THE BACK PAGE PUB ON PHIBSBOROUGH ROAD – THIS FELLA RONALDO IS A COD
A female friend of mine, from Vietnam. once asked me what was a cod and when I told her that it was a fish she became very upset but did not explain why. A few weeks I saw the graffiti on the wall of the Back Page pub on Phibsborough Road which was across the road from where my friend lived. Knowing that she was a fan of Ronaldo I then understood why she had been upset.
According to Eamon Dunphy: “Ronaldo is a disgrace to the game. His petulance, temperament, throwing himself on the ground. It was a disgrace to professional football. This fella Ronaldo is a cod.”
In case you don’t know – Éamon Dunphy (born 3 August 1945) is an Irish media personality, journalist, broadcaster, author, sports pundit and former professional footballer. He grew up playing football for several youth teams including Stella Maris. Since retiring from the sport, he has become recognisable to Irish television audiences as a football analyst during coverage of the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and international football on RTÉ.
CLARKES PHIBSBOROUGH HOUSE PUB AT THE CORNER OF MONCK PLACE AND PHIBSBOROUGH ROAD
As I am more inclined to visit restaurants rather than pubs I have never been inside this pub even though it happens to be about a ten minute walk from my home.
The name “Monck Place” is what really caught me attention.
The original Irish language name, Glas Mochonóg, means Monck’s Green, which evolved to the variants Manogue and Minogue, and anglicised as Monck. This family held the local demesne at Grangegorman following inter-marriage with the Stanley family, becoming Stanley Monck. The Green served as play field and parade ground was bisected by the main north road which ran from the foot of the Old Bridge of Dublin. Lying low between the stepping stone crossing of the Bradogue river (which now flows underground) ia a common called the Glasminogue. Between the Broadstone and the village of Baile Phib at Monck Place, it often flooded and turned into a quagmire. This area was part of the Grangegorman estate.
The Broadstone area underwent significant urban development in the early nineteenth century in order to fulfill the commercial and residential needs of the Royal Canal Company headquarters and Harbour Terminus operation. The later onset of John S. Mulvaney’s Midland Great Western Railway and the railway engineering works brought further development to North Circular Road intersection and east to Blessington Street. The natural expansion of the city saw the development move north with residential housing reaching Phibsborough, and Glasnevin, and the Phoenix Park to the northwest.
St. Peter’s Catholic Church and schools date from 1862. The construction of the church was controversial, resulting in a long and costly lawsuit. This dispute between the architect and builder ended in the courts and required the intervention of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin. All Saints Church of Ireland Parish Church, Phibsborough Road, was completed in 1904. The renowned Tractarian, Dr Maturin, was rector for many years, establishing a High Church tradition of worship. The beautiful interior has been restored in recent years, having suffered fire damage in 1968.
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