100 II teleconverter. I… 
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EXPLORING THE WATERFRONT AT CHRISTMASJoin me on a perilous Christmas photography walk along Queen's Road, Dun Laoghaire. Discover the dramatic contrast between the decaying Victorian seafront and…
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FORTY FOOT MEN ONLYChristmas 2025 saw thousands at Sandycove as rough Irish Sea weather closed the Forty Foot. We explore the 2025 event and the funny history of the "Men Only"…
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GRAND CANAL SQUARE DECEMBER 2025Grand Canal Square is the primary public plaza of Dublin’s rejuvenated South Docklands. Since its opening in 2007, it has evolved into a symbol of modern…
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HOWTH VILLAGE NOVEMBER 2025Mention Howth, and a familiar picture comes to mind: a picturesque fishing village, a short train ride from Dublin, renowned for its dramatic cliff walks and… 
HURDY GURDY MUSEUMFor obvious reasons the Martello Tower is on a hill with wonderful views of Howth Village and Harbour.
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LEGACY 2010Originally Photographed in 2010 By William Murphy and remastered at a later date LEGACY CATALOGSPhotographed before December 2025 and may have been reprocessed and republished for various reasons 
LEGACY PHOTOGRAPHS FROM 2012These photographs were produced in 2012 but have been reprocessed in 2025 and republished within a better contexr
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MARTELLO TOWER 11Explore the history of Martello Tower 11, the James Joyce Museum, and the Forty Foot Christmas swim. Discover the "Forty Foot Men" joke and avoid the Sandymount… 
MORE THAN A MILE TO THE END AND BACKMore Than Just a Stroll The atmosphere on the pier during the GOAL Mile is electric. It is a reunion of sorts; you are bound to bump into old work colleagues… 
MOTHER EARTH DANCINGBetty Newman-Maguire was born in Kells, Co. Meath in 1952. She is a practising artist who graduated with a First Class Hons B.A. Degree in Sculpture from the… MOTHER EARTH DANCINGBetty Newman-Maguire was born in Kells, Co. Meath in 1952. She is a practising artist who graduated with a First Class Hons B.A. Degree in Sculpture from the… 
MOTHERSHIP OR THE SEA URCHINMothership (The Sea Urchin) by Rachel Joynt | Public Art Dún Laoghaire Description: Discover "Mothership," the iconic bronze sea urchin sculpture by Rachel…
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NOVEMBER 2025 VISIT TO HOWTHWilliam Murphy photographed Howth Village in November 2025 but The Urban Cartographer decided to include them in the December catalog
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RESTLESS LIFFEY LOVE BY RHONA BYRNELiffey Love is a significant public art installation by Irish artist Rhona Byrne, unveiled in September 2024. It stands as both a functional social space and a… 
RYDER'S ROW TRIANGLEFor decades, this area mirrored the commercial retreat of Dublin’s north inner city. As retail shifted to suburban centers and online platforms, the traditional…
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ST MARY'S ABBEYThe site of St. Mary’s Abbey is a palimpsest, a landscape where successive layers of history—Hiberno-Norse, Anglo-Norman, Reformed, and modern—overlap. The…
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TARA STREET STATIONA recent visit to Tara Street Station revealed a fascinating friction currently playing out in Dublin’s transit centres. The station has evolved into a… 
TEMPLE BAR THE PUBf you have ever stood on a cobbled street in Dublin, checking Google Maps and asking a passing local, "Excuse me, where is Temple Bar?", only to have them… 
THE CHARIOT OF LIFE BY OISIN KELLYMeet "The Mad Milkman"—officially "The Chariot of Life" by Oisín Kelly. Located at Dublin’s Irish Life Centre, this dynamic 1982 sculpture symbolizes reason… 
THE EAST PIER LIGHTHOUSEDiscover the history of the Dún Laoghaire East Pier lighthouse, built in 1847 by George Halpin. Learn why this navigational beacon is surrounded by a fortified… 
THE LUAS BRIDGE IS BACK IN ACTIONA fire caused the closure. Fires involving infrastructure, especially wooden or composite deck structures, can cause severe structural damage, necessitating a… 
THE WATERFRONT AT NIGHTThis was my second attempt on the day after Christmas and it proved to be even more difficult than the first attempt even though I used a Leica Q3 which have… THREE SCULPTURES IN BELFASTWhile the butterfly vanished when the developers moved in, and the "working women" were moved along to a more "respectable" street frontage, the women of Sandy… 
TOWNSEND STREET AND EAST HANOVER STREETHanover Street East is a significant thoroughfare in the Dublin 2 district, serving as a vital link between the historic city centre and the modern, high-tech… 
TRADERS WHARF OFF HARBOUR ROADCompleted around 1855, Traders’ Wharf was constructed to facilitate commerce—specifically the importation of coal and other heavy goods that fuelled the…
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VERY LONG MURAL ON CITY QUAYThis vibrant and exceptionally long mural is a prominent feature of City Quay in Dublin, located on the south bank of the River Liffey. 
VICTORIA SQUARE SHOPPING CENTREVictoria Square, which opened in March 2008, is a masterpiece of urban regeneration. It blends the city’s history with modern "open street" design, protecting…
December 2025 Index