Underneath Dublin?

[MG]

Originally posted by monZQ
I heard that there was a stop built under O'Connell street for the underground that would inevitably be built, or so they thought. It was around the time they were building the underground in London, so they thought it would only be a matter of time before Dublin had an underground system. Is this true or is someone mixing the public toilets with an underground stop?

Now if this were true, it would be fabulous to see but I imagine its a closed down toilet block. I think there's a sealed off one down near the O'Connell Monument, you cann see the metal panels set into the paving.

[LOB]

Originally posted by MG


Now if this were true, it would be fabulous to see but I imagine its a closed down toilet block. I think there's a sealed off one down near the O'Connell Monument, you cann see the metal panels set into the paving.

I remember this one
I think they closed it down in the late eighties

[LOB]

Try this

http://www.darkpassage.com/gate.htm

unpromising title

interesting US site though

[pob]

The tunnel from Collins barracks was originally built by the British army for bringing horses from the barracks to the army veterinary and quarantine stables which used to stand between Arbour Hill and St Bricins hospital. To assist the horses on the steep incline, the floor of the tunnel was cobbled.
It was never built as a pedestrian way but was used the odd time to move prisoners to Arbour Hill Prison from the old provost prison which once stood at the North East corner of the barracks (Wolfe Tone was incarcerated in the old Provost prison).

[kefu]

They are definitely planning to build an underground train station under O'Connell Street right now as part of the Luas works. It will be put in place at the junction with Abbey Street to link in with the future Metro.

[dc3]

The vanishing Underground Public Loo


The earlier reference in the post, regarding underground loos, led me to reflect on this vanishing facility.

There are, I think, four I know of in Dublin, all closed.

1. Under the Thomas Moore statue, opposite the Bank of Ireland
(mentioned by James Joyce "as the meeting of the waters", no less)

2. On the Liffey quay side, across and down from O'Connell Bridge House,
(an over ground ladies here is also gone.)

3. At the Five lamps (if I recall correctly?)

4. In O'Connell Street, in the central median.

Were there / are there any more?

[GregF]

The George Michael and druggie brigade put an end to them

[ew]

Originally posted by kefu
They are definitely planning to build an underground train station under O'Connell Street right now as part of the Luas works. It will be put in place at the junction with Abbey Street to link in with the future Metro.

This is not quite right - There's a sub-station (for electrical power) going in at that point. That's all.

Regarding the link to Metro - I don't think that's likely to happen at O'Connell St.
The DTO stategy doc put that line to the east of Busarus. See
http://www.luas.ie/plan/strategy.asp

[Dubpete]

Hello all,

I did some work in a cyber cafe on O'Connell Street (under the amusements). Underneath it is an old ice cream factory that stretches way back down towards The Abbey. At the "front" of the factory, there is an entrance (almost totally blocked up) to a tunnel that runs right accross O'Connell Street to apparently underneath what is now "Supermacs" on the other side of the street. Its apparently one of several that crisss-cross the street. Couldnt persuade the guy to let me have a look though. Will try to find out some more detail.

Regards,

Simon

[Paul Clerkin]

That's interesting because there is a disused and closed toilets near there... I wonder was the tunnel designed as an escape route...

[Ocean33]

Theres a 3 metre diameter tunnel running along under the south bank of the Grand Canal, I think one quadrant carries a watermain but it may be out of service. It was built back in the late seventies/ early eighties i think.

Anyone know where it finishes?

[Fozzie]

Out in Malahide Castle there is a great tunnel that runs from bedside the golf course all the way into the castle. It get's a bit boggy towards the end and I never had the balls to go all the way.

There's supposed to be lots of other tunnels running from the Catholic church too, but I've never seen them.

Has anybody tried to find the spaces mentioned in this post?

Undergound Spaces Rule!!!

[kefu]

Somebody e-mailed me this. Sounds very interesting.

LÉARGAS

Thursday 14 November 2002
7.00 A FASCINATING JOURNEY UNDER THE STREETS OF DUBLIN

"We're entering the kingdom of the rats. This is their world. They live in the underground of Ireland, not just of Dublin. But they are afraid of you as you are of them. Up to now they haven't bothered me personally". (David Green, Dublin City Council Drainage Division, speaking in the underground Poddle river.)

