NORTH OF THE RIVER AS EXPERIENCED BY THE URBAN CARTOGRAPHER

Original Images By William Murphy

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ANOTHER VISIT TO COKE LANE

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SMITHFIELD AREA OF DUBLIN

I have no idea as to why it is named Coke Lane but about ten years ago a gentleman came out of a doorway on this street/laneway and told me to go back to America and to stop taking photographs that disrespected the people of Ireland. I decided that it was best to keep my mouth shut and to move on and to return at a later date. Since then I visit on a regular basis but not much has changed over the years.

I am frequently mistaken as being American and have never worked out why.

THE STREET SIGN SAYS NORTH LOTTS REF-225703-1

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A HISTORIC AREA OF DUBLIN

I am a bit confused by the name of this lane/street which is parallel to Middle Abbey Street. It appears to be known as North Lotts but to the best of my knowledge North Lotts is an area. Here is a quote that I came across “The North Lotts district is sometimes humorously called Newfoundland on account of its having being reclaimed from the sea, and there is actually a Newfoundland Street within its limits. – On the exact spot where Newfoundland Street and Nixon Street are now built, Campbell’s Map of Dublin, 1811, marks an “Intended Floating Dock,” never constructed. The Corporation also honoured itself by conferring on the new streets laid out here the names of Mayor Street, Sheriff Street, Guild Street and Commons Street, after the Lord Mayor, the Sheriffs, the Guilds of each trade of which the Corporation was then composed, and the Commons who elected them”.

No.9, the pub, Liffey Street Lower is a late Georgian building that contributes to the historic character of the street. It is notable for the survival of its carved nineteenth-century shopfront. Its corner location, emphasised by the column supporting the corner, makes this a prominent building. Liffey Street Lower was occupied mainly by furniture brokers in the mid-nineteenth century, and today it remains retail focused having many three-storey eighteenth-century houses converted into shops. An early eighteenth-century street, it was mostly rebuilt in the last decades of the nineteenth century.

EXPLORING HANOVER QUAY AND THE IMMEDIATE AREA REF-225548-1

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NOVEMBER 2023

Because of the riot in Dublin last Thursday I am using a iPhone rather than my Sony Cameras. I suspect that I am being over cautious.

The Grand Canal Docks first opened in 1796, built to a design by William Jessop. Before this development, from medieval times the area was associated with lepers, as recorded in some of the street names such as Misery Hill and Lazer Lane. At the time they were the world’s largest docks. They fell into decline within just a few decades, due mostly to reduced canal usage with the arrival of the railways. The landscape was dominated by Dublin Gas Company’s mountains of black coal, along with chemical factories, tar pits, bottle factories and iron foundries. However, bakers and millers maintained business along the southern edge of the inner basin. By the 1960s, the Grand Canal Docks were almost completely derelict.

Around 1987 it was decided that Hanover Quay was too toxic to sell. Regeneration began in 1998, when Bord Gáis sold the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) the former gasworks site located in the area between Sir John Rogerson’s Quay and Hanover Quay, for €19 million. The DDDA spent €52 million decontaminating the land, even though the likely return was estimated at just €40 million. The decontamination took place under the supervision of the Environmental Protection Agency, between 2002 and 2006. The process involved constructing an underground wall eight metres deep around the affected area, and the contaminated soil being dug out and removed. By the time the decontamination was finished, an inflated property bubble and increased demand in the area (brought on, in part, by the decision by Google to set up its European headquarters nearby), allowed the authority to sell the land for €300 million. The DDDA injected some of its new funds into the area’s infrastructure including seats, street lighting, and civic spaces.

A number of buildings have since been developed, involving the construction of millions of euros worth of real estate, the establishment of what is now sometimes known as Silicon Docks, and the arrival of several thousand new residents.

MARY’S LANE REF-225458-1

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I DID NOT REALISE THAT EXTENDED ALL THE WAY TO BOW STREET

I used a Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max and it did not preform well in low light combined with fog and rain … now I know. You may have noticed that I experimented with “multi-framing” and, to be honest, I did not like the result.

The building of real interest is the Victorian Fruit And Vegetable Market which I will not discuss here as I intend to do so at a later date.

The Irish capital has struggled recently when it comes to housing. In response to this there was a plan for a major development situated opposite the city’s former fruit market and next to the building where H Lawlor is located. My understanding is that the Fruitmarket Partnership has applied for permission to build a shared accommodation scheme of 360 bedrooms, with a total of 506 beds, in 61 “apartment clusters” sharing kitchen and living facilities. The scheme would be built in four blocks on two separate sites on Mary’s Lane and Halston Street in the city’s markets area west of Capel Street. The four blocks would range in height up to 14 storeys or 49m, more than twice the 24m maximum allowed under the Dublin City Development Plan.

About a month ago Dublin City Council indicated that Mary’s Lane would get a new plaza, seating and cycle parking. And St Michan’s Park on Halston Street, and Greek Street, would also get major upgrades. Apparently the owner of H Lawlor is not keen on the idea as he operates from buildings on both sides of the street.

DUBLIN CITY CENTRE THE DAY AFTER THE RIOT AND LITTLE TO SEE

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24 NOVEMBER 2023

The city was remarkable empty of people and there was not as much to see as I had expected … most of the damage appeared to be on Abbey Street and O’Connell Street. Public transport had not returned to normal and may not do so until Monday and that does have an impacts on my plans for the weekend.

Yesterday three young children were injured in the stabbing incident outside a primary school which sparked violent protests and clashes with police. According to the Guards [police] a five-year-old schoolgirl and a female teacher, believed to be in her 30s, remain in a very serious condition.

I was in the immediate area, near the Parnell Street Tram Stop, when knife attack occurred on Parnell Square East. I did not witness the actual event but I was made aware of it within minutes and immediately decided to return to my apartment for personal safety reasons but my main concern was that the incident had the potential to provoke a violent reaction locally. However, I was surprised by the scale and intensity of the reaction. After returning home I decided to visit the local centra which never closes and was amazed to discover that it was shuttered.

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