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§ April 7th, 2012
Ladies bathing Shelter on the Bull Wall beside Dollymount Strand, in Dublin. The wall features multiple public bathing shelters (each designated male or female), with steps down to the water - the water is close by only at mid- to high-tide.
The view across Dublin Bay from the top of the bathing steps, taken on a previous visit. Note the snow on the hills.
Looking at the shelter from Dollymount strand. The strand is 5km/3.1miles long and was the place we spent many a Sunday afternoon during my childhood. We walked, swam, built sandcastles and explored the sand dunes and enjoyed picnics with pots of spuds and tea boiled on a Primus stove.
There are two golf courses located at Dollymount, The Royal Dublin Golf Club and Saint Anne’s Golf Club. The Royal Dublin Golf Club has played host on many occasions to The Irish Open Golf tournament.
The island is a bird sanctuary of international importance with close to 200 different species of birds including wintering waterbirds, waders and predators such as Kestrels, Peregrines, Sparrowhawks and Merlins. Birdwatch Ireland arranges field trips to the island throughout the year.
Walking dogs on the beach is a popular activity but the dogs must be kept under tight control due to the Wildlife Reserve.
Like many a Dubliner, I learned to drive on Dollymount strand as it has a firm flat sandy beach during low tide. Today, access by car is limited to a section of the island located near the Bull Bridge and two sections near the causeway at Raheny.
§ April 1st, 2012
One of the many pathways I found while dandering around in the Botanic Gardens in Dublin. My curiosity got the better of me and I had to discover what that ‘white thing’ was down there at the end…
A sculpture with no indication of who the sculptor was or the story of the piece. It does represent growth, there are etched saplings on the front and back. (click to enlarge)
The front
The back
These are not really sculptures..
No. They are the next door neighbours spied through the perimeter railing that borders the Botanic Gardens with Glasnevin cemetery.
It reminds me of the old joke:
Q. Do you know where the dead centre of Dublin is?
↓
↓
↓
A. Glasnevin Cemetery!
§ March 31st, 2012
This is the back gate to Glasnevin Cemetery and in true Dublin style the next door neighbour is a pub. Well…. You have to drown your sorrows and give the dearly departed a good send off!
It is the final resting place for over 1.1 million people. The option of cremation has been provided since March 1982.
John Kavanagh’s Pub was established in 1833 and the current family are the 6th generation in the business. It is beside the old Glasnevin Cemetery Gate, at Prospect Square off Botanic Avenue, Glasnevin.
It is also known as “The Gravediggers’ because of its location next to the cemetery and its attached folk history. A common spot in times past, for body snatchers and burkers to grab a pint after a hard nights work. The place got its name as it was customary for gravediggers to bang their shovels against the pub’s wall to signify to the landlord that they were ready for a pint. Once the pints were drawn and settled, they were handed through the railings to the workmen. A tally was kept behind the bar and the bill settled on pay day.
It is a genuine Victorian bar, totally unspoilt - and it has a reputation for serving one of the best pints in Dublin.
I asked permission to take photos and was directed to the old original bar with one proviso: Not to photograph the customers as some of them did not like their quiet drink interrupted.
No music, “piped or otherwise”, no TV or telephone and no singing allowed.
You have to chat!
You wont be alone for long, someone will say hello, I was drawn into conversation by the men (this section seemed to be a man’s pub) the banter was mighty and I had difficulty withdrawing to rejoin my two friends who brought me there.
So if you want to stay on your own….stay away!
All this running around and visiting pubs purely for research purposes, you understand, 
has helped me reach post 2000 today. It is enough to give a girl a thirst!
§ March 25th, 2012
Dancing Couple Stardust Memorial
Sculptor: Robin Buick
It is hard to believe that thirty one years have passed since the fire that destroyed Dublin’s Stardust nightclub in Artane, near Coolock, in the early hours of St. Valentine’s Day 1981.
The fire resulted in the death of 48 young people and injured and disfigured a hundred more. Even to this day, survivors and bereaved continue to suffer.
The fire had a tremendous impact on Dublin people and most of those killed came from the immediate vicinity.
