I PINNED IT ON GOOGLE MAPS TODAY SO THAT YOU CAN FIND IT
This is Archer II located in Newtownsmith, Sandycove. It was produced by Niall O’Neill as part of the Archer series. [I pinned it on Google Maps today]
Niall O Neill is an established sculptor, living and working in Wicklow. He has built up a reputation and portfolio in the realm of public art with large scale public sculpture sited around the country from Malahide, Co Dublin to Ballinaboy, Co Mayo.
Newtown Smith (or Newtownsmith) is a seafront area facing into Scotsmans Bay. The name was also previously applied to Islington Avenue until the 1860s. The “Smith” of Newtownsmith is Samuel Smith, who lived at Stoneview House on “Sam Smith’s Road” (Now Lower Glenageary Road) and was the main supplier of granite to the construction of the harbour. He was also a builder and may have been the builder of many of the houses on Newtownsmith.
The houses on Newtownsmith were fully developed by 1860, but at that time they were directly on the rocky foreshore. There was no green area in front of them. By 1908, a strip of infill about 50m wide had been created in front of the houses, presumably as a flood defence.
Over a number of years, then, much of the rocky foreshore was infilled to create sea walls, a promenade walkway, and a park. This work was completed in 1921 and the opening of the park is commemorated in a monument. A spurious postcard was issued sometime around 1930. It purported to show the new promenade. It is clear that the postcard was created by modifying an existing photo. It may have been created from plans for the area – plans which were never executed.
I ended up at this location by accident and for various reasons I quickly moved on with the intention of returning at a later date in order to explore the area in greater detail
Just outside the city walls is Ballybricken, one of the many inner-city villages in Waterford. The centre of the village has been converted into a public green area with a bandstand and many benches. It is known locally for having some of the finest produce and butcher shops in the city.
Penrose Lane was known locally as Dennys Lane and it was the scene of the 1896-67 Pig strike. Pig traders/buyers based in the Ballybricken area had a local monopoly on buying from farmers in order to supply local bacon producers but the factories began to buy direct from the producers.
By the middle of the 19th Century, around 75% of the Irish pork products imported into London were coming from Waterford. The City and its surrounds were at that point huge manufacturers of sausages and bacon, largely due to the Denny’s factory, a family business passed from generation to generation. Denny’s still exists today but the factory in Waterford shut in March 1972.
Until I visited again in 2018 and discovered the Bull Post in Ballybricken I had been unaware that the cruel practice of Bull-Baiting had ever taken place in Ireland. I will discuss this in detail at a later date.