Underneath Dublin?

[phil]

That is interesting about the tunnel. The building is a pastiche of the Ballast Office which it replaced so is alot less than 100 years. This could explain the newness of the concrete that you are referring to, although it is more than ten years since it was built:

http://www.irish-architecture.com/news/1999/000004.html

[ctesiphon]

The revival of this thread reminds me- I read recently that the underground jacks in College Green is due to be re-opened on a trial basis. Looks like our museum proposal will have to be shelved.

[GrahamH]

When were these toilets built does anyone know - they seem to have 80s tiling but surely they're earlier than that? Were College Street and Upper and Lower O'Connell Street the only underground ones to be built?
Strange this is brought up as only today I was observing the Lower mushrooms still in place behind O'Connell Monument - it would appear the toilets are still down there...

How would reopening College Street this time round avoid the eh, 'issues' of the past?
The little weather station on the site is fun

[Paul Clerkin]

Afaik there was also an underground toilet at O'Connell Bridge and Burgh Quay which were removed because they were attracting a certain "element"...

[GrahamH]

Ah yes - here they are in the late 1930s.
I remember reading somewhere that the Ladies were located underground for whatever reason (to the extreme left), with the Mens safely in view above ground in that 30s-looking building (indeed looking at the pic you can just make out the Ladies sign on the railing there).

Why not build both above ground - very strange that they were separated to that degree
The design of the Ladies is also weird - surrounded by intimidating rusticated granite blocks by the looks of it, topped with railings and globed lamp standards presumably to heighten security. All overly complicated, they make for fascinating pieces of urban history

[Paul Clerkin]

Whats the structure on the other bank?

[DJM]

What is it with stuck-on advertising hoardings and that building on the right?

[phil]

Whats the structure on the other bank?

Well spotted. Bike Shed? Bus Shelter?

The Smaller one might have been for the Gardai?

It is also interesting to note the awnings on the shops. I find it interesting that with the smoking ban, and the growth in outdoor seating outside coffee shops they have made big comeback in recent years in Dublin.

[LOB]

smaller structure looks a bit like
http://spain.archiseek.com/balearics/mallorca/palma/almudainapalaceguardpost_lge.html

Larger Structure looks like a typical Corpo type structure - waterworks, substation etc.
will try to remember where I've seen similar before in dublin.

[ctesiphon]

Wasn't there something similar at the top of Smithfield before its facelift? I thought it was a weighbridge / weigh-house sort of thing.
And I think there's still one in Newmarket, though smaller.

The smaller building looks a bit like those pissoirs you get on the continent- Amsterdam, Berlin etc. But that would be unlikely so close to the purpose-built jacks on the south bank.
An early public phone? There have been public phones on that site as long as I can remember, and still there today, I think.

[Sorcha]

On the Casino, Marino issue, the small complex of cold storage rooms are indeed there (a short tunnel ending in a well room, another longer one ending in three rooms), but are all within the boundary of the current Casino property (you can see the vents in the grass down near the O'Brien Institute). They're not open to the public, though, and are being partly used as overflow storage for the groundmens gear.

The one that ran from what is now the men's toilet was the tunnel connecting the Casino with the main Marino House (now demolished). By the time of the restoration works at the Casino, though, the O'Brien Institute had been built right splat across its line, so the end were bricked up and the Institute foundations sunk into the middle. I always wondered what happened to the other end though - Marino House was at the corner of Brian Road and Brian Avenue, so I'd say there would be some interesting things under some Marino gardens!

There are a million urban legends about the Casino tunnels, though - the best one I've ever heard being a story of tunnels running to the Dublin mountains, which would be some feat! I believe that there are some mentions in Lord Charlemont's letters of a tunnel running down to the sea, as sea-bathing helped his joint problems, but they're believed to be from Marino House, rather than the Casino. And Michael Collins was reputedly hiding down there as well (busy man, wasn't he?). The St. David's one is new to me, although it's pretty unlikely, as St. David's is a 19th century building, isn't it?

[Paul Clerkin]

ctesiphon there was a pissoir on the northern quays somewhere as I remember reading about somebody buying the scrap when it was been removed.... just came back to me

[LOB]

There is a brick ESB substation at the bottom of Smithfield by Coke lane

[Rusty Cogs]

Another brick ESB substation just off North Wall Quay on Castleforbes Road.

