THE HORSEBOY MURAL ON STIRRUP LANE DUBLIN 7 IS NOW CLOSED TO THROUGH-TRAFFIC
I have noticed this mural a number of times but what I never noticed was that the street is closed to through-traffic. I checked online and here is the description that I found: “The street “Stirrup Lane” is located in the southeast of Dublin 7. It is about 72 meters long and the maximum speed here is at 30 km/h.” I checked some photographs from February 2019 and they were no planters blocking through-traffic.
Back is August 2019 An Bord Pleanála was set to rule on the case of a well-known mural in the Smithfield area after Dublin City Council found that it needs planning permission to remain in place. At the time a petition gained over 2,500 signatures in two days but despite this the appeal to An Bord Pleanála was withdrawn and an enforcement order was issued by the council. It is now January 2022 and the mural is still on view.
Stirrup Lane is a very old side street off Church Street. It was “probably named after a family who resided in this area” according to Paul Clerkin’s book Dublin Street Names but if I had to make a guess I would say that the name relates in some way to horses.
New collage artwork by Sorcha O’Higgins on 30 Manor Street and mural beside Rea auctioneers by Claire Prouvost, One of a developing network of signage and murals throughout Stoneybatter. Others can be found at Viking Place, Halliday Road, and the Scout building on Ben Edair Road.
In 2018 I noted the following description: “This building was in reasonable condition when it went on the market many years ago but over the years it shows signs of neglect and for various reasons it became attractive for pigeons”. When I photographed it in 2018 No. 30 on Manor Street with rear access from Shea’s Lane the accommodation was described as residential over retail requiring extensive works to restore it to a habitable condition.
In October 2020 it was reported, by local media, that an elderly man who faced a civil action for causing a nuisance in his locality by feeding wild pigeons at his home in Dublin has made settlement terms with the council. The feral birds had flocked to a rooftop on Manor Street and had taken up residency. Their droppings on the footpaths and beside homes in Stoneybatter led to locals making complaints.
Sorcha O’Higgins is a collage artist with a background in architecture and urban art. Often abstract and figurative, her work compositions bold colours, patterns, and contrasting elements to construct playful but forthright imagery. Created as part of the Greening of Stoneybatter Initiative, and with help from Stoneybatter Pride of Place, The Urban Living Room celebrates the practice of ‘neighbouring’ – social interaction done on the doorstep and out-and-about that has built and sustained community relations in Stoneybatter for generations.
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