This week Léargas, in a programme called Baile Átha Cliath Faoi do Chosa, goes places where no camera has been before - into the dark and sometimes dangerous world of Dublin's underground. Presenter Fachtna Ó
Drisceoil and David Green of the City Drainage
Department, brave sewage and rapidly rising waters in a tour of Dublin's underground river, the Poddle. Archaeologist Annaba Kilfeather travels the same journey on the surface, revealing the Poddle's secret history as she goes. The programme discloses some of Dublin's best kept secrets. We enter the Liffey tunnel, close to the East Link Toll Bridge. We travel through the Phoenix Park rail tunnel, which isn't used for passenger rail even
though it connects Heuston and Connolly stations.

A newly discovered medieval slipway in a Merchant's Quay basement is still covered at high tide by the Liffey's waters, just as it was 700 years ago. The City's original poor house - which later became the Foundling Hospital - has been re-discovered and incorporated into the basement of a modern extension to St. James's hospital.

The programme also features the mummies in the crypt of St Michan's Church and - bringing us right up to date - the first television pictures from inside the Dublin Port Tunnel.

Quotations:

"While a lot of work is done in the Liffey tunnel,
it's out of sight and out of mind. If the work wasn't done properly and there was no water in the tap and the sewage was coming back up the toilet people would know all about the Liffey tunnel!" (Peadar O'Sullivan, Senior Engineer with Dublin City Council, talking about the Liffey tunnel which carries main
water and sewage pipes, as well as electricity
cables.)

"It's very quiet there and if you are interested in philosophy it's a good place to meditate. In the middle of the city, with the Financial Centres behind, you can be in tune with nature down in the tunnel!" (Peadar O'Sullivan.)

"For those who are directly in the face it's one of the toughest jobs you can find. They work in very confined space. It's very hot. It's incredibly noisy. Let me put it this way -it's not the most desirable occupation but they are tough men and they'd need to be." (Timothy Brick, Deputy City Engineer speaking
about the Dublin Port Tunnel.)

"There is so much stuff under our feet that people would be really amazed. They think they're walking down modern streets but the footprint of the past is just beneath them."
(Linzi Simpson, Archaeologist)

[Paul Clerkin]

Sounds good, they must have been eavesdroping here and come up with the idea

The medieval slipway can be seen here
http://www.archeire.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/southcity/quays/merchants/9merchants.html

[J. Seerski]

The Gresham Hotel has a whole series of tunnels, not only wine vaults, but tunnels which run under O'Connell Street to the Carlton Cinema area. This was the case during the War of Independence when Michael Collins used this network of tunnels to escape British forces durning one of their many attempts to capture him. The tunnels remain in place to this day, but many are blocked up. It will be interesting to see how the Carlton development will try to deal with this upon commencement of construction.

[Paul Clerkin]

Would they still be there, afterall both the Gresham and the Carlton are post WofI

[Peter Fitz]

sounds great... is it really true that the tunnel under the pheonix park connects heuston & connolly ??? anyone know of its dimensions / condition ?

[Paul Clerkin]

It used for freight nowadays so obviously in okay of nick, it enters under Conygham Road and comes out on the other side in Cabra.

[kefu]

The GAA wanted to open it up so that trains from Kerry and Cork could wheel around as far as Connolly, nearer Croke Park.
But Iarnrod Eireann said it was a big job, capacity wise, and would require a new turning circle, which the GAA would have to pay for.
Other than that, it is in perfect knick. It connects with the Mullingar-Connolly line near Glasnevin cemetery.

[GrahamH]

There's quite an impressive Victorian stone sewage tunnell beneath Westmoreland Street, not as large as Bazelgette's in London, but still walkable through, approx 4 feet wide and 10 feet high.

[Paul Clerkin]

Article in The Sunday Times

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2098-473370,00.html

[bluefoam]

There are lots of tunnels under Dublin, the sewage system which dates back centuaries is supposed to be very impressive. I heard once that they reckon there are more rats under the streets in dublin than people.

My Dad used to work the trains out of Hueston station and they used to pick up carriages through a tunnel from Connolly.

[GregF]

Yeah......there are probably more rats than people living under the streets of Dublin ........but the way mental illnesss and alcoholism and broken homes aka disfunctional families affect us poor Irish (is that some sort of a jibe), maybe you had the streets of Brazil in mind....where the police shoot dead homeless children such is the epidemic of homelessness.
To counteract rats, get a few Cats....they are great pets .....Bastet .....Egyptian cat Godess.

[GrahamH]

There's quite an impressive Victorian sewage tunnell beneath Westmorland Street that's walkable through, although not as impressive as Bazelgette's in London, it's big by Irish standards.

[GrahamH]

Oops, didn't mean to post twice