A COMPLEX OF NARROW STREETS AND TERRACES OFF DORSET STREET
While I may live close to Dorset Street St Joseph’s Parade is new to me. To add to my confusion I am aware that there is a St. Joseph Place near Clarkes City Arms in Stoneybatter.
St. Joseph’s Parade is a narrow street connecting Nelson Street with Dorset Street. Off St. Joseph’s Parade there is a number of terraces all of which are named St Joseph’s Place and most if all connect to Blessington Place.
I used a Sony FX30 and a Voightlander 65mm lens but unfortunately the FX30 has a crop-sensor making the combination unsuitable for photographing this complex of narrow streets so focus is not as good as it should be. As the FX30 does not have a viewfinder it is very difficult to use a manual lens.
In August 2018 the Big Tree on Dorset Street, one of Dublin’s best known pubs, ceased trading as the site was to be re-developed as a 163 bedroom hotel. According to some reports the original planning permission was for a student accommodation complex.
The pub derived its current name in the aftermath of the 1798 rebellion when after a 60 second trial by Alderman of Dublin City and judge to the prerogative court sentenced John Claudius Beresford, one of Dublin’s most notorious character’s, and 5 other men to be hanged at the spot outside the tavern where they were arrested. The tree that they were hanged from became known as the Big Tree and over the years the tavern became known as the Big Tree Tavern.
The Tavern has been on the site since 1543 originating as an Inn. Back in the medieval days it was famously known as the “Rose Tavern”.
Late in May 2021 is was announced that the iconic Mayes Pub on Dorset would cease trading. Since then I was not paying attention so I was really surprised to discover that the building was now home the a Centra. I suppose that the good news is that they retained the clock.
Centra is a convenience shop chain that operates throughout Ireland. The chain operates as a symbol group owned by Musgrave Group, the food wholesaler, meaning the stores are all owned by individual franchisees.
The chain has three different formats available to franchisees — smaller Quick Stop outlets, mid-sized Foodmarkets, and larger Supermarkets. The majority of the stores follow the Quick Stop format, or are simply branded Centra, as Musgrave also offers the SuperValu format, which is geared towards larger supermarkets. There are currently approximately 480 Centra stores in the twenty six counties and approximately 80 in Northern Ireland. In 2016, Centra posted a 3% increase in sales to €1.59bn.Centra’s main competitors are Gala, Spar and Londis, as well as a number of smaller groups such as Costcutter.
The chain was originally launched in the Republic of Ireland as “VG” in 1960. In 1979, the VG chain was rebranded SuperValu with the smaller outlets subsequently rebranded as Centra. The company brought both of these stores to Northern Ireland, the latter through the acquisition and subsequent rebranding of Wellworths stores.
NEW STYLE PHONE KIOSK BESIDE A YELLOW DOOR- DORSET STREET
This street already has more than enough street furniture and I was a bit disappointed to see that a new digital advertising platform, disguised as a payphone, has been added.
Back in 2008, when I last checked, there were about 4000 telephone kiosks, public payphones, remaining in Ireland but there were only about 450 at the beginning of this year [2021]. Many were removed because they attracted anti-social behaviour and others were removed because of lack of use.
Earlier this year Eir applied for planning permission to replace 22 replace old payphones in Dublin with upgraded versions that include Wi-Fi, interactive touchscreens and information services for tourists. The new structures were described as “open stand-alone kiosks designed to reduce instances of anti-social behaviour, improve street furniture and provide enhanced services to users including interactive, digital information points.”
12-13 DORSET STREET WHERE THE MOY ONCE WAS PHOTOGRAPHED MARCH 2020
I have lived on Bolton Street for more than twenty five years and I always believed that the area shown in my photographs was Bolton Street rather than Dorset Street.
Dorset Street is an important thoroughfare on the northside of Dublin, Ireland, and was originally part of the Slighe Midh-Luchra, Dublin’s ancient road to the north that begins where the original bridging point at Church Street is today. Subsequently, yet prior to the street being given its current name in the 18th century, the road was known as Drumcondra Lane and was shown on maps as such. It is divided into Dorset Street Lower (northeast end) and Dorset Street Upper (southwest end).
The street runs north east from Abbey Street and Bolton Street at Dominick Street junction, north of Parnell Square and Mountjoy Square, and leads into Drumcondra Road at Binn’s Bridge on the Royal Canal. It makes up part of the most common route from Dublin Airport to the city centre, and the R132 regional road follows Dorset Street for part of its route. It meets the R135 route at the junctions with Blessington Street, location of the Blessington Street Basin, and St. Mary’s Place; other major roads feeding onto this spine street include North Circular Road, Gardiner Street, Eccles Street, North Frederick Street, and Granby Row.
Physically the street rises up from the Liffey valley at its south western end, to its apex at roughly where it meets with Blessington and North Frederick Streets; proceeding north west the street slopes down again on the approach to Binn’s Bridge at the Royal Canal.
Some early Georgian houses are dotted along the street, primarily identifiable by the stone Gibbsian door case entrances, and close to the crossroads with Blessington and North Frederick Streets. Much of the street redeveloped during the Victorian era, with a number of significant buildings built, such as the Gothic style stone-built Dominican priory, designed by J. L. Robinson in 1884–87 at the corner of Dominick Street, while across from it is the red brick Italianette former fire station, designed by C. J. McCarthy and completed in 1903. Much of the street consists of vernacular Victorian terraces, with shops opening straight onto footpaths at ground-floor level. During the latter part of the twentieth century, stretches of the street were again redeveloped by Dublin Corporation for social housing flat complexes near Dominick Street.
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