Mary’s Lane Archives - NORTH OF THE RIVER

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.

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LOCAL HISTORY

Today I used an iPhone 12 Pro Max and some of the images suffered from lens flare and there was also the annoying green dot that is common when using smartphones … now that I have mentioned it you will begin to notice it everywhere [maybe I should not have mentioned it]

I suspect the few Dubliners are aware of what happened on Church Street in September 1913.

There is a little park in Church Street at Father Matthew Square which contains a plaque with details of “The Church Street Tenement Collapse” as well as an attractive monumental street-lamp.

Father Mathew Square is a housing scheme for Dublin Corporation by the City Architect on site bounded by Church Street, Beresford Street, Mary’s Lane and North King Street consisting of 4-roomed houses, 3-roomed houses and 2-roomed houses. Tenders invited, Dec 1914. Work started in August 1915.

Tuesday 2 September 1913. At about 8.45pm two houses, Nos 66 and 67, collapsed. The rubble fell across the width of the street as far as the door of the Father Matthew Hall on the other side.

Later evidence to the coroner’s inquiry stated that there had been a rumbling noise, after which No. 66 collapsed suddenly, followed soon afterwards by the fall of No. 67. All seven who died in the tragedy had lived in No. 66, a four-storey building in which 26 people had lived. One of the inhabitants, Mr Sammon, who survived the collapse, told reporters the heroic story of how his son Eugene had died: ‘Eugene took the youngest child (Josephine), aged one year and eight months, and brought her out safely. Then he went back for the other children, and got out with them alright, but it was when he was coming away with Elizabeth that they were struck by the falling masonry and killed’.

Hugh Salmon worked at Jacob’s biscuit factory and was a member of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ and it should be noted The Church Street Disaster happened only days after some of the worst disturbances of the labour strikes of 1913, which saw the deaths of two men during a baton charge by the Dublin Metropolitan Police.

It appears that the chimney gave way, crashing through the house as it fell and pushing the front wall out into the street. Immediately following the collapse of the two houses, a great cloud of dust enveloped the scene, and for some time it was not possible to see the magnitude of what had just occurred. Soon units of Dublin Fire Brigade arrived at the scene and took control of the rescue work. By now the street was dark, except for some dim street lamps. Numerous lighted lanterns and candles were held aloft by a body of willing assistants. Throughout the night rescue workers pulled the bodies of the injured and dead from the rubble. The next morning the sun shone brightly, and only then could the full magnitude of the damage be appreciated.

Fifteen people were trapped in the rubble: six died, and at least seven were seriously injured.

Those killed were Hugh Sammon (17), Elizabeth Sammon (4½), Nicholas Fitzpatrick (40), Elizabeth Fagan (50), John Shiels (3), Peter Crowley (6) and Margaret Rourke (55).

An inquest held into the collapse revealed that the Dangerous Buildings Inspector had examined the houses at the beginning of August, and ordered that immediate renovation work be carried out. In a follow-up visit on 15 August, the Inspector passed the buildings as safe, although he admitted to the Coroner’s Court that he could not see whether a new supporting beam had been fitted because it was blocked at the time. The Church Street disaster was not the first time tenements had collapsed, but the numbers killed and injured were unparalleled.

Mary’s Lane

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CHURCH STREET DISASTER MEMORIAL AT FATHER MATTHEW SQUARE