The park is located in Rathfarnham, Rathgar and Milltown. It is named after the River Dodder, which flows through it.
The Dodder Valley Linear Park is a unique and priceless asset for the people of South Dublin and beyond. In addition to its natural conservation value, the park offers a rich heritage, outstanding scenery and a sanctuary for peaceful recreation.
THE DODDER WALK FROM ORWELL ROAD TO RATHFARNHAM ROAD
The River Dodder is one of the three main rivers in Dublin, Ireland, the others being the Liffey, of which the Dodder is the largest tributary, and the Tolka. Today I walked along the river bank from Orwell Road to Rathfarnham but that was after I explored Orwell Road. I uesd my new Voigtlander 65mm lens and I really like even though it is a manual lens.
For those of you are unaware the Russian embassy is on Orwell Road and there was a proposal to rename the road to Independent Ukraine Road but that is not going to happen as Orwell Road residents described a proposal to change the name of the road to Independent Ukraine Road as “kind of Orwellian” as they had not been consulted in advance.
STEPPING STONES ACROSS THE RIVER DODDER – BUSHY PARK IN TERENURE
These stepping stones are frequently used by pedestrians from Rathfarnham and Churchtown to access Bushy Park in Terenure. However, if the water level is high the route becomes unusable but there is now a new footbridge nearby.
Stepping stones or stepstones are sets of stones arranged to form a simple bridge or causeway that allows a pedestrian to cross a natural watercourse, such as a river; or a water feature in a garden where water is allowed to flow between stone steps. Unlike other bridges, they have no spans. Although their origin is unknown, stepping stones, along with log bridges, are likely to have been one of the earliest forms of crossing inland bodies of water devised by humans.
In traditional Japanese gardens, the term “iso-watari” refers to stepping stone pathways that lead across shallow parts of a pond. Using iso-watari for crossing ponds, or shallow parts of streams, one can view the fish and plants around or in the pond, like carp, turtles, and waterfowls. It works like a bridge, in a slower way of crossing.
FITZWILLIAM QUAY – ALONG THE RIVER DODDER FROM BATH AVENUE BRIDGE TO RINGSEND BRIDGE
Today I walked along Fitzwilliam Quay from Bath Avenue to Bridge Street.
In February 2011 a 200-year-old section of quay wall beside the bridge at Bridge Street collapsed into the river Dodder. The collapse of around 40 metres of the wing wall on Fitzwilliam Quay happened early in the morning following high tide on the river. The reconstruction consisted of building approximately 50m of quay wall and tying-in the new masonry to the bridge at the junction of Bridge Street. As 26m of the original quay wall had collapsed into the tidal reaches of the river, it was necessary to remove all remaining elements prior to construction. The services in the location also had to be removed before being replaced with new chambers and ducts.
The replacement wall was built of approximately 38m of reinforced concrete, contiguous bored piles and 12m of anchored steel king-post wall. The contiguous bored piles were 600mm in diameter and varied in length, from 8 to 12 metres. Concrete foundations were installed below both the river bed and the low tide level. A stepped, reinforced concrete capping beam was also installed, in addition to ground anchor restraints for the king-post framework.
Hard landscaping on site was a team effort. Specialist skilled tradesmen were engaged to carry out the granite kerbing and limestone paving on the quayside. Expert stonemasons undertook the limestone random rubble masonry and capping for the quay wall. The bespoke railings were fabricated at our steel fabrication workshop in Newbridge, Co. Kildare. In addition to street furniture and bollards, the project also delivered a newly resurfaced road and public lighting.
The Ringsend Bridge is a bridge over the River Dodder in Dublin. The current bridge was opened to the public in 1812 after the previous structure was destroyed in a flood.
In 1623 Richard Morgan first petitioned Dublin Corporation to build a bridge but this was declined. A bridge was built in 1650 and this lasted until 1739 when it was washed away in a flood.
The new bridge lasted only until 1782 when another flood destroyed the structure. A replacement bridge was begun in 1786 but was destroyed by yet another flood the following year. A fourth bridge was built in 1789 but this succumbed to a flood in December 1802 when over 3 inches of rain fell in 24 hours. The same storm also destroyed Ormonde Bridge on the nearby River Liffey. The current structure was begun in 1803 and finally completed in 1812.
NEW PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE CONNECTING DODDER VIEW ROAD TO BUSHY PARK
The Dodder Valley is the latest section of public land to be developed into a greenway for pedestrians and cyclists and to the best of my knowledge there are three pedestrian bridges. One of the bridges is located in Rathfarnham and crosses the Dodder from Dodder View Road into Bushy Park.
Approximately 14km in length, the greenway travels along the Dodder Valley from Orwell/Terenure, through to the outer suburbs of Tallaght and up into the rural and upland community to the entrance of the Bohernabreena reservoir at Glenasmole.
The scheme includes a number of elements, including the widening and upgrading of existing paths, bridges, underpasses and junctions – and the construction of new paths and bridges.
Improved landscape treatment is also on the cards alongside ecological enhancements including species rich grassland management, the planting of native trees and the provision of bat boxes and bat friendly public lighting.
New entrances to the greenway now exist.
The pedestrian bridges mentioned above are located over the River Dodder at the Tallaght Bypass and to the rear of the Bolbrook Enterprise Centre, which links the eastern part of Tallaght the N81 to the Greenway. The second bridge passes over the Dodder from Kilvere to Riverside cottages, linking Templeogue Village with the greenway park while the third bridge is the one shown in my photographs.
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