THE BIKE YARD AT RYDERS ROW DISAPPEARED AT THE END OF APRIL 2022
As the City Council had announced that they are going ahead with their plan to pedestrianise Capel Street there are many changes on the way but I am not sure what the plan for Ryders Row is but I suspect that the sudden demolition of sections of the Bike Yard might be related but I could be wrong. It should be noted 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
Last year [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.
Bankmore Square is across the street from the ETAP hotel and Filthy Nastys Nightclub. Much of the Bankmore Street area was cleared to make way for an inner ring road which was never built. Until this visit I thought that it was Blackmore street rather than Bankmore Street.
In 1860 the Sisters of Mercy founded a home for women and girls at Bankmore Street but handed over to the Good Shepherd Sisters in 1867.
The last time I visited the area there was an unattractive public space and to the best of my knowledge planning permission for the demolition of an old cinema complex was applied for about five years ago. The proposal included the refurbishment of Bankmore Square open space and wider Public realm improvements to surrounding footpath network.
At 11 storeys (50 metres high), Bankmore Square will become the tallest office building in Northern Ireland upon its completion. The structure will feature a large atrium and interconnecting spaces between floors. It promises to be one of Belfast’s iconic buildings, attracting top-end tenants through its distinctive design and world-class office accommodations.
KEVIN STREET COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN DEMOLISHED BUT THE PUBLIC LIBRARY HAS SURVIVED
I am trying to locate some earlier photographs of Kevin Street College as it was and I will publish them as soon as I locate them.
It should be noted that the attractive red brick building in some of my photographs is Kevin Street Public Library which officially reopened in 2018 after being closed for five years while undergoing long-needed renovations. The building itself is a modest but important one, and though not a protected structure, it has served as a public library for over 100 years. It boasts beautiful reading rooms that have been hidden from public view for many years. The interior is bright, airy, and charming with substantial natural light.
In 1963, the Minister for Education signed a contract for a new building for the College of Technology at Kevin Street. The project was completed in 1968, with Hooper & Mayne as the architects. It was described as an International Style building, with the administration and entrance block to Kevin Street capped by a wavy canopy on the fourth floor.
In 2021 An Bord Pleanála granted a 10 year planning permission to Shane Whelan’s Westridge Real Estate for the development of 53,110 sq ft of office accommodation in two 11-storey blocks alongside 299 build to rent apartments across three buildings of up to 14 storeys in height. Westridge acquired the 3.57 acre site for €140 million in August 2019 and a report lodged with the plans by EY estimates that the total output that the redevelopment will generate over 10 years is €7.67 billion.
I was 15 years old when I completed my secondary education, too young to begin at Trinity College so my parents thought that it would make sense for me to undertake a pre-university course in science at Kevin Street College. Towards the end of 1965 I was offered a place on a new course due to begin in 1966 and I accepted the offer with the agreement of my parents. However, my Grandmother was furious as she could not understand why anyone would choose a Vocational Institution over Trinity College and unfortunately future events proved her right but that is a complicated story.
The four year course was known as “Telecommunications and Electronic Technicians Wholetime” [WRTT] and there is no doubt that it was an excellent education in every way. What was really sad was that most of the eighteen students on the initial course had to leave Ireland to find suitable employment. One or two went to the UK but the majority went to the USA. To this day I have never, again, met-up with any of the class.
THE BARLEY MOW PUB HAS BEEN DEMOLISHED 92-93 FRANCIS STREET
The Barley Mow was at the corner of Francis Street and Mark’s Alley West. When I photographed it a few weeks I noted that its condition was getting worse at an increasing rate.
Here is an extract from the planning application: “Demolition of the existing structures and the construction of a four-storey, plus set-back fifth, aparthotel consisting of a ground floor community space/ café with 19 suites above and bin store to the rear.”
The Dublin InQuirer featured a photograph of the building being demolished claiming that “Dublin City Council has refused permission to tear down a derelict building at 92 and 93 Francis Street in Dublin 8 and replace it with an aparthotel”.
A few days ago the same publication featured the following headline “Council Both Refused and Gave Permission for Francis Street Building to Be Torn Down”.
A barley mow is a stack (mow) of barley, especially barley that was cultivated and then harvested. Barley is a grain that is commonly malted for brewing beer.
The Barley Mow is a cumulative song celebrated in the traditions of the folk music of Ireland, England, and Scotland. William Chappell transcribed the lyrics in his two-volume work The Ballad Literature and Popular Music of the Olden Time (1855).
“The Barley Mow” has become a drinking song sung while comrades empty their glasses. In one “Barley Mow” drinking game, any participant who fails to sing the song’s (progressively expanding) refrain in a single breath must drink. In another, participants drink just after singing the second line in each verse (“Good luck to the barley mow”); if one’s glass is not empty by the final verse, one must finish the drink after singing the line.
THE GRAFFITI WALL AT WINDMILL LANE – CHRISTMAS 2014
A year later the Movember Foundation announced that they were going to sell sections of the iconic Windmill Lane graffiti wall to raise funds for charity. Having been on location while the wall was being demolished I must admit that I was more than surprised that any of the wall was available because I was under the impression that it had been reduced to little more than dust during the process.
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