BANKSIDE COTTAGES CLONSKEAGH [THERE IS A MOSQUE ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE COTTAGES]
This is a row of houses on the South bank of the River Dodder. The street is off Dundrum Road and it is connected to Milltown Road via a very attractive footbridge known as Packhorse Bridge.
A packhorse bridge is a bridge intended to carry packhorses (horses loaded with sidebags or panniers) across a river or stream. Typically a packhorse bridge consists of one or more narrow (one horse wide) masonry arches, and has low parapets so as not to interfere with the panniers borne by the horses. Multi-arched examples sometimes have triangular cutwaters that are extended upward to form pedestrian refuges.
Packhorse bridges were often built on the trade routes (often called packhorse routes) that formed major transport arteries across Europe and Great Britain until the coming of the turnpike roads and canals in the 18th century. Before the road-building efforts of Napoleon, all crossings of the Alps were on packhorse trails. Travellers' carriages were dismantled and transported over the mountain passes by ponies and mule trains.
The Ahlul Bayt Islamic Centre, also known as Al Hussain House, can be seen from the cottages as it is located across the street. It is a Shia mosque that was founded in 1994. It is the largest Shia mosque in Ireland, and can accommodate up to 1,500 worshippers. The mosque offers a variety of services, including religious education, cultural events, and social welfare programs.
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