Duck Pond

STEPHEN’S GREEN AREA OF DUBLIN SUNDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2024

February 12, 2024 by infomatique

I USED A SONY A7RIV

St Stephen’s Green is a garden square and public park located in the city centre of Dublin, Ireland.

The current landscape of the park was designed by William Sheppard. It was officially re-opened to the public on Tuesday, 27 July 1880 by Lord Ardilaun.

The square is adjacent to one of Dublin’s main shopping streets, Grafton Street, and to a shopping centre named after it, while on its surrounding streets are the offices of a number of public bodies as well as a stop on one of Dublin’s Luas tram lines. It is often informally called Stephen’s Green. At 22 acres (8.9 ha), it is the largest of the parks in Dublin’s main Georgian garden squares. Others include nearby Merrion Square and Fitzwilliam Square.

THE SMALL FOOTBRIDGE ACROSS THE LILY POND

June 21, 2023 by infomatique

AT THE BOTANIC GARDENS

Poet Thomas Tickell owned a house and small estate in Glasnevin and, in 1795, they were sold to the Irish Parliament and given to the Royal Dublin Society for them to establish Ireland’s first botanic gardens. A double line of yew trees, known as “Addison’s Walk” survives from this period. The original function of the gardens was to advance knowledge of plants for agricultural, medicinal and dyeing purposes. The gardens were the first location in Ireland where the infection responsible for the 1845–1847 Great Famine was identified. Throughout the famine, research to stop the infection was undertaken at the gardens.

Walter Wade and John Underwood, the first Director and Superintendent respectively, executed the layout of the gardens, but, when Wade died in 1825, they declined for some years. From 1834, Director Ninian Nivan brought new life into the gardens, performing some redesign. This programme of change and development continued with the following Directors into the late 1960s.

The gardens were placed into government care in 1877.

In the winter of 1948/9 Ludwig Wittgenstein lived and worked in Ireland. He frequently came to the Palm House to sit and write. There is a plaque commemorating him on the steps he sat on.

NO EVIDENCE OF THE RESIDENT TURTLES 28 APRIL 2023

April 30, 2023 by infomatique

THE DUCK POND AREA

The pond and nearby is the most popular area for children especially as there is the possibility of seeing at least one of the five turtles/terrapins who have decided that the pond is their “forever home”. I am not sure that the terrapins have survived as I have not seen any of them for more than a year, however, someone did contact a year ago to say that they was a new addition bring the total to six.

In March 2019 I contacted management and received the following response:

Hi William
Thank you for your concern regarding the turtles in the pond. They have been in the pond now for at least 4 years. They were abandoned there without our knowledge but they survive ok by themselves so seem to be quite happy there. They like to sun themselves at the edge of the pond when the weather is warm so they are more visible in summer.
Thanks again for bringing this to our attention.

Best regards
Visitor Centre
National Botanic Gardens

There is also a sculpture, designed by Charles Jencks, which celebrates the 60th anniversary of the discovery of the DNA double helix in 1953. It is a gift to the nation from private donors. It demonstrates our growing knowledge of RNA. It is only recently that we have discovered that all life on earth, from microbes to plants and animals are all related to one another.

note: a young girl corrected me saying that the sculpture relates to RNA rather than DNA and I was not in a position to argue