Medieval Origins: Liffey Street traces its roots back to Dublin’s medieval period. It formed a significant route connecting the city centre to the River Liffey’s quays, a bustling hub of trade and commerce.
Commercial Importance: Over centuries, Liffey Street evolved into a major commercial thoroughfare. It was lined with shops, warehouses, and businesses catering to the city’s growing population.
Architectural Variety: The architecture along both sections of Liffey Street presents a mix of styles. You can find Georgian buildings, Victorian structures, and more modern additions, reflecting the street’s changing face through the ages.
Upper Liffey Street Redevelopment, which was announced in January 2023 and has now been, more-or-less, been completed.
Project Overview:
Objective: To enhance the pedestrian experience and create a more vibrant urban environment. Cost: Approximately €6.5 million. Timeline: Construction began in January 2023 and has recently been completed.
Key Features:
Pedestrian Plaza: A new pedestrian plaza was developed beside the iconic Ha’penny Bridge on Liffey Street. This is a bit misleading as it is Lower Liffey Street that is closet to the bridge. [I suspect that the source of the information did not realise that “lower” means closer to the river and “upper means further from the river]
Upgraded Environment:
Liffey Street Upper [the Plaza] : Closed to traffic, this section now features benches, bicycle stands, and trees. Liffey Street Lower: Upgraded to create a more “pedestrian-friendly” environment. Currently, Liffey Street Lower is open to southbound traffic from Abbey Street to the quays. According to some reports the final configuration will mean that traffic on Abbey Street, including cars exiting the Arnotts car park, will no longer be able to access the quays via Liffey Street Lower. Instead, vehicles will need to turn right onto Strand Street and continue to Capel Street to reach the quays at Grattan Bridge. [Getting accurate information that I can verify has been impossible]
Completion Date:
The project was to be completed by the end of the year following its commencement in January 2023. It would appear that is not yet fully complete and this is especially true for lower Liffey street.
Pedestrian access was maintained during the construction period.
Background:
The idea for a Northside plaza emerged after the refusal of the College Green plaza project by An Bord Pleanála in 2018. Unlike the College Green scheme, the Liffey Street project was progressed through Dublin City Council’s internal planning process. The plans underwent public consultation and were approved by city councillors in September 2019. Although initially scheduled for mid-2020 completion, work was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This revitalised space now offers Dubliners and visitors a pleasant area to stroll, rest, and enjoy the cityscape.
This image was captured back in February 2012 and I used a Sony NEX-5 camera however using some beta AI soft I was able to make a number of corrections and extract a bit more detail but I am still happy with the leafs.
Vincent Browne (born 1947 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish sculptor who created a well-loved Dublin landmark, Mr. Screen, the squat bronze usher who stands outside the Screen Cinema at the junction of Hawkins Street and Townsend Street in Dublin. His public commissions also include Anti-War Memorial (Limerick, 1987) and the bronze Palm Tree seat in Temple Bar, Dublin.
The Great Western Square 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.
Phibsborough developed from the second half of the 18th century on the main road north to Finglas and Glasnevin. The name derives from a Mr. Edward Phipps who bought property in the area during this period. The urban core of Phibsborough dates largely from this time with some early buildings surviving at Monck Place.
Developments such as the layout of North Circular Road and the Royal Canal in the late 18th century followed by the Midlands and Great Western Railway in the 1840’s accelerated development the 1840’s. The overall character of Phibsborough is defined by large areas of residential development mainly Victorian in date but also includes Georgian, Edwardian and modern buildings.
A number of houses from the first half of the 19th century survive, generally built of yellow-brown brick with parapet fronts and steps up to the ground floors. The consolidated development in the latter half of the 19th century left a fine stock of red-brick terraces associated with the Victorian period.
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 houses were built in 1884 adjacent to the Broadstone Railway Line for the employees of the railway.
I have not been inside this pub for about thirty years and to the best of my knowledge it has changed ownership at least once since then. The current owners purchased and refurbished it in 2018 and before that it had not been trading for at least 3 years.
The Kings Inn Pub in Dublin, Ireland, is a traditional Irish pub with a rich history dating back to the 18th century. While the exact date of its establishment is uncertain, it is believed to have been operating since at least the 1860s, with some sources suggesting it may have been even earlier.
The pub is located on Henrietta Street, just a short distance from the iconic King’s Inns complex, which is one of Ireland’s most important legal institutions.
THE KINGS INN PUB [THIS COULD BE DESCRIBED AS MY LOCAL]-226197-1
THE KINGS INN PUB [THIS COULD BE DESCRIBED AS MY LOCAL]-226198-1
THE KINGS INN PUB [THIS COULD BE DESCRIBED AS MY LOCAL]-226199-1