On the tenth anniversary of this disaster, Dublin Corporation were asked to design and develop a memorial park to commemorate the tragedy. The main aim was to provide a park with a memorial, the design of which would be relevant to the tragic event.
The Stardust memorial park was opened on the 18th September 1993 on a lovely sunny day witnessed by hundreds of local people.
The memorial is a circular pool, 8 metres in diameter, the principal feature of which is a bronze sculpture of a boy and a girl dancing, designed by sculptor Robin Buick. Water is pumped by 48 jets in the illuminated fountain which surrounds the sculpture. Alas. the day I was there the fountain was off, but if you click on the link to Robin’s website, you will be able to see it in all its glory.
The pool is faced with limestone, which is also used as paving material around the pool. This area is enclosed by an incomplete circle, symbolising the short life of the 48 victims. The incomplete circle of 270 degrees forms an enclosure 20 metres in diameter around the entrance and its boundary is comprised of limestone piers with 48 railing panels symbolising the number of young people who lost their lives.
An avenue of lime trees is positioned 30 metres from the centre of the memorial. The park also contains a junior football pitch, an all-weather floodlit pitch, a playground, walks and plenty of tree planting all enclosed with mild steel railings on a pliant wall.
Coolock is a Barony which accounts for most of north Dublin city, from the coast in and stretching out to Swords. The civil parish takes in the land between the Tonlegee Road (as far as Donaghmede) and the Malahide Road, as well as the lands on either side of the Malahide Road between Darndale and Artane, and the lands either side of the Oscar Traynor Road on the approach to Santry.
Coolock has a history dating back over 3,500 years – a bronze-age burial site in the area dates back to 1500 BC. The settlement grew up around a small early-Christian church. The majority of the modern Coolock, was built-up as part of a programme of phased inner city slum clearance (between, roughly, 1952 and 1987).
§ March 24th, 2012
“Welcome to my house! Enter freely. Go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring!” *
No. This is not my house, It is actually on the market for sale at the moment.
A perfectly ordinary looking house. (I bet that last thought went through your mind.) It is part of a Crescent (c.1792) which, had at that time great views of Dublin Bay. The Crescent was built in a particular arrangement to obstruct the view from Lord Charlemont’s neo-classical summer residence “The Casino” at Marino.
So back to this ordinary looking house. It is of interest on many levels. The family now in possession are children of that house, they are disposing of the family home their parents owned and lived in for over eighty years. There had been only two previous owners; The Bolands and The Stokers. Three owners in total since 1792!
I wanted to take a photo of the front of the house, but since there was a car in the garden and house windows open, I decided to knock and ask for permission.
Well…, you heard me say it before…. My Camera Opens Doors! Not alone was I given permission to take photos of the exterior but invited in and allowed to wander at my own pace and take photos indoors too. The wonderful young lady and daughter of the household was busy with the vacuum before a ‘viewer’ was due to arrive an hour later.
The young lady had returned to Ireland in the last year and was preparing for the closure and sale of the old family home, not an easy task, so I was careful to protect her privacy.
My new found friend appeared from time to time to make sure I had gone to the top floor or down to the basement….
To the basement kitchen where the Russian Crown Jewels had been hidden (You need to scroll well down in that link to Time in Ireland). This was during residency of the Boland family.
I wonder where they kept them?
The First residents of 15 Marino Crescent, Clontarf, were Abraham Stoker a civil servant from Dublin, and his wife Charlotte, a charity worker and writer. They had seven children. Abraham and Charlotte were members of the Church of Ireland Parish of Clontarf and attended the parish church with their children, who were baptised there.
The church can be seen to the left in the view from the main bedroom window.
Abraham (Bram) Stoker was the third child, born November 8, 1847. He was bed-ridden until he started school at the age of seven, when he made a complete recovery. Growing up his mother told him a lot of horror stories which may have influenced his later writings.
In 1864 Stoker entered Trinity College Dublin. While attending college he began working as an Irish civil servant. He also worked part time as a free lance journalist and drama critic. In 1876 he met Henry Irving, a famous actor, and they soon became friends. Not long after that, Stoker met and fell in love with an aspiring actress named Florence Balcombe. He didn’t travel far to find her. She was a daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel James Balcombe of 1 Marino Crescent.
You can see No. 1 at the end of the row on the right.
