The Dublin Community Blog

Some shots from the old U2 recording studio (in the pic above it’s on the right) on Hanover Quay, Grand Canal Dock; It’s the only one-story building left in the area, surrounded by 10-floor apartment blocks and large holes in the ground where 10-floor apartment blocks are being built. I think a few albums, including All That You Can’t Leave Behind and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb were recorded here. Most of the graffiti is on the wall just across from it which I think is, sadly, going to be knocked down.

A compulsory purchase order was handed to the band back in 2001 when the Docklands was undergoing all that redevelopment and they went to court to fight it; an online petition to save the studio was even started. And even though the studio was saved, I doubt this wall was!

While I love the Grand Canal Dock area and all that’s being done to it, it’s a shame that this little bit of Dublin history may well be on it’s way to being knocked down – fans from all over the world have somehow managed to find their way though the building rubble to leave their messages.

Dublin has had a Lord Mayor as its first citizen, only surpassed in authority by the President, since Sir Daniel Bellingham in 1665. However the first citizen of the city has been in place since 1229, just without the Lord part of the title. The Lord Mayor is elected at Dublin City Council once a year though there is a campaign for the term to be lengthened. The current Lord Mayor is Cllr Paddy Bourke. I imagine there are many highlights being Lord Mayor, one being getting to ride in the City’s coach for the St Patrick Day Parade.

The official residence of the Dublin Lord Mayor is the Mansion House which is located on Dawson Street and was built in 1710 by property developer Joshua Dawson. While Joshua lived in the house the powers that be decided to purchase the house for the city at a cost of £3,500 and a yearly rent of 40 shillings and a loaf of double-refined sugar weighing 6lbs each Christmas.

Joshua Dawson also agreed to build another room, the Oak room, to be used for civic receptions. The Oak Room is to this day still used for civic functions and is decorated with the crests of all the Lord Mayors. The bottom photograph shows the crest of Daniel O’Connell who was Lord Mayor between 1841 and 1842.

Most of this information was cogged together from the Dublin City Council website and you can find out lots more about Dublin’s history at the council website.

Photos: 1. Inside the Lord Mayor’s office, the chain. 2. Inside the Oak Room. 3. The front of the Mansion House. 4. The Oak Room crests showing Daniel O’Connell’s crest (top left). 5. Portraits of previous Lord Mayors including the current Taoiseach Bertie Ahern who can be seen in the image.

It has been on for a short while, but the Polish Art exhibition at the National Gallery is well worth going to see before it ends on 27th January. The exhibition charts the evolution of Modern Art in Poland in the period 1880-1939. This period is particularly significant in Polish history as both Russia and Germany threatened the country’s very existence by their expansionist views on its territory which ultimately aimed to eradicate Polish culture and language. In the face of these pressures, the Polish people resisted in a positivist fashion, forging themselves a strong sense of national identity, very much visible in the art of the period. In a sense, Poland shares a common cultural history with Ireland, as both forged their own national identities in the face of a hostile other. This, as well as the burgeoning Polish presence in Dublin and Ireland, makes this exhibition poignant as well as relevant.

Moreover, the exhibition is free, and thus accessible to all and sundry. For more details go to www.nationalgallery.ie

Last Wednesday during the deconstruction of the 1916 Sigerson Memorial in Glasnevin Cemetery, workmen found a time capsule buried in in the masonry of the memorial.

Made of indestructible lead, it was found in a stone canopy covering a beautiful sculpture — reminiscent of Michaelangelo’s famous Pieta — by the late nationalist Mrs Dora Sigerson Shorter.

Cylindrical in shape, it measures three and a half inches in width and two feet in length and has lead caps soldered on either end.

(Irish Independent article)

I completely missed hearing this over the weekend and only caught news of it on RTE News last night. I’m surprised it hasn’t been given more publicity, given its been buried for 80 years. According to the news item last night, The National Museum and the OPW are planning to open it this week, however there is no mention of the capsule on either website which is a shame. I think its a very exciting find and hopefully its contents will be published publicly.

What would you put in a 2007 time capsule?

Just a quick post to let you know the Dublin Writers Festival will be running from the 13th – 17th of June 2007 at various locations throughout the city.
Guests will include: Meg Rosoff, Derek Landy, Nell McCafferty, Jackie Kay and Xiaolu Guo.

Full details are available here:
http://www.dublinwritersfestival.com
and here
http://www.ark.ie/index0.html

One of the most fascinating things about living in Ireland for many of us “Yankees� is the ancient history. This fascination is due in part to the relatively brief history of our own country. I just can’t help but look at old Irish churches and castles and cathedrals and think to myself, “This structure is hundreds of years older than my home country!�

Okay, maybe I’m just a nerd. But bear with me.

Recently, I’ve discovered a few historical sites of interest on the outskirts of South Dublin, all within a 10 minute drive from our estate. The gorgeous weather over Easter weekend afforded my wife and I the opportunity to explore them.

First, there’s Kilgobbin Castle, located on what looks to be private property on Kilgobbin Road. However, the large gates are always open and the castle is far removed from the residence. The castle (or what’s left of it) is only a few walls overgrown with wild shrubbery and locals just think of it as a pile of rubble. However, given the height of the walls, there’s still enough there to imagine what it may have looked like when it was in use, circa 17th century.

Just up the road further into Stepaside are the ruins of Kilgobbin Church and cemetery. Also at the site is a granite high cross from the 12th century which was uncovered in the early 1800’s.

Moving on past Stepaside, through Kiltiernan and down to Rathmichael is another castle known as Puck’s Castle (pictured below). Situated in a farmer’s field, it has a great view of Dublin and the bay. King James II is known to have visited the castle in 1690 after he was defeated at the Battle of the Boyne.

Down a little further and up a gravel road is what remains of Rathmichael Church. According to Megalithomania.com, some of the stones hanging on the walls of the church show traces of pre-Celtic Neolithic art forms. (This of course isn’t to suggest that the actual church has been around since then, given the fact that neither Christianity nor “churches” existed.) While we were there, we noticed that the wall surrounding the church yard was very much intact, though overgrown in places. The place feels very secluded, until you stop long enough to realize you can hear traffic on the M50 in the distance.

Tom over at Megalithomania.com documents loads of these kinds of things around Ireland and even provides GPS coordinates for the ultra-nerdy. (Personally, I haven’t gone that far . . . yet.) He also provides decent directions to the sites that we visited in particular.