DUBLINBIKES DOCKING STATION 68

06/12/2022

DUBLINBIKES DOCKING STATION 68 [HANOVER QUAY GRAND CANAL DOCK DUBLIN]

Hanover Quay is named after the family of George I, Elector of Hanover, who was invited to Britain by the Protestant elite in 1714 to secure the throne.

Grand Canal Dock is a Southside area near the city centre of Dublin. It is located on the border of eastern Dublin 2 and the westernmost part of Ringsend in Dublin 4, surrounding the Grand Canal Docks, an enclosed harbour where the Grand Canal comes to the River Liffey. The area has undergone significant redevelopment since 2000, as part of the Dublin Docklands area redevelopment project.

The area has been nicknamed "Silicon Docks" by Google and Facebook (a reference to Silicon Valley) as it has become a popular location for multinational technology firms such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Airbnb. The area has been the subject of debate over the balance of development and gentrification as well as the subject of derision over the clichéd nature of its nickname.

THE FAMINE MEMORIAL 4 DECEMBER 2022

06/12/2022

The Famine Memorial, officially titled Famine, is a memorial in Dublin, Ireland. The memorial, which stands on Customs House Quay, is in remembrance of the Great Famine, which saw the population of the country halved through death and emigration.

Note: 2022 the Order of the Knights of St. Columbanus will host the 98th Christmas Day Dinner for the poor and homeless of Dublin City surrounding areas. Every year the the Order of the Knights of St. Columbanus receive an overwhelming response from members of the public who wish to attend the Christmas Day Dinner annual event as a volunteer. This year was no exception with over 250 Volunteers registering their interest to volunteer. 

NO CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

05/12/2022

THE CHRISTMAS SEASON IS UNDERWAY BUT THE DECORATIONS ARE MUTED [VERY FEW CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AT THE CHQ]

In case you don't know Condé Nast Traveller has named Dublin as one of its top spots in the world to celebrate Christmas.

When I was young I visited my Grand-Aunts house hand she had no Christmas decoration and I started crying crying as there was "no Christmas" ... this year I could complain that there is no Christmas as the many Christmas trees have no lights.

I was born on New Year day 1950 and for this reason alone I have always liked the Christmas season and throughout my working life I managed to get two or three weeks holiday at Christmas and I never worked on New Year's day and usually I did not return to work or school earlier than the 6th. of January. I must admit that Covid did, to some extent, ruin last Christmas.

The CHQ Building, formerly known as Stack A, is an industrial building in Dublin, Ireland. CHQ stands for "Custom House Quay", named for the nearby Custom House. Known as the Tobacco Store to dockworkers, it was built in 1820 to store cargos of tobacco, tea and spirits. Tobacco and tea were kept in separate compartments above ground. Wine and spirit casks were stored in the vaults below ground.

The building was designed by the Scottish engineer John Rennie, with his son of the same name working as his principal assistant. When it was constructed, the building had one of the largest single interior spaces in the city, and its brick external walls enclosed a space of more than 8,000sqm. The structure was supported by a cast iron frame supporting a slated roof. No wood was used in the construction. The building measures 155m by 55m and of the original nine vaults that run west to east and cover the entire footprint of the building, eight and a half remain after the building was reduced by 5m at its southern end in 1884 in order to widen Custom House Quay. A total of eleven warehouses or "stacks", as well as three deep-water docks were built on reclaimed land making up the Custom House Docks complex.

An description of the CHQ Building dating from 1821 by the Rev. George Newenham Wright, an Anglican clergyman, noted that: "the tobacco store (500 feet by 160, and capable of containing 3,000 hogsheads), the plan of which was given by John Rennie, Esq [has] nine vaults beneath, which altogether afford perfect and convenient storage for 4,500 pipes of wine, allowing a walk behind the heads of the pipes as well as between them; these vaults are lighted by means of thick lenses set in iron plates in the floor of the tobacco store; but this is not sufficient to supersede the necessity of candle light. [The] roof is supported by metal frame-work of an ingenious construction [..] supported by three rows of cylindrical metal pillars, 26 in each row; these rest upon others of granite, which are continued through the stone floor into the vaults beneath."

In addition to its use as a storehouse, because of the large interior space, the building has also been put to other uses.

