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Griffith Avenue

THE RISE 4 OCTOBER 2024

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OFF GRIFFITH AVENUE

My second time to visit this street off Griffith Avenue and not much has changed.

While The Rise might be described as a “quiet cul-de-sac” in some property listings, my earlier suspicions that it functions as a rat-run seem well-founded. It appears to offer a tempting shortcut between Griffith Avenue and Ballymun Road for those seeking to avoid the busier thoroughfares. However navigating this narrow, winding street, particularly with parked cars lining the kerbs, presents a challenge and a potential hazard for both drivers and pedestrians, especially with children playing.

It’s a classic urban conundrum: the desire for convenient access versus the need for safety and tranquillity in a residential area. Perhaps this explains the 30km/h speed limit, a measure aimed at mitigating the risks associated with this “shortcut” temptation.

GRIFFITH AVENUE 4 OCTOBER 2024

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NOW SERVICED BY THE NEW N2 BUS ROUTE

Griffith Avenue

Griffith Avenue, located in Dublin, is renowned for its historical and architectural significance. Designed as a 100-foot wide road, it links Glasnevin (St. Mobhi Road) with Clontarf. One of its unique features is the double row of trees on either side, comprising over 820 trees of ten different varieties. This makes it the longest urban street in the Northern Hemisphere without any commercial premises.

Historical Significance

Naming: Griffith Avenue is named after Arthur Griffith (1871-1922), a prominent Irish writer, newspaper editor, and founder of Sinn Féin. He played a crucial role in the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations and served as President of Dáil Éireann in 1922.

Construction: The foundation stone for the houses on Griffith Avenue was laid by Richard Mulcahy, TD, Minister for Local Government and Public Health, on November 26, 1926.

Cultural Sites: The avenue is surrounded by notable sites such as the Marino garden suburb, the O’Brien Institute, High Park Convent, the eighteenth-century Casino at Marino, All Hallows Campus, and Drumcondra Castle.

Modern-Day Relevance

Griffith Avenue remains a cherished local amenity, known for its scenic beauty and historical importance. It is a popular spot for long walks, especially in autumn when the fallen leaves create a picturesque scene.
Keywords

The new N2 Dublin Bus Route, operated by Go-Ahead Ireland, is part of the BusConnects Network Redesign and launched on September 29, 2024. This orbital route connects various key locations across Dublin, providing new connections and interchange opportunities with other TFI bus, rail, and tram services.
Route Details

The N2 route starts at Heuston Station and ends at Clontarf Road Station, covering the following stops:
Heuston Station
Blackhorse Avenue
Nephin Road
Broombridge
Ballyboggan Road
Old Finglas Road
Griffith Avenue
Marino
Clontarf Road Station

Frequency: Weekday Peak Hours: Every 15-20 minutes
Weekends: Every 30 minutes
This frequency ensures that passengers have regular and reliable service throughout the week, making it easier to plan their journeys.

VALENTIA ROAD IN DRUMCONDRA

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A SHORT ROAD CONNECTING HOME FARM ROAD AND GRIFFITH AVENUE

Valentia Road is a short, residential street in Drumcondra, Dublin 9, Ireland. It runs north-south between Griffith Avenue and Home Farm Road. The road is named after Valentia Island, an island off the coast of County Kerry.

The road is also home Corpus Christi Church Primary School as well as Corpus Christi Church which was built in the early 20th century. The church is known for its beautiful architecture and its stained glass windows.

The English name ‘Valentia’ Island does not come from the Spanish city of Valencia. Instead it comes from the Irish name of Valentia Harbour, cuan Bhéil Inse, “harbour-mouth of the island”. It was anglicised as ‘Bealinche’ and ‘Ballentia’ before evolving into ‘Valentia’.It is possible the spelling was influenced by Spanish sailors; there is a grave marker to Spanish sailors lost at sea in the Catholic cemetery at Kylemore.

The Irish name for the island is Dairbhre, probably meaning “oak isle”. It was historically anglicised as ‘Dariry’.

A LONG WALK ALONG AN ATTRACTIVE AVENUE – SESSION 1

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GRIFFITH AVENUE FROM ST MOBHI ROAD TO SWORDS ROAD

The first record of a Christian church in Glasnevin appears to be that of the monastery founded by St. Mobhi during the sixth century. Among the pupils at St. Mobhi’s monastic school were the saints Canice of Finglas, Colmcille (or Columba) of Iona and Comgall of Bangor.

St Mobhí Road was originally to be known as as Dean Swift Avenue but a dispute erupted following representations by a local clergyman. A meeting of concerned residents was called and the compromise reached was to name the road after the founder of the local monastic site.
The historic Glasnevin connection with Jonathan Swift was maintained a bridge across the Tolka river was Dean Swift bridge. I should mention that for many years I thought that this bridge across the Tolka River was named Mobhi Bridge or Saint Mobi Bridge.

Griffith Avenue was developed in the early 20th century as part of the Marino housing scheme, which was designed to create a garden suburb for Dublin’s growing middle class. The avenue is lined with large, detached and semi-detached houses, all of which have been lovingly maintained.

QUICK VISIT TO GRIFFITH AVENUE

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SWORDS ROAD TO MALAHIDE ROAD SECTION

In 1914, around the time of the housing enquiries into Dublin’s slum dwellings, Patrick Abercrombie’s plan for Dublin proposed high-density housing at Fairview and a new distributor road extending to the west from the Malahide Road. The project was shelved during the first world war, and Griffith Avenue (originally named ‘the 100-foot road’) was subsequently laid out from 1924–1928 along with the Marino Estate. The development of the avenue was commenced at the southern end of the road adjoining Marino. The avenue spans three electoral constituencies, and is the longest double tree-lined avenue in Europe.

Today I used a Sony FX30 which is not recommended as a stills camera as it is designed for video rather than photography. The problem is that it has an electronic shutter and as a result any movement within the frame can result in blurred or distorted images and today I had to discard many photographs ad they were unusable.

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