URBAN PHOTOGRAPHS

Urban Expression And Depression By Infomatique

river liffey

INNS QUAY [DUBLIN]

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INNS QUAY [DUBLIN]

The Dublin quays refers to the two roadways and quays that run along the north and south banks of the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland. The stretches of the two continuous streets have several different names. However, all but three of the names (Swift’s Row, Bachelors Walk and Usher’s Island) share the same “Quay” designation. The quays have played an important part in Dublin’s history.

Much of the southern roadway and about half of the northern roadway is part of the R148 road while the other half of the northern roadway is part of the R801 road.

Both roadways run approximately 4.3 km (2.7 mi) from Sean Heuston Bridge in the west. The eastern end of the north roadway is at East-Link Bridge while the south roadway turns southward at the Grand Canal. Seventeen bridges cross the river along the line of The Quays; three of them are exclusively pedestrian bridges, one a railway bridge, one other for Luas trams (with another planned) and pedestrians, and the remainder for vehicular and pedestrian use.

The name designations of the north roadway are (from west to east): Wolfe Tone Quay, Sarsfield Quay, Ellis Quay, Arran Quay, Inns Quay, Upper Ormond Quay, Lower Ormond Quay, Bachelors Walk, Eden Quay, Custom House Quay and North Wall Quay.

The name designations of the south roadway are (from west to east): Victoria Quay, Usher’s Island, Usher’s Quay, Merchant’s Quay, Wood Quay, Essex Quay, Wellington Quay, Crampton Quay, Aston Quay, Burgh Quay, George’s Quay, City Quay, Sir John Rogerson’s Quay and Britain Quay.

A majority of the roadways in the city centre are one-way with the north roadway being eastward and the south being westward.

CYCLING ALONG ORMOND QUAY

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CYCLING ALONG ORMOND QUAY

Ormond Quay was the first of the quays to be built on the north side of the River Liffey, complete by c.1680, developed by Sir Humphrey Jervis and named in honour of the Duke of Ormond who instigated the trend for building houses facing the river.

The Dublin quays refers to the two roadways and quays that run along the north and south banks of the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland. The stretches of the two continuous streets have several different names. However, all but three of the names (Swift’s Row, Bachelors Walk and Usher’s Island) share the same “Quay” designation. The quays have played an important part in Dublin’s history.

Much of the southern roadway and about half of the northern roadway is part of the R148 road while the other half of the northern roadway is part of the R801 road.

Both roadways run approximately 4.3 km (2.7 mi) from Sean Heuston Bridge in the west. The eastern end of the north roadway is at East-Link Bridge while the south roadway turns southward at the Grand Canal. Seventeen bridges cross the river along the line of The Quays; three of them are exclusively pedestrian bridges, one a railway bridge, one other for Luas trams (with another planned) and pedestrians, and the remainder for vehicular and pedestrian use.

The name designations of the north roadway are (from west to east): Wolfe Tone Quay, Sarsfield Quay, Ellis Quay, Arran Quay, Inns Quay, Upper Ormond Quay, Lower Ormond Quay, Bachelors Walk, Eden Quay, Custom House Quay and North Wall Quay.

The name designations of the south roadway are (from west to east): Victoria Quay, Usher’s Island, Usher’s Quay, Merchant’s Quay, Wood Quay, Essex Quay, Wellington Quay, Crampton Quay, Aston Quay, Burgh Quay, George’s Quay, City Quay, Sir John Rogerson’s Quay and Britain Quay.

A majority of the roadways in the city centre are one-way with the north roadway being eastward and the south being westward.

THE FOUR COURTS ON INNS QUAY

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THE FOUR COURTS ON INNS QUAY

The Four Courts is Ireland’s most prominent courts building, located on Inns Quay in Dublin. The Four Courts is the principal seat of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit Court. Until 2010 the building also housed the Central Criminal Court; this is now located in the Criminal Courts of Justice building.

The Battle of Dublin was a week of street battles in Dublin from 28 June to 5 July 1922 that marked the beginning of the Irish Civil War. Six months after the Anglo-Irish Treaty ended the recent Irish War of Independence, it was fought between the forces of the new Provisional Government and a section of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) that opposed the Treaty. The Irish Citizen Army also became involved in the Battle, supporting the anti-Treaty IRA in the O’Connell Street area. The fighting began with an assault by Provisional Government forces on the Four Courts building, and ended in a decisive victory for the Provisional Government.

