William Murphy

THE FIRST DAY OF MARCH 2024 AND THE WEATHER WAS TERRIBLE

A few days ago, I published photographs of the ongoing demolition at one end of Wolfe Tone Park in Dublin. Today, I revisited the area with my iPhone 12 Pro Max and captured more images, despite the inclement weather. Sadly, it appears that little of the original buildings remains.

Intrigued by the former presence of the historic Twilfit House at this location, I decided to delve deeper. Twilfit, a Swedish lingerie and underwear brand founded in 1922, initially became famous for its innovative corsetry. Over time, they expanded to include a full line of women’s underwear, focusing on comfort, style, and support for a variety of body shapes. Their core philosophy is that all women deserve to feel confident and comfortable in their underwear.

Twilfit products include bras, panties, shapewear, and more in a wide range of styles and sizes. They offer both timeless basics and trendy pieces reflecting current colors and designs. Sometimes, their stores also carry other brands like Change Lingerie. Twilfit is known for its well-made, durable underwear at reasonable prices and its emphasis on proper fit and in-store guidance.

Primarily operating in Sweden, Twilfit maintains an online store and has an outlet location in the Stockholm Quality Outlet mall. Twilfit House in Dublin served as the company’s Irish headquarters for much of the 20th century. While the brand may not have a strong presence in Ireland anymore, the building held heritage status.

Regrettably, it seems the Twilfit House in Dublin has been mostly demolished. Planning approval for demolition and redevelopment of the site into a hotel was granted in 2018 (An Bord Pleanála case information: https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/case/301416). While small elements or features may have been retained or incorporated into the new development, this seems unlikely.

11 FEBRUARY 2024

From 1204 until 1922 Dublin Castle was the seat of English, and later British rule in Ireland. During that time, it served principally as a residence for the British monarch’s Irish representative, the Viceroy of Ireland, and as a ceremonial and administrative centre. The Castle was originally developed as a medieval fortress under the orders of King John of England. It had four corner towers linked by high curtain walls and was built around a large central enclosure. Constructed on elevated ground once occupied by an earlier Viking settlement, the old Castle stood approximately on the site of the present Upper Castle Yard. It remained largely intact until April 1684, when a major fire caused severe damage to much of the building. Despite the extent of the fire, parts of the medieval and Viking structures survived and can still be explored by visitors today.

DEMISE OF DUBLIN’S TWILFIT HOUSE A PHOTOGRAPHIC UPDATE

MY RECENT VISIT TO DUBLIN CASTLE