I do receive a lot of usefully reaction to my photographs so everyone who is interested is more than welcome to contact me.

Previously I described this Dublin street as being off the Western Way but as a few people disputed this I need to explain that I live close by and that I use a much used laneway to access Auburn Street. If you are using a car it could nor really be described as being off the Western Way.

Another person, who I could not contact, informed me that the Street is in Donnybrook ... my photographs are geotagged and clearly show that I was not in Donnybrook. However, Auburn Road is in Donnybrook.

This area is located just south of St. Peter’s Church and school on the North Circular Road. It is bounded by Great Western Avenue to the north, Broadstone Bus depot to the south, the railway line to the west and Avondale Road to the east. The area includes Great Western Square and Great Western Villas.

Great Western Square consists of three red-brick terraces of uniform design arranged around a green. Great Western Villas runs parallel to the southern side of Great Western Square. The square retains a neat orderly quality and unique secluded atmosphere. The spire of the Gothic Revival St. Peter’s Church can been seen to the north.

The name "Monck Place" is likely to catch anyone's attention.

The original Irish language name, Glas Mochonóg, means Monck's Green, which evolved to the variants Manogue and Minogue, and anglicised as Monck. This family held the local demesne at Grangegorman following inter-marriage with the Stanley family, becoming Stanley Monck. The Green served as play field and parade ground was bisected by the main north road which ran from the foot of the Old Bridge of Dublin. Lying low between the stepping stone crossing of the Bradogue river (which now flows underground) ia a common called the Glasminogue. Between the Broadstone and the village of Baile Phib at Monck Place, it often flooded and turned into a quagmire. This area was part of the Grangegorman estate.

The Broadstone area underwent significant urban development in the early nineteenth century in order to fulfill the commercial and residential needs of the Royal Canal Company headquarters and Harbour Terminus operation. The later onset of John S. Mulvaney's Midland Great Western Railway and the railway engineering works brought further development to North Circular Road intersection and east to Blessington Street. The natural expansion of the city saw the development move north with residential housing reaching Phibsborough, and Glasnevin, and the Phoenix Park to the northwest.

St. Peter's Catholic Church and schools date from 1862. The construction of the church was controversial, resulting in a long and costly lawsuit. This dispute between the architect and builder ended in the courts and required the intervention of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin. All Saints Church of Ireland Parish Church, Phibsborough Road, was completed in 1904. The renowned Tractarian, Dr Maturin, was rector for many years, establishing a High Church tradition of worship. The beautiful interior has been restored in recent years, having suffered fire damage in 1968.

Unfortunately the quality of the street art has gone down hill over the last five or six years but there are one or two interesting murals at Dalymount Park.

The Royal Canal passes along the northern boundary, separating Phibsborough from Glasnevin. Below the fifth lock, east of Crossguns Bridge, the Broadstone Harbour city markets-bound main branch of the canal ran south, to the now paved over the harbour. The filled-in former mainline is now covered by a linear park and the adjacent road is called the Royal Canal Bank. It consists of a variety of homes from multiple periods, some dating from the 1750s. The canal's current mainline runs south-east to Spencer Dock at the North Wall. The “parkway” passes Mountjoy Gaol, under Blacqueire Bridge, along the high banked eastern side of Phibsborough Road. Originally the Foster Aqueduct carried the mainline canal over the Phibsborough Road to the harbour terminus which sat directly opposite the King's Inns at Constitution Hill.

Blessington Street Basin formerly used to supply water to the city, and to Jameson and Powers distilleries, is located adjacent to the Royal Canal Bank road, it was supplied with water piped along the canal and was within a public park since its opening; it remains a haven for wildlife.

Dalymount Park, home of League of Ireland team Bohemian F.C., was the pre-Aviva Stadium venue for international association football and the renowned 'Dalymount Roar' was created here. The National Botanic Gardens are situated in nearby Glasnevin.

Phibsboro Boxing Club runs a gym on Royal Canal Bank, also Phibsboro Chess Club meet at Clareville Community Centre, Claremont Lawns, Glasnevin, Dublin,

A major teaching hospital, the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, is both a local and national care centre. Adjacent are the Mater Private Hospital, and Temple Street Children's Hospital.

Unfortunately the quality of the street art has gone down hill over the last five or six years but there are one or two interesting murals at Dalymount Park.

