CONSTITUTION HILL TO LOWER GRANGEGORMAN

ST BRENDAN'S WAY FROM CONSTITUTION HILL TO LOWER GRANGEGORMAN

Many building workers were to return to work today so I decided to visit a number of construction sites to see if there was any activity.

When I visited the Broadstone Gate and associated plaza I was a bit disappointed as there were only a few at work however there were many more nearer to Lower Grangegorman. I was disappointed because the project is very much behind schedule and the pandemic related lockdowns cannot be the only cause for failing to meet the original schedule.

The purpose of the Broadstone Gate is provide a key access to the Grangegorman University campus. It will be finished as a public plaza and the access will provide a major linkage between Grangegorman and Dublin city. The plaza is situated off Constitution Hill on the site of the old royal canal at the former Great Western Railway Station commonly known as Broadstone, and will mark a prominent entrance to the Grangegorman urban quarter.

In May 2016, the boundary wall dividing Broadstone and Grangegorman was removed, creating a historic pathway joining the two sites for the first time. However, the pathway remained closed for many years and even now access is limited to specific times of the day [maybe because there is no public lighting]

Under the Grangegorman Masterplan, the primary urban path through Grangegorman – St Brendan’s Way will link with the Broadstone Gate which when completed will reach as far as Prussia Street. The link with Broadstone can also be seen as an extension to the 18th century historic spine of Dublin City which covered Dublin Castle across Grattan Bridge, along Capel Street/Bolton Street, Henrietta Street [where I live] and King’s Inn.