Yesterday I visited the Clock Bar on Thomas Street as it was the end of an era as it would not be opening again on Monday as the building had been sold for redevelopment. On my way hope I passed through Smithfield Square which I do not normally visit at night and as it was dark my iPhone camera did not work well as many of the images had excessive motion blur.
Smithfield is an area on the Northside of Dublin. Its focal point is a public square, formerly an open market and common, now officially called Smithfield Plaza, but known locally as Smithfield Square or Smithfield Market. Historically, Smithfield formed the western part of Oxmantown and lay close to Oxmantown Green.
The area known as Smithfield roughly incorporates the area bounded by the River Liffey to the south, Bow Street to the east, Queen Street to the west, and North Brunswick street in the suburb of Grangegorman to the north.
Notable landmarks include the Old Jameson Whiskey Distillery and the Observation Tower.
Recent commercial, residential and cultural developments led to the area becoming newly fashionable in the first decade of the 21st century. However, most notably in the period 2008 to 2010, stagnation set in as developments stalled and the Irish economy/property market nose-dived once the post-Celtic Tiger economic recession struck. The significant issues of variable apartment occupancy rates, coupled with closed retail spaces and a number of unfinished and unoccupied commercial units at Smithfield Market have created a highly visible reminder of the economic and community challenges still to be addressed in this historic part of Dublin.
Despite some rather depressing forecasts the weather was excellent and I was able to photograph the town in detail. On Christmas day, which was very cold, my camera battery which was fully charged expired after about an hour which came as a great surprise so I had to use my iPhone 12 Pro Max [I use this as a camera rather than a phone] and the battery did not lass long but I was able to photograph Trim Castle and nearby. I have yet to determine what caused the batteries to under perform.
Few places in Ireland contain more medieval buildings than the heritage town of Trim. Trim Castle is foremost among those buildings.
In fact, the castle is the largest Anglo-Norman fortification in Ireland. Hugh de Lacy and his successors took 30 years to build it.
The central fortification is a monumental three-storey keep. This massive 20-sided tower, which is cruciform in shape, was all but impregnable in its day. It was protected by a ditch, curtain wall and water-filled moat.
Modern walkways now allow you to look down over the interior of the keep – a chance to appreciate the sheer size and thickness of the mighty castle walls.
The castle is often called King John’s Castle although when he visited the town he preferred to stay in his tent on the other side of the river. Richard II visited Trim in 1399 and left Prince Hal later Henry V as a prisoner in the castle.
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