For example, on 22 October 1856, the building was the chosen venue for a banquet, paid for by the citizens of Dublin, in honour of those Irish soldiers who had served in the British Army during the Crimean War. The 'Great National Banquet' was the brainchild of Fergus Farrell, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, who had been a deputy to Daniel O'Connell. It is estimated that one third of the 111,000 men who served in the war were Irish, including 114 of those involved in the Charge of the Light Brigade. The guests at the banquet included 3,628 soldiers from regiments quartered in Dublin and the four provinces, as well as 1,000 non-military guests, principally subscribers, seated in the gallery overlooking the hall. Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough, the Tipperary-born Colonel-in-Chief of the 60th Royal Rifles, addressed and toasted the attendees.

In the early 2000s, the protected structure was restored by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority.  Irishman Neville Isdell, a former chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola, along with Mervyn Greene, purchased the building in late 2013 with the intention of further developing the structure.Today, the building contains a number of businesses, including the EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum and Dogpatch Labs.

THE LUAS TRAM STOP AT GEORGE'S DOCK

04/12/2022

George's Dock is a Georgian dock in the Docklands area of Dublin forming part of the International Financial Services Centre.

Located near the Custom House, the dock was originally built in 1821 as a working maritime dock and was named for George IV of the United Kingdom. The Inner Dock (previously Revenue Dock), was constructed a few years later in 1824 following the death of John Rennie the Elder and was completed by his son, John Rennie the Younger.

Along with the old Custom House Dock, designed by James Gandon in 1796, the three docks and the various warehouses formed what was later known as the Custom House Docks. The Old Dock was infilled in 1927 with many of the store buildings and the swing bridge across the inlet removed to make way for an extension of Amiens Street and Beresford Place through to Custom House Quay, thus creating a new stretch of road now known as Memorial Road. It would later link to Talbot Memorial Bridge in 1978.

As with other public spaces within the Docklands, George's Dock was redeveloped during the 1980s and 1990s with elements of the Custom House Harbour apartment complex being constructed on a new island within the Inner Dock.

George's Dock has been used by Dublin City Council as an event space including for the annual Dublin Oktoberfest festival and the showing of sporting and live music events.

In 2021, controversial plans to convert the dock into a white water rafting facility were cancelled after a Dublin City Council vote.

From a transport perspective, the George's Dock Luas stop is served by the Luas Red Line which runs from Tallaght to Connolly and from Busáras to Point Village (3Arena). Dublin Bus serves nearby North Wall Quay and East Wall Road with routes 33d, 33x, 53a, 74, 74a, 90, 142, 151 and the 747 Airlink service to Dublin Airport. The Red Line extension opened on 9 December 2009.

LÉ WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS P63

04/12/2022

As far as I can remember this is my first time to photograph this ship.

LÉ William Butler Yeats (P63) is a Samuel Beckett-class offshore patrol vessel of the Irish Naval Service. Named after poet W. B. Yeats, the ship is the third in a series of vessels designed by Vard Marine and built by Babcock Marine Appledore. The ship was floated out of the shipyard in March 2016, started trials in July 2016, and arrived at Haulbowline naval base in late July 2016. The ship was formally commissioned in a ceremony in Galway on 17 October 2016. During the ceremony it was officially named by a granddaughter of the poet, Caitriona Yeats.

L.É. WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS was commissioned into the naval fleet in October 2016. Since then she has been constantly engaged in Maritime Security and Defence patrolling of the Irish coast. She has also deployed to the Defence Forces mission in the Mediterranean from July to October 2017, rescuing 704 persons and recovering the bodies of 3 deceased.

MY MOST RECENT VISIT TO THE ST MARY'S ABBEY AREA

04/12/2022

MY MOST RECENT VISIT TO THE ST MARY'S ABBEY AREA AND CHANCERY STREET [DECEMBER 2022]

The abbey was founded by the Irish king Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid (died 862) in 846, according to the Annals of the Four Masters. It was originally Benedictine, but in 1139 was given by Malachy O'Morga, the legate of the Pope, to monks belonging to the Congregation of Savigny, which in 1147 joined the Cistercian order.

