URBAN PHOTOGRAPHS

Urban Expression And Depression By Infomatique

Parks And Gardens

NICE PARK AT HAROLD’S CROSS

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HAROLD’S CROSS PUBLIC PARK 21 APRIL 2021

Harold’s Cross got its name from a cross that marked the boundary of the lands owned by the archbishop of Dublin and the lands of the wild Harold Clan from Rathfarnham hundreds of years ago. The cross was probably located somewhere near the present junction at Kenilworth Road. The Celtic Cross, shown in some of my photographs, at the northern tip of the park was erected in 1954.

The green in Harold’s Cross, which is now Harold’s Cross Park, is visible on many of the oldest maps of the area. The archbishop maintained a gallows on the green which helped to keep the Harold Clan at bay. Later, the gallows were replaced with a maypole and this became the centre of dancing and festivities each May, until the practice ceased around the middle of the 19th Century.

In 1890 the Harold’s Cross Improvement Association was formed, and three years later they persuaded the Rathmines’ and Rathgar commissioners to purchase the three acre green from the Irish Land Commission for five shillings. Local businesses contributed £500 toward the creation of a new park.

The park was designed by Mr William Sheppard, the eminent landscape gardener of the time, who is also credited with the design of St. Stephen’s Green and Palmerston Park. Assisted by his son William Junior the park was completed in two months. It officially opened on 1st May 1894.

SAINT PATRICK’S PUBLIC PARK

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SAINT PATRICK’S PUBLIC PARK – BESIDE THE CATHEDRAL IN THE DUBLIN LIBERTIES

I purchased a Sony A7RIV at the end of 2019 but have had little opportunity to use it until today which is more than a little annoying. To be honest it is a joy to use especially when combined with a Zeiss Batis 25mm lens.

A recent update appears to have resolved the issues that I have had with Geo-Tagging when using this and the earlier A7RIII.

This park is situated beside St. Patrick’s Cathedral, tradition has it that St. Patrick baptised the first Irish Christians there with water from the River Poddle which flows underground. Developed by Lord Iveagh under the St. Patrick’s Park Act of 1897, work was completed by July 1904 to a layout by Arthur Dudgeon C.E., dated 17th July 1901. Lord Iveagh continued to maintain the park for a number of years under a joint arrangement with the Corporation who eventually took full responsibility in the 1920’s.

The park provides an ideal setting for the cathedral and recent additions in 1988 include a Literary Parade highlighting the works of Swift, Mangan, Wilde, Shaw, Yeats, Synge, O’Casey, Joyce, Behan, Beckett, Clarke, Dillon and the Liberty Bell Sculpture. There is also a children’s playground.

GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE

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GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE PARNELL SQUARE DUBLIN

The Garden of Remembrance is a memorial garden in Dublin dedicated to the memory of “all those who gave their lives in the cause of Irish Freedom”. It is located in the northern fifth of the former Rotunda Gardens in Parnell Square, a Georgian square at the northern end of O’Connell Street. The garden was opened by Eamon de Valera during the semicentennial of the Easter Rising in 1966.

The Garden was designed by Dáithí Hanly. It is in the form of a sunken cruciform water-feature. Its focal point is a statue of the Children of Lir by Oisín Kelly, symbolising rebirth and resurrection, added in 1971.

FARMLEIGH ESTATE – HOUSE AND GARDENS

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FARMLEIGH ESTATE – HOUSE AND GARDENS – MAY 2015

It is a long time since I last visited Farmleigh House and Gardens.

Farmleigh is the official Irish state guest house. It was formerly one of the Dublin residences of the Guinness family. It is situated on an elevated position above the River Liffey to the north-west of the Phoenix Park, in Castleknock.

The estate of 78 acres (32 ha) consists of extensive private gardens with stands of mature cypress, pine and oak trees, a boating pond, walled garden, sunken garden, out offices and a herd of rare native Kerry cattle. It was purchased by the Government of Ireland from the 4th Earl of Iveagh in 1999 for €29.2 million. A state body—the Office of Public Works (OPW)—spent in the region of €23 million restoring the house, gardens and curvilinear glasshouses, bringing the total cost to the state to €52.2 million. Farmleigh was opened to the public in July 2001.

The estate was purchased from The 4th Earl of Iveagh by the State in 1999. The official purpose for the €29.2 million purchase, and subsequent expenditure of €23 million in refurbishment, was that it would be used for state purposes. Specifically, it is designated as “an official State guest house for visiting heads of State and dignitaries. Some notable visitors have been hosted at Farmleigh including the Chinese Prime Minister, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, the King of Malaysia, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Governor-General of New Zealand, and Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. However, the estate only hosted seven visiting dignitaries in 2006 (the most in one year), six in 2008, and only two the following year. Also in 2009, 246,000 members of the public visited the estate.

In 2006 it was announced by the Office of Public Works (OPW) that the Steward’s Lodge which is located in the grounds of Farmleigh had been renovated. It was speculated at the time that the lodge was to become an official residence of the Taoiseach. Former Taoiseach Brian Cowen used the lodge for this purpose on occasion, staying at the lodge while in Dublin. His successor, Enda Kenny, has also stayed on occasion at the Steward’s Lodge.

Today Farmleigh is operated by the OPW and the estate and gardens are largely open to the public, with the house closed except for organised tours. Seasonal events, such as craft and food markets, are held on the grounds. The estate has also been used as the venue for the RTÉ proms, a public concert series that took place each summer in a large marquee erected on the grounds.

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