The Royal Canal passes along the northern boundary, separating Phibsborough from Glasnevin. Below the fifth lock, east of Crossguns Bridge, the Broadstone Harbour city markets-bound main branch of the canal ran south, to the now paved over the harbour. The filled-in former mainline is now covered by a linear park and the adjacent road is called the Royal Canal Bank. It consists of a variety of homes from multiple periods, some dating from the 1750s. The canal's current mainline runs south-east to Spencer Dock at the North Wall. The “parkway” passes Mountjoy Gaol, under Blacqueire Bridge, along the high banked eastern side of Phibsborough Road. Originally the Foster Aqueduct carried the mainline canal over the Phibsborough Road to the harbour terminus which sat directly opposite the King's Inns at Constitution Hill.

Blessington Street Basin formerly used to supply water to the city, and to Jameson and Powers distilleries, is located adjacent to the Royal Canal Bank road, it was supplied with water piped along the canal and was within a public park since its opening; it remains a haven for wildlife.

Dalymount Park, home of League of Ireland team Bohemian F.C., was the pre-Aviva Stadium venue for international association football and the renowned 'Dalymount Roar' was created here. The National Botanic Gardens are situated in nearby Glasnevin.

Phibsboro Boxing Club runs a gym on Royal Canal Bank, also Phibsboro Chess Club meet at Clareville Community Centre, Claremont Lawns, Glasnevin, Dublin,

A major teaching hospital, the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, is both a local and national care centre. Adjacent are the Mater Private Hospital, and Temple Street Children's Hospital.

Back in 2018, when I felt much younger, Time Out magazine named the Phibsborough area as one of the coolest city neighbourhoods in the world.

It is a while since I photographed the Back Page Pub so I decided to check if it has survived and recovered from lockdown ... it would appear that it has.

I have never been inside this pub but to the best of my knowledge it is the pub that you go to if your main interest in life is soccer.

Back in 2018, when I felt much younger, Time Out magazine named the Phibsborough area as one of the coolest city neighbourhoods in the world.

It is a while since I photographed the Back Page Pub so I decided to check if it has survived and recovered from lockdown ... it would appear that it has.

I have never been inside this pub but to the best of my knowledge it is the pub that you go to if your main interest in life is soccer.

In 1984 Bernard Neary wrote: "You could hardly be called a Dubliner if you hadn't heard of St. Peter's Church, Phibsborough. Standing proudly on Dublin's Northside, each stone of this noble landmark bears the story of hundreds of Irish people of many generations who dared to dream a dream."

This cross was carved with a skull and cross bones above four symbols of the weakness and guilt of humanity. These from left to right are the cock, reflecting the betrayal of Jesus Christ by St Peter, a pillar symbolising his scourging, a serpent reflecting the fall from grace of the garden of Eden and finally the crown of thorns.

The high cross also has a carving of a whip on each corner.

Dublin City Council refer to this as the ‘Irish Volunteer Monument in Phibsboro’.

As this monument was not included on Google Maps I added a pin a few years ago so that you can locate it if you ever nearby. I checked today and it is now included on Google Maps.

For many years I could not gain full access to this memorial as the gates were usually locked which I assumed was to protect against anti-social behaviour. The monument was vandalised in the 1970’s, and the Volunteer stood for many years with no rifle in his hand, until his restoration in 1991. However it would now appear that Dublin City Council are adopting a different approach and are now leaving the gates open twenty four hours per day and from what I have seen so far indicates that vandalism has reduced.

It was only recently that I noticed that this monument was originally build as a fountain but the water supply must have been removed as is often the case in Dublin.

The Irish Volunteer Monument commemorates members of the Dublin Brigade of the Irish Volunteers who fought and died during the Easter Rising (1916) and the War of Independence (1919-21). The monument depicts a soldier and below the soldier scenes from Irish mythology and ancient Irish history: the arrival of the Milesians (the first inhabitants of Ireland), Cuchulainn fighting at the ford and the death of King Brian Boru at Clontarf in 1014.

[24 January 20220: I am currently planning a number of city trips with the intention of spending a week in Belfast, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Kilkenny and Waterford. I have booked hotel rooms in the hope that Covid does not interfere with my plans. Today I purchased a Sony 20mm lens which was discounted by Euro 300 the main reason for getting this lens is that I wish to greatly the weight and bulk of the equipment that I need t carry when I am travelling and I also need good low light performance.