In 1303, a great part of the abbey and church was destroyed by fire but was reconstructed. However, many of the city records in the chancery stored in the abbey were destroyed. The abbey was one of the largest and richest in Ireland at that time. A series of charters and statutes of the Parliament of Ireland increased its liberties, including the right to claim goods salvaged from shipwrecks on the coast of County Dublin, and the right to deal with their lands in territories controlled by the "hostile Irish" without incurring the usual penalties. 

In 1316 Robert de Nottingham, then Mayor of Dublin, attacked the abbey where the Earl of Ulster, Richard Óg de Burgh, was visiting. De Burgh was suspected of having brought Edward Bruce, who was then marching on Dublin, to Ireland. Several of de Burgh's men were killed before he was captured, and as the monks were suspected of supporting Bruce, the abbey was laid waste.

In the fifteenth century Walter Champfleur became Abbot of St Mary's in 1467, and held office for more than thirty years. He was a political figure of some importance, due partly to his close association with Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond, to whom he acted as a political and financial adviser. He was briefly Keeper of the Great Seal of Ireland in 1482-3. He died around 1498, much mourned by his Order as an "aged, prudent and learned man".

Silken Thomas started his rebellion of 1534 here, by throwing down his Sword of State.

After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 the property was given over to John Travers and the church became an arsenal and part of a quarry. The spacious lands which had been owned by the monks came in time to be let to persons who desired to build residences or places of business thereon.

The abbey was only rediscovered, 7 feet (2 m) underground and underneath a bakery, in the 1880s, by an amateur archaeologist. His findings were publicised by John Thomas Gilbert. Parts of the old adjoining walls can still be seen. The building is now in the care of Heritage Ireland. The Chapter House is ordinarily open to visitors, by descending a stone staircase. In  May 2015 the site was closed to the public until further notice.

ROYALE WITH CHEESE PLEASE

03/12/2022

ROYALE WITH CHEESE PLEASE [STREET ART IN DUBLIN]

The 'European' name for a Quarter Pounder. The phrase has become a classic since Samuel L. Jackson's conversation with John Travolta in Pulp Fiction.

VINCENT: ...You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris? 

JULES: They don't call it a Quarter Pounder with Cheese? 

VINCENT: No, they got the metric system there, they wouldn't know what the fuck a Quarter Pounder is. 

JULES: What'd they call it? 

VINCENT: Royale with Cheese. 

NIGHT VISION BY AISLING McGLACKEN-BYRNE

03/12/2022

NIGHT VISION BY AISLING McGLACKEN-BYRNE [GROSVENOR ROAD DUBLIN]

Aisling is a doctor specialising in Ophthalmology. She has a love of art and is fascinated by the eyes, how they process visual information and colour and how they are affected by disease. Treating the blind is a daily reminder to appreciate being able to see.

RED LINE LUAS TRAMS

03/12/2022

RED LINE LUAS TRAMS [TRAVELLING ALONG CHANCERY STREET AND MARY'S ABBEY]

The Red Line is one of the two lines of Dublin's Luas light rail system. The Red Line runs in an east–west direction through the city centre, north of the River Liffey, before travelling southwest to Tallaght, with a fork to Citywest and Saggart. The Red Line opened on 26 September 2004.

Construction work began in March 2001 on the Tallaght to Connolly line, as well as the Sandyford to St. Stephen's Green section of the second line, with Ansaldo of Italy and MVM of Australia getting the contract to build the system. The St. Stephen's Green to Dublin Airport section was dropped before construction began, as it was decided to serve the area by a metro instead. The contract to maintain operate the system was awarded to Transdev Ireland (formerly known as Connex).

The extension from Connolly to The Point opened in 2009, with the extension from Belgard to Saggart opening in 2011.

Interchange with the Green Line began in December 2017 with its extension crossing the Red Line either side of the Abbey Street stop.

DUBLINBIKES DOCKING STATION 04

03/12/2022

DUBLINBIKES DOCKING STATION 04 [GREEK STREET ACROSS FROM WHERE RIVER HOUSE WAS LOCATED] 

River House was a 5-storey office block on Greek Street - Chancery Street it was described as a "brutalist eyesore" by the Sunday Times. Permission to build River House was granted in 1972, and the building was completed in 1973. It had curtain walling at ground and 1st floor levels, with 4 additional storeys above with pre-cast cladding. The architect of the building has been disputed. Frank McDonald attributed it to John Thompson and Partners, but this led to a libel suit during which it was stated that "neither John or David Thompson of the firm John Thompson and Partners had anything to do with the design or erection of River House". It appears to have been the work of Patrick J. Sheahan and Partners.