Inside the Four Courts building were 12 members of the Irish Republican Army Executive, including Chief-of-Staff Joe McKelvey, Director of Engineering Rory O’Connor and Quartermaster General Liam Mellows. The garrison consisted of roughly 180 men drawn from the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the IRA’s 1st Dublin Brigade, commanded by Commandant Paddy O’Brien, armed for the most part only with small arms (rifles, five Thompson submachine guns and two Lewis light machine guns) apart from one captured armoured car, which they named “The Mutineer”. The members of the IRA Army Executive were the political leaders of the garrison, but served as common soldiers under the command of Ernie O’Malley, commander of the IRA’s 2nd Southern Division. The Anti-Treaty side fortified the Four Courts to some extent, planting mines around the complex and barricading the doors and windows, but their leadership ordered them not to fire first, in order to retain the moral high ground, and so the Free State troops were allowed to surround the Four Courts.

After the first day’s bombardment proved ineffective, the British gave the Free State two more 18-pounder cannon and proffered 60-pounder howitzers along with an offer to bomb the Four Courts from the air. Collins turned down the latter two offers because of the risk of causing heavy civilian casualties. On the 29th, Free State troops stormed the eastern wing of the Four Courts, losing three killed and 14 wounded and taking 33 prisoners. The republicans’ armoured car, “The Mutineer”, was disabled and abandoned by its crew. Early the next day Paddy O’Brien was injured by shrapnel and Ernie O’Malley took over military command in the Four Courts. By this time the shelling had caused the Four Courts to catch fire. In addition, orders arrived from Oscar Traynor, the anti-treaty IRA commander in Dublin, for the Four Courts garrison to surrender, as he could not reach their position to help them. At 3:30 p.m. on 30 June, O’Malley surrendered the Four Courts to Brig. Gen. Paddy Daly of the Free State’s Dublin Guard unit. Three of the republican garrison had died in the siege.

CUSTOM HOUSE IN CONTEXT

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CUSTOM HOUSE IN CONTEXT

The Custom House in Dublin is regarded as one of the jewels in the city’s architectural crown. A masterpiece of European neo-classicism, it took 10 years to build and was completed in 1791. It cost the then not inconsiderable sum of 200,000 sterling.

It was the greatest achievement of James Gandon who had been brought over from England to carry out the work. Gandon had been chosen by John Beresford, Chief Revenue Commissioner and a small coterie of the Irish ascendency who were then in the process of enhancing the streets and public buildings of Dublin.

The sculptures which are located in various parts of the building were by the famous Irish sculptor, Edward Smyth.

Initially the building was exclusively the headquarters of the Commissioners of Custom and Excise; however by the beginning of the twentieth century, the dominant role of the Custom House was in relation to local government. The building was burnt to the ground on 25 May, 1921 during the Irish War of Independence; restoration work was competed by 1928.

A second programme of restoration began in the 1980s and was completed in time for the bi-centenary of the Custom House in 1991.

THE EXO

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THE EXO BUILDING AT THE POINT SQUARE

The name of the area keeps changing … The Point Depot, The Point, The Point Village and now the Point Square.

The Point Depot was constructed in 1878 as a rail terminus for the Midland and Great Western Railway Company, its has been redeveloped a number of times since then.

Harry Crosbie started a major development in the area named the “Point Village” but the project was not completed for various reasons. There is now a wider development known as “Point Square” which is home to the hugely-successful 3 Arena, which hosts more than 100 concerts a year, and the 252-bedroom Gibson Hotel, which is owned by German real estate investor, Deka Immobilien.
The Exo Building on completion, will see the addition of 2,000 workers to the Point Square area.

The Exo Building is a 17-storey office building located at the corner of North Wall Quay and East Wall Road in Dublin 1, Ireland. The building is adjacent to the Point Depot (now the 3Arena) fronting on to the river Liffey and Dublin port. As of 2021, it is the tallest office building in the Republic of Ireland at 73 metres tall. The name Exo is in reference to its exoskeleton which reflects the traditional industrial crane and gantry landscape of the port area.

State owned postal services and delivery company An Post have signed a lease to become the anchor tenant for the building.

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