Bridges & Boardwalks

i was wondering that too, the original claim was the the booths were being built in barcelona and would be ready for paddy’s day, not the spire is lit maybe the booths will arrive.

i believe the book market launch is planned for the NEXT millenium.

Similar cafes etc on the new proposed boardwalk at Eden Quay would help a lot in drawing tourists (& citizens) over to the east for once, down to the Custom House area – and help improve this neglected quay as well.

Crossed Gattan Bridge this morning and Pierse where digging up the new paving in very specific places.

Looks like they are unearthing services for the long awaited book stalls. Could this be true? Can anyone confirm?

has anyone seen the plans for whatever is going to go up in place of the Laughter Lounge on Eden Quay ??

Supposed to be a night club in place of the Laughter Lounge, I believe.

Was’nt that one of the places given tax incentives under the O’Connell Street Integrated Area Plan?

they seemed to stop completely for a long time, either they ran out of money or they found some unexpected challenge, for eg with water.

Saw a picture of Eden quay in the 1930s in a window on Talbot St the other day, it used to be so well scaled and planned. The Laughter Lounge site had a 4 bay arched facade, and built of similar materials to the buildings on either side still there.
What ever planner granted permission permission for the destruction of this building, wrecking the unity of the terrace, and for it to be replaced with a black brick wall, must have been of their head.

Yeah, I think that arched building was the Corinthian Cinema, an art deco classic. It would be listed and jealously guarded were it still around today.

Unbelievable losses (and awful replacements) were the order of the day back then (’60s or ’70s).

Just looking at a picture of The Corinthian again in ‘Lost Dublin’ -: it wouldn’t have been in the same league as the Theatre Royal, but it was a nice enough 20th cen. front all the same.

Remember the Laughter Lounge before about 1995 when it was the Screen cinema? It was just an unpainted blank concrete wall; an incredible 2 fingers to the city centre.

Haven’t seen the plans for new replacement building.

Aye that (The Laughter Lounge, aka the Odeon cinema or Screen 2 cinema , or whatever it was once called) had to be one of the most ugliest buildings in Dublin, especially too if a far more finer building (aka the Corinthian) was sacrificed to replace it.

Ahem, rather the planner was OFF his head.

I hope the book market is a success. Its quite an exposed area!

The cafes on the board walk seem to have weathered the initial scepticism.

Wern’t those Boardwalk cafes individually run in the beginning? – Now they’re all run by the one company. Blasted homogenisation!

Not to be critical, the cafes are great in the summer.

The cinema was called the Astor.

Nope that was the cinema next door (it became a rather dodgy video shop at one stage (private viewing booths – indeed). The Corinthian was refaced to become the Odeon. The odeon begat the Screen at O’Connell Bridge, which begat the Laughter lounge. The Astor was another separate entity altogether.

Bloody hell that was quick!

Overnight the book stalls have appeared on Gratten Bridge. I might be able to get there at lunch and grab a photo.

Theyre quite nice but very large….

very very large…

Some pics – excuse the quality, used a phone.

.

The back (from the road)

StephenC, that is probably because on Parliament Street (correct me if I am wrong here) you can view them from higher up than you can from Capel Street. Parliament Street is also wider than Capel Street which would make a difference i think.

I was very surprised when I saw them during the week. beforehand I thought they had done an excellent job on the bridge, making a open and clean space. Now it appears this things are very obstrusive on what what i thought was a well done public space. I’ll wait to see them when they’re finished to make my mind up but at the moment I’m wary. I imagined something different when they mentioned a book market – something more in the line of the book market in Temple Bar rather kioskville – but I suppose it is more in line with Europe where the kiosk predominates.

Once they are open perhaps they will become more transparent – although, there’s no provision for windows to the rear.

For once, pedestrians have been given precedence over motorists with the kiosks looking much better from the pavement.
What they look like from the road or from the other side mustn’t be too pleasant.

Thanks for enlightening me re Grattan Bridge works.
While I think they look pretty ugly, I’m hopeful it will be different when they open , as I love what the boardwalk has done for the way I experience the city.
It didn’t even cross my mind that it would be a book market. I though maybe a flower stall and a newspaper kiosk from the look of them.

Anyway looking forward to seeing how this evolves 😀

were the new kiosks specifically designed , and if so by who?

does anyone know if the kiosks were specifically designed for grattan bridge, and if so, by who