After a dispute between the Department of Justice and the Dublin Corporation as to who would occupy the building, the Corporation established its motor tax office in the office block, and for many years it was Dublin's only motor tax office. The building stood vacant from the late 2000s, and attracted anti-social behaviour.

River House was described as "scourge" to the area, and "is considered to be of little or no architectural merit". It was recorded by the Dublin City Council as a dangerous building in February 2016.

River House was initially purchased by Joe and Patrick Linders, who were involved in the redevelopment of parts of the Smithfield area. The building was purchased by Melonmount Ltd in 2017 for €8 million, and permission was sought to demolish it and replace it with a hotel ... the Hampton by Hilton.

Dublinbikes is a self-service bike rental system open to everyone from fourteen years of age.

Stations are distributed throughout the city centre to enable easy access and optimal use for subscribers. Located in close proximity to one another, each station has a minimum of fifteen stands, making it easy to avail of this service.

The service is accessible twelve months a year, seven days a week between the hours of 5am and 12.30am.

ST MARY'S ABBEY AREA

02/12/2022

ST MARY'S ABBEY AND CHANCERY STREET 3 AUGUST 2022

St. Mary's Abbey was a former Cistercian abbey located near the junction of Abbey Street and Capel Street in Dublin. Its territory stretched from the district known as Oxmanstown down along the River Liffey until it met the sea. It also owned large estates in other parts of Ireland. It was one of several liberties that existed in Dublin since the arrival of the Anglo-Normans in the 12th century, which gave it jurisdiction over its lands.

HAROLD'S CROSS NATIONAL SCHOOL

30/11/2022

Harold's Cross Educate Together National School opened in September 2019 with 12 Junior Infant pupils. Each year they are growing and by 2026, they will cater for pupils from Junior Infants to Sixth Class. 

Harold's Cross Educate Together National School is located at the old Greyhound stadium in Harold's Cross. They are currently in temporary accommodation and they share their campus with Harold's Cross Educate Together Secondary School since September 2020. 

As an Educate Together school, they teach Ethical Education through their Learn Together Curriculum. The Learn Together Curriculum aims to provide pupils with a holistic, inclusive ethical education. Educate Together schools are child-centred, democratically run, equality based and co-educational. 

CAPEL STREET TO BE LANDSCAPED

25/11/2022

A public consultation on the pedestrianisation of Capel Street earlier this year found that the vast majority of respondents said their experience of the street has improved since it was closed to vehicle traffic and I was one of those people.

My understanding is that Dublin City Council has engaged the services of BSLA [Bernard Seymour Landscape Architects]  to landscape the street and a public meetings have been arranged for next Tuesday and Wednesday.

Following a tender process, Bernard Seymour Landscape Architects have been invited to design an interim street improvement scheme to be installed before the summer. These designers are based on Mary’s Abbey, just off Capel Street and have extensive knowledge of the street.

The first stage in this process is to hold a workshop with councilors, local residents and local businesses to gain their views on what would work for the street. This is due to be held in the Capel Street area in mid-November and councilors, residents and businesses will be invited to participate. Following this initial workshop, a design will be advanced and further workshops will be held with the local community. This process will be driven by a collaborative approach.

A Shopfront Improvement Scheme is to be launched to encourage property owners and tenants to reinvigorate their business facades – painting, flower boxes, improved signage etc.

The junction of Ryders Row and Capel Street will undergo a greening enhancement in January 2023 to make this entrance into Capel Street more welcoming.

The City Council in partnership with the Dublin North Inner City Local Community Safety Partnership and DublinTown will be piloting a new pro social community warden scheme in the Capel Street and Wolfetone Park areas. The wardens will work with stakeholders including Gardai, City Council, Businesses and Residents on identifying areas for improvement, pop up events, advising shoppers/tourists on activities and places to see.

This year a small Christmas Tree has been installed on Capel Street towards the southern end of the street later this month.

FOOTPATHS AT HENRIETTA PLACE

19/11/2022

After more than 20 years Dublin City Council decided the repair the footpaths but I must give them credit resurfacing the road multiple times but unfortunately it was resurfaced three times in a month. They are also installing bollards which are needed because of anti-social activity relating to joy-riding or using the laneway as a ratrun.

Very few of you will have ever visited Henrietta Place but there is a lot of interest nearby but the laneway/road is ugly and is the subject of ongoing anti-social behaviour including illegal dumping. But to be fair things have improved over the last four or five years because the area is now undergoing the process of 'gentrification' and this is likely to accelerate with the introduction of the Luas Cross-City tram service and the ongoing development of the nearby University Campus.

I once took a walking tour of this area of Dublin and the tour guide told us that King's Inns had a D2 address even thought it was in D7 [not true]. His story was they had insisted on having a 'southside' number instead of D7 as was the case with Henrietta Street and Henrietta Place. I cannot find any evidence that this story was ever true and having checked a number postal addresses for buildings in the area I can say that Henrietta Place and Henrietta Street area in D1. However North King Street at one hen of Henrietta place is in Dublin 7. I should mention, for reasons that I will not discuss here that Phoenix Park on the north side of the river Liffey has a D8 postal code.

DUBLINBIKES DOCKING STATION 44

19/11/2022

Sherrard Street Upper was named after Thomas Sherrard, surveyor and clerk of the Wide Streets Commission, who laid out the terrace in the 1820s on land which had previously been part of the Gardiner Estate.

Sherrard, Thomas (c.1750–1837), surveyor and planner, was born to parents whose names are not known. In March 1789 he became the first salaried official of the commission; he was described as clerk or secretary, as well as surveyor, and in addition to administrative tasks, carried out a great deal of work on the ground. His responsibilities included surveying and mapmaking, laying out building plots, ascertaining levels, supervising work, and valuing new properties. He became a property developer and Sherrard Street was one of his private projects.

MURAL BY HOLLY PEREIRA

13/11/2022

AT DUBLINBIKES DOCKING STATION 75 ON JAMES STREET

Holly Pereira is a muralist & illustrator based in Dublin. Her hand-painted murals are colourful, fun and bold, and create bright and exuberant environments in which we are invited to play. Holly often gets inspiration from folk art and typography.

THE OBELISK FOUNTAIN

13/11/2022

I have seen the street spelled as James street and James's Street. For example Google Maps and other descriptions show monument as being on James Street while a local school is named CBS James's Street, even though it is on Basin Street.

The architect Francis Sandys was responsible for a number of public fountains in Dublin including this obelisk on James Street in Dublin.

I was told by a local historian/tourist guide that it was an old custom that funeral processions on passing the fountain would circle it three times before carrying on to the cemetery [I would take that with a pinch of salt as I have heard similar stories associated with other locations].

I have recently noticed that  people are complaining online and elsewhere about the lack of fountains in Dublin. In my travels around the city I have come across fountains and would describe them as many and varied. They range, in type and style, from elaborate Victorian masterpieces and modern sculptures to more modest, practical installations. The bad news is that many of the older fountains have fallen into disuse and lie, long forgotten and derelict, in overlooked corners of the city. I have also noted that the majority are dry.

MARIAN STATUE AT CEANNT FORT

12/11/2022

Because of all the protection it was close to impossible to photograph this religious statue.

This caught me by surprise and I cannot find any details online. I do not have any reason to believe that it is not a Marian Statue and I cannot understand why it is protected by such an ugly, and annoying, perspex case. I do not remember seeing  any other Marian Statue protected in such a manner and I have never seen one that has been vandalised in anyway. Maybe it needs protection from the elements as it is in an exposed position but many others are.

In 1953 Pope Pius ordered a Marian year for 1954, the first in Church history. It was called to commemorate the centenary of the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. The Marian year, which ran from December 1953 to December 1954, was filled with Marian initiatives, in the areas of Mariology, cultural events, and charity and social gatherings.

If you are not from Ireland you may be unaware of ‘Marian Statues’ and if you are younger than 35 or 40 you may also be unaware of them and even if you pass any of them on a daily basis you may not have given them much thought.

There are about 20 or 30 in Dublin alone and most of them are located on public land in what were working class areas back in the 1950s. One or two are located on private property with the statue at Broadstone Station being one example