We remember him for a different reason, but I saw no signs of Counts, Castles or indeed of DRACULA!
The little park in front of the Crescent is now known as Bram Stoker Park. The year 2012 marks the centenary of the death of Bram Stoker. He died in London on 20 April 1912. Several events are being planned in the year ahead.
The young lady of the house lives in hopes that the Bram Stoker Society, who have shown interest in the house, will find the funds to purchase it, and sympathetically restore it into a Museum.
*Bram Stoker, Chapter 2, Dracula
§ March 18th, 2012
“Can you see what I see?” Asked Elly as we walked along the Canal Quay.
I followed her line of sight but couldn’t quite make out what I was looking at. The dull February afternoon fading to dusk was not much help. Moving a little and hitting Zoom on the camera, the view became clearer.
Our time together for the day was running out and she Nurse Hitler still had a chore to complete, so my poor son-in-law was told to escort me across the bridge and along the other side of the quay. Does she think I have money in my mattress…. or lost my marbles?
No plaque to say who the sculptor was or why and when they were placed on that spot. I searched the internet for information about these Cranes beside the Buttercrane Centre in Newry. Alas, for once I found zilch!
§ March 4th, 2012
Back to where we were yesterday.
If you look carefully there is an oval plaque on the low wall inside the arch.
Within the grounds of Belfast Castle you will find a Cat Garden which is nicely laid out with a pond in the middle. The name refers to a legend attached to the castle that says it’s residents will only have good fortune provided a white cat lives there.
There are apparently nine references to cats, some obvious and some hidden. I wonder how many I can find?
Mosaic Cat - 1
This mosaic and the one below were to big for my viewfinder, when standing beside them. Taken from the car park above the colour detail is not so good.
Mosaic Cat - 2
This next one was visible yesterday, beside the small turret.
Ceramic Tile cat
Is this stone cat watching a fly?
This topiary cat is owner of all he surveys!
Sleeping Stone Cat I bet that spot is warm on a sunny day.
Another sleeping cat, this time in Bronze.
All this sleeping makes me want to sit down.
Want a closer look?
Cat playing with a ball of wool.
Now sit back and I will read you a poem…
Before the cat will condescend
To treat you as a trusted friend,
Some little token of esteem
Is needed, like a dish of cream.
This little verse by T. S. Eliot is accompanied by an etched cat (on the right) with his head in a bowl of cream.
§ March 3rd, 2012
I found an opening, and of course I had to explore…
I looked over the wall
Zooming in:-
The sunshine was very sparing with her servings. I could have photo-shopped the pictures, but you want to see Ireland as we do on a daily basis. In the foreground in Country Antrim overlooking the M2 Motorway leading to Belfast. The waterway is Belfast Lough and the land on the far side is County Down.
The side of the building from the grounds
The back of the building facing the Lough
Belfast Castle estate is situated on the lower slopes of Cave Hill Country Park in north Belfast. The Castle was built by the 3rd Marquis of Donegal between 1811 to 1870. It was designed in the Scottish baronial style by Charles Lanyon and his son. The original Belfast Castle, built in the late 12th century by the Normans, was located in the town itself, in the area of the ‘entries’ that we covered in recent weeks.
I love the steps
The castle was presented to the City of Belfast in 1934. In 1978, Belfast City Council carried out a major refurbishment over a period of years. The building officially re-opened to the public in 1988.
View from the balcony
The other side
The gardens hold a surprise and I will return to tell you about it tomorrow.
§ February 26th, 2012
On that infamous day last September, I took my camera for a walk. I began at Antrim Forum leisure centre, in search of some sculpture. The piece I was looking for no longer existed, but I found this fine fellow:-
The Massereene Wolfhound
In the early 1600s Antrim Castle was home for Sir Hugh Clotworthy and his young bride, Lady Marion Clotworthy. It was surrounded by a beautiful woodland estate on the shores of Lough Neagh. It may well have seemed an idyllic home for Sir Hugh Clotworthy, but he was often absent on military business. I am sure that Lady Marion found life at Antrim Castle a lonely and miserable existence. She whiled away long hours wandering through the woodlands of the castle grounds. The only twittering back then was for the birds and I am sure they were not restricted to 140 characters!
