Bolton Street College in Dublin was a technical college that existed from 1911 to 1992. It was founded by the Dublin Corporation and was originally located on Bolton Street, Dublin 1. The college later moved to its current campus on Grangegorman Road, Dublin 7.
Bolton Street College offered a wide range of courses, including engineering, architecture, building, and the built environment. It was one of the leading technical colleges in Ireland, and its graduates went on to work in a wide range of industries.
The college was also a center for research and development. It had its own research laboratories, and its staff were involved in a number of important research projects.
Bolton Street College closed in 1992, when it merged with other technical colleges in Dublin to form the Dublin Institute of Technology. However, the Bolton Street campus remains an important part of the DIT, and it continues to be a centre for education and research in the built environment.
The Bolton Street campus is a beautiful and historic building. It was designed by CJ McCarthy and was built in 1908. The building is a three-storey neo-classical structure, and it is decorated with plaster representations of artisan figures. The figures are casts from John Henry Foley’s models for figures at the base of the Albert Memorial on Leinster Lawn.
The Bolton Street campus is home to a number of important facilities, including lecture theatres, laboratories, workshops, a library, and a students’ union. The campus is also home to a number of research centres, including the Centre for Architecture, Building and Environment and the Centre for Sustainable Energy.
The legacy of Bolton Street College continues to inspire and motivate people today. The college’s commitment to education and research is still relevant today, and its graduates continue to make a difference in the world.
Here are some notable alumni of Bolton Street College:
Kevin O’Connor, architect and urban planner
Michael Smith, engineer and former CEO of Intel Ireland
Mary O’Brien, engineer and former president of Engineers Ireland
Deirdre Clune, former Minister for Education and Skills
APEX OF THE TRIANGLE BOUNDED BY CAPEL STREET – RYDERS ROW – PARNELL STREET
New landscaping and tree planting at the north end of Capel Street/Ryder’s Row by @DCCParksBiodiv, bounded by new Leinster granite kerbs. It marks the beginning of the Capel Street interim public realm enhancement, to be delivered along the entire street by the start of summer.
In 2022 the City Council had announced that they are going ahead with their plan to pedestrianise Capel Street promising many changes but at the time I could not determine their plan for Ryders Row however I suspected that the sudden demolition of sections of the Bike Yard might be of some importance to the future of the area. At the time it was stressed that the pedestrian and cycle-only zone will stretch for most of the length of the street from Parnell Street and Ryder’s Row at its northern end, to Strand Street in the south.
My interest in Ryders Row [actually the triangle consisting of Ryders Row, a section of Capel Street and a section of Parnell Street] began with the following story 26 May 2004, mainly as I live a short distance from what I have always considered to be a eyesore:
A city centre Dublin street has been closed to allow for the emergency demolition of three unsafe buildings. Dublin City Coucil said Parnell Street is closed from the junction of Ryders Row to the junction of Capel Street “as a matter of public safety”. Numbers 218, 219 and 220 on the street are being torn down after a fire last week left them in “eminent danger of collapse”. “The buildings concerned are a national monument and considerable care has to be exercised in undertaking any demolition with full regard for sound conservation principles,” the council said in a statement.
In 2019 Dublin City Council issues a Compulsory Purchase (Residential/Commercial Development), Order for the following :
Public footpath & roadway (part of), Ryder’s Row from its junction with Parnell Street in a North Westerly direction for a distance of approximately 70 metres to its junction with Capel Street, Dublin 1.
Public footpath & roadway (part of), Parnell Street from its junction with Ryder’s row in a South Westerly direction for a distance of approximately 38 metres to the western boundary of No. 222 Parnell Street, Dublin 1.
Public footpath & roadway (part of), Ryder’s Row from the northern boundary of No. 66 Capel Street in a North Westerly direction for a distance of approximately 14 metres towards the junction with Ryder’s Row, Dublin 1
In 2021 I publish the following comments along with a selection of photographs:
A street named Ryder’s Row is without doubt an appropriate address for a Bike Yard business.
The area is question is a triangle of properties formed by Ryder’s Row, one end of Capel Street and one short section of Capel Street.
There was a derelict site to the right of the bicycle yard which was converted into a mini public-park which immediately became a magnet for rough sleepers at night and students during the day. Daytime users were not a problem but from about 7pm it became a place to be avoided.
Sadly a person believed to be sleeping rough was found dead in the park. This was the second homeless person to die in the immediate area in recent times. One, who died, was a well known local character who wandered the city together with his little dog in a shopping trolley.
The mini-park is currently fenced off and unavailable as a public space.
This semi-derelict complex is behind a house of note on Capel Street. Described as a Dutch Billy it is one of a small number of extant examples of Dublin’s rich pre-Georgian architectural heritage, many of which have now been demolished or unrecognisably altered. In fact, it is one of only a few surviving intact on Capel Street, a thoroughfare once dominated by these structures.