I know that I and others have complained about how long it has taken to complete the work on Francis Street but until today I had been unaware that Francis Street has been preserved as a residential area, despite a 1968 traffic study recommending that it be levelled to make way for a route to Drogheda port.
According to the local weather forecast: We’re really at the start of potentially a long cold spell because really this cold weather is set to last all the way through next week. Met Éireann expects sharp frost and icy stretches to set in tonight as temperatures dip to -4C in places.
A Status Yellow freezing fog warning applies for all counties in the Republic of Ireland until midday tomorrow, causing potentially hazardous driving conditions.
KN Circet, the contractor for the Francis Street Environmental Improvement Scheme, has advised of a road closure to Francis Street from Saturday 5th November to early Thursday 10th November to facilitate reconstruction and resurfacing of the carriageway. The works will see the full carriageway from Dean Swift Square/Swift’s Alley to Dean Street resurfaced. The street will be closed to traffic and parking will be suspended for the duration of the works.
This major element of the works will greatly improve the appearance of the street and tie in the work done to date. It will also allow new markings and controls on parking to be installed, and will mean all major works will now be completed on the southern three quarters of the street, other than localised work install new lighting columns and plant trees.
I am still testing my Sony FX30 camera and today I used a Sonnar T* FE 55mm F1.8 ZA. Vario-Sonnar Zeiss lens are optimised for the demands of Sony’s high quality picture cameras using Carl Zeiss’ expertise in creating both analog and digital lenses. It produces high quality, bright and sharp pictures, enabling sensitive and precise images.
Just about every setting on my camera was incorrect so ever image was way underexposed despite the fact the f/1.8 lens was fully open.
The eagerly awaited refurbishment of Francis Street in The Liberties is still a work in progress which is a bit disappointing. In July 2021 it was indicated that the project would be completed within ten months however more recent statements claim that the work will be completed by Autumn 2022. I will be surprised if the project will be completed before Christmas.
In June 2017 Dublin City Council announced a proposal to undertake a public realm improvement plan for Francis Street, Hanover Lane and Dean Street, Dublin 8. The proposal comprised improvements to the public realm along the full length of Francis Street, Hanover Lane and part of Dean Street to include kerb buildouts along with footway repaving, raised junction plateaus, kerb buildouts to formalise parallel parking and loading bays, landscaping, bicycle stands, carriageway resurfacing, raised pedestrian crossings and ramps, public lighting improvements and all associated ancillary works.
When finished the street will be paved largely with a mix of the existing antique granite kerbs (which will be realligned) and concrete flagstones. Two higher finish areas to the front of Iveagh Market and St Nicholas de Myra Church will be completed with granite setts. 20 new Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust) trees will be planted and a number of low-level planted areas are also planned, bringing greenery to the street. A number of sustainable urban drainage (SUDs) measures are being incorporated into the street including areas of permeable carriageway.
Kelly O’Malley, one of the co-founders of Drop Dead Twice, has launched a Go Fund Me campaign in order to rebuild and reopen the popular Dublin bar, following last month’s fire. I hope that the campaign is a success.
Five units of Dublin Fire Brigade responded to the fire at Drop Dead Twice on Francis Street on Monday 11th July. The emergency services were alerted by an automatic fire alarm and smoke was also seen coming from the premises at around 4.30am. According to local media and other reports a well-developed fire had taken hold on the ground floor and a full evacuation of an adjoining property was necessary.
Here is a comment that I made in January 2018: ‘This was the Backstage or the Tivoli Backstage but more recently it was renamed Stage 19. Upstairs is [or was] Drop Dead Twice where you bring your own bottles of alcohol to be used by the bar staff to create wonderful cocktails [Euro 20 fee]. I do not visit pubs on a regular basis so I do not know is my description is currently accurate.’
WHY IS THE FRANCIS STREET ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT SCHEME TAKING SO LONG
Francis Street is one of Dublin’s oldest thoroughfares, and is best known today as Dublin’s Art & Antiques Quarter. The street is lined with small shops and businesses but also has a diverse community living ‘over the shop’ on the street and in the adjoining areas.
An ongoing programme of investment by Dublin City Council is improving the quality of streets and public spaces of The Liberties. The Council adopted The Liberties Greening Strategy in 2015 setting out a series of projects to renew historic streetscapes and develop new public spaces; to increase tree cover and provide new parks and amenities; and to improve the quality of the environment through measures such as Sustainable Urban Drainage systems (SUDs) and the installation of energy efficient street lighting.
In June 2017 Dublin City Council announced a proposal to undertake a public realm improvement plan for Francis Street, Hanover Lane and Dean Street, Dublin 8. The proposal comprised improvements to the public realm along the full length of Francis Street, Hanover Lane and part of Dean Street to include kerb buildouts along with footway repaving, raised junction plateaus, kerb buildouts to formalise parallel parking and loading bays, landscaping, bicycle stands, carriageway resurfacing, raised pedestrian crossings and ramps, public lighting improvements and all associated ancillary works. In July 2021 it was indicated that the project would be completed within ten months however more recent statements claim that the work will be completed in Autumn 2022.
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