[tommyt]

ctesiphon there was a pissoir on the northern quays somewhere as I remember reading about somebody buying the scrap when it was been removed.... just came back to me

It was on upr Ormond Quay. There is a moody Samuel Beckett photo where it features s in the background, covered in various fliers/posters but I haven't seen the photo in years

[GrahamH]

How interesting. Anyone know of any modern examples - older forms can be rather basic, such as these:

http://www.plumsite.com/fredgurner/pissoir.jpg

http://mirror-uk-th2.gallery.hd.org/_exhibits/toilets/_more2002/_more12/Netherlands-Amsterdam-pissoir-street-urinal-2-DHD.jpg


There was yet another little brick building further up on Eden Quay outside Liberty Hall. Perhaps an early public convenience:




And here is the shelter-style building in colour, clearly red brick with a pitched roof and what look like urns on the corners, and a slightly sharper view of the neighbouring little kiosk thingy and bank of telfón boxes



(look how fine the regular terrace is )

Also the College Street toilets in 2006:




They have mosaiced walls rather than tiled as perviously said - must have been O'Connell St that had those tall green tiles...

[Devin]

There's another queer little building on Newmarket - coulda been a weighouse.

[GrahamH]

Last week, Rob Vance wandered along the long-undergrounded River Poddle on his programme Urban Tales, the famous river that filled the black pool to the back of Dublin Castle, as well as supplied the Norman moat of the fortification. You can see his fascinating journey here :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5ygnHSLKLY

Unfortunately no mention is made of how old the impressively well-built brick tunnels are that carry it - presumably early 18th century? Interestingly it branches off into two sections at the Castle's Palace Street gate, presumably because the old moat diverted it a little further westwards around the Castle. In any event, they both merge round about Essex Street, before entering the river to the east of the Clarence Hotel.

Also another wander about in the below video with Yvonne Wheelan along O'Connell Street and the wider city centre, discussing symbolism and identity, and the Abercrombie Plan and the Greater Dublin Reconstruction Movement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNThzuhg8LM


Programme homepage.

http://www.rte.ie/tv/urbantales/

[Devin]

Wow! Pretty hairy stuff there down in the Poddle. Vance annoyed me in his last series about historic Ireland driving around in an SUV and making sure it crept into every second frame, but fair play to him for going down there in the tunnels with that guy.







This piece of wasteland shows what is now known as the Italian Quarter. When the site was being readied, I noticed the remains of a brick-arch tunnel running along at the base of the rear site boundary wall between Nos. 23 & 24 Lwr. Ormond Quay. This is roughly opposite the mouth of the Poddle, so maybe once was another underground river …

[newgrange]

Also another wander about in the below video with Yvonne Wheelan along O'Connell Street and the wider city centre, discussing symbolism and identity, and the Abercrombie Plan and the Greater Dublin Reconstruction Movement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNThzuhg8LM

I am lucky enough to have a publisher's file copy of that - fascinating reading.

[Nina]

Apparently a tunnel runs from the Granby sausage factory, (to the rear of Lower Dominick St) Yet to find out where this leads to...

[Nina]

!

[Nina]

Hugh Lane Gallery on Parnell Sq, formerly Lord Charlemonts's house has a tunnel running from it to the old Monto area to facilitate british aristocrat mates of Charlemonts getting down to see the ladies without getting caught out above ground.....Reputedly only high and wide enough to take one man on horseback....

[Noodles]

Here are some pics of the railway tunnel under the Phoenix park. There is even a platform there visible at the Heuston end of the pic, Iarnrod Eireann should reopen that line and make good use of a piece of infrastructure thats already in place.Sorry if u can barely see the tunnel entrance, my camera is crap.On the 2nd pic just follow the railwayn line around and you'll see the entrance between the apartment buildings.

[ShadowNinja]

You have just reminded me. My younger brother went to school in Ranelagh & mentioned a tunnel that went from the school to somewhere in the city centre.

Possibly a staff link between the school (which would have been a house in its day) and a city centre residence. I'd love to go through it.

Hi Bluefoam,
I am researching for a TV documentary and read your post with interest. I also went to school in Ranelagh at one point. Perhaps you would let me know what school your brother attended so I can look into the tunnel story in more detail?
Thanks & Regards,
ShadowNinja