Legend has it that on one of her solitary strolls a terrifying howl broke the silence of her walk. Out from the trees stalked a huge wolf hackles raised, preparing itself to attack the terrified young girl. The wolf’s howl was answered by a ferocious roar and an Irish Wolfhound bounded out of the forest. Lady Marian screamed and collapsed in a faint.
It is believed that the two beasts fought each other to the death. Upon awakening, her gaze fell upon an incredible sight. The wolf lay dead, but standing guard by her side was the badly injured Irish Wolfhound.
Like all good shaggy dog stories, this tale has a couple of variations. Some say that Lady Marian then brought the dog to the nearby stream and tended to its wounds, but as soon as it had recovered it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Others would have you believe, that together they made their way back to the castle and the four legged guardian escorted Lady Marion on her daily rambles.
One stormy night the howling of a wolfhound was heard high above the wind. The wardens of the castle quickly lit their beacon fires only to see a large army of Irish invaders coming towards the castle. Well by now you know the Irish… always ready for a good fight, and in the midst of fierce firing, an agonised howl was heard. The castle was saved, but daylight revealed a trail of blood that led to the wolfhound’s corpse.
Once again the wolfhound had saved the Clotworthy family from disaster and Sir Hugh Clotworthy had a stone statue made in honour of the wolfhound. By encasing the hound in stone and mounting it upon one of the castle’s front towers, Sir Hugh shrewdly calculated the potential to ward off the hostile superstitious natives.
Eventually, alterations to the castle caused the statue be removed from the castle tower and placed on a wall about 10 foot high at the gate of the estate. There it remained until the late 1970s, when, invaded by ivy and in danger of falling, Antrim Borough Council, with persuasion from the Irish Wolfhound Club of Northern Ireland, had it removed to a location in front of the town leisure centre. In deference to the old Massereene family legend, it still remained within the bounds of the original Antrim Castle estate (the actual castle was destroyed by fire in 1922).
The statue stood about 3 foot tall from plinth to head. It was in need of repair having had some very crude work done on it some years ago.
On Tuesday 21st September 2011, the Wolfhound returned home to Antrim Castle Gardens as part of the first stage of refurbishment.
A Place of honour.
Magda, a young lady from Poland, was out for her regular walk with her daughter and the two young charges she child minds each day. She offered to take my photo beside the wolfhound at the new location. Having the children in the photo added some great colour on a dull day. Magda was telling me she attends English classes in the evenings.
Magda and her charges.
§ February 25th, 2012
Back in January I was ‘Wowing’ about some changes at Clotworthy House in Antrim.
The Oriel Gallery and the newly laid grounds on a rather damp day.
The opening of the Oriel Gallery marked the completion of the first building of the major restoration project in the Gardens of Clotworthy House and Antrim Castle.
The view of the other side of this enclosed garden:from the oriel Gallery -
Tastefully reconstructed gateway.
The work progresses towards the completion of restoration and development
This gateway leads through to the front of the building. The door to the left leads to a bright office for the staff and further left (unseen) is a coffee shop.On the day back in January, I was more interested in exploring than drinking coffee so did not like asking for photos.
The door to the right is a gift shop and I did go inside and had a very interesting conversation with the young lady responsible for researching, and sourcing the goods for sale. All products and produce are UK based with most from within Northern Ireland.
Sorting the shelves
Great use of natural light is provided with the new roof lights
Going through the Arch to the front of the building
The ground cleared for grassing.
The site is historic, the first trees were planted in the grounds of the castle over 400 years ago.
Six Mile Water from the Main Entrance.
A view through the trees
The bridge taken from the other side while standing on rough ground (May 2009).
View from the bridge on that day back in 2009. I was standing close to the laburnum tree in the previous photo. Note the Yew Tree it will appear again.
Tower of Antrim Castle (2009) through the trees
Elly & George at the base of the ruin in September 2009. The building in the back ground is Antrim Forum.
Can you see the Yew tree? The ground has been cleared and foundations were found of the castle so they are rebuilding low walls along the founds to give an idea of what it was like and how far it extended. Work is still in progress, the area is not accessible to the public at the moment.
I will return when the work is complete.
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