Streets Of Dublin

CAPEL STREET ON SUNDAY

October 2, 2022 by infomatique

2 OCTOBER 2022

Today I used a 12 year old Sony camcorder, the VG10E, combined with a Sony GM 70-200mm lens hoping the capture what the street feels like on a typical Sunday at about lunch time. Most of the restaurants were open or in the process of opening.

The street affords a vista all the way from the junction with Bolton Street south through Parliament Street to Dublin’s City Hall. Capel Street is notable for the remains of some “Dutch Billy” houses dating from the 18th century.

Note: Dublin’s Dutch Billys were reputedly named after William of Orange, and their arrival in Dublin is generally attributed to an influx of French Huguenots after 1685 and to Dutch and Flemish Protestants fleeing persecution after 1690 (Craig 1980, 86-87). However, it is clear from a number of excavations in Dublin including Smithfield (Directed by Franc Myles) and Newmarket (Directed by William Frazer) that this Anglo-Dutch building style was prevalent since at least the 1660s. The distinctive features of these buildings was that the roof-ridge ran at right angles to the street with the front gables, in the most characteristic examples, being masked by quadrants sweeping up to very flat curved or triangular pediments.

I HAVE NEVER SEEN CAPEL STREET SO EMPTY

September 26, 2022 by infomatique

MONDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 2022

I have lunch here on a regular basis as there is now an amazing selection of restaurants. The street has been named as one of the coolest streets in the world in a survey by global travel magazine Time Out. It ranked 22nd and was noted for its “whirl of culture” with “some of the best food in Dublin”.

Capel Street is a street in Dublin, Ireland. On May 20, 2022, it was made traffic-free, following a campaign by people who wanted to improve the quality of life on the street. It is now the longest traffic-free street in Dublin.

Capel Street is named after Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1672–1677. Historically, it was the site of the chapel of St Mary’s Abbey. The street was laid out by Sir Humphrey Jervis in the late 17th century on the Abbey lands he purchased in 1674. He also built Essex Bridge (today Grattan Bridge), and the street was known for its mansions and a royal mint. In the 18th century, it became a commercial hub, with two-bay buildings replacing most of the “Dutch Billy” houses. The Capel Street Theatre also stood there in the 18th century.

The Torch Theatre operated on Capel Street in 1935–41. The street declined in the 20th century, before a revival around the 1980s. Today it is known for its variety of restaurants, shops, cafés and pubs; as Panti, the owner of Pantibar put it, “You can buy a lightbulb, sexual lubricant, Brazilian rice, get a pint and go to a trad session.” Louis Copeland’s tailor is another notable business.