YORK STREET FLATS

22/10/2023

York Street is a street in Dublin in Ireland that runs between Aungier Street in the west and St Stephen's Green in the east. It appears on maps around 1685, named after Prince James, Duke of York (later King James II). M'Cready states the street is named after the brother of George I, Ernest Augustus, Duke of York and Albany. The home of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) is at the eastern end on the corner with St Stephen's Green and the RCSI's medical education building is at 26 York Street.

EAST ESSEX STREET

22/10/2023

Essex Street opened in 1674 and was divided into east and west in the 1760s, by the opening of Parliament Street. The street was largely rebuilt in late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

MEETING HOUSE SQUARE

22/10/2023

Meeting House Square is an award-winning architectural space with four retractable umbrellas and is located between Eustace Street and Sycamore Street. This multipurpose, flexible, outdoor performance space includes a screen, projection booth and proscenium stage.

Eustace Street takes its name from Sir Maurice Eustace (c. 1590 – 1665), former Lord Chancellor of Ireland, whose townhouse "Damask" and its gardens once stood on the site. The street was laid out prior to 1701 but legal issues held up the initial construction. 

The street is known for its association with the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers. In 1692, the Quakers in Dublin established a meeting house on Sycamore Alley, off Dame Street and later expanded onto Eustace Street. Eustace Street also once housed a Presbyterian/Unitarian church, which moved there from New Row in 1728; John Leland was a pastor there.

In the 18th century, Eustace Street was the site of the Eagle Tavern, which was the site of the founding of the Dublin Society of United Irishmen. 

In recent years the street has become a cultural centre, housing the Irish Film Institute and The Ark. Fishamble: The New Play Company are located at 1 Eustace Street.

LEAHY MEANY BENT PARK

16/10/2023

Leahy Meany Bent Park is a linear park on the banks of the River Slang in Dublin, Ireland. It is located near St. Columbanus' Road and Windy Arbour village, and is in the electoral division of Dundrum. 

When I first came across the name Leahy Meany Bent Park on Google Maps I thought that it was a joke especially as I could not find any information relating to the park. I did find a review that read as follows "Lovely little park - named after a great bit of Irish history" and another that said "Good times - you get used to the smell". The reviews lead me be to believe that there was some joke that I failed to understand. 

This visit I asked a local woman and her dog about the name and according to her the park is named after three local politicians: Michael Leahy, James Meany, and William Bent, the dog had nothing to say. That is the best explanation that I have obtained so far.

I should mention that the red brick chimney that is included in some of the images is actually across the river from the park. It is the last remaining structure of the Old Dublin Laundry, it stands – all 28.6m of it – in its redbrick, industrial-age glory in the Dodder linear park in Milltown, right beside the Nine Arches viaduct. It was lot 316 in the commercial auction on June 1st 2018, with the reserve of €35,000 (I do not know the final bid price but it is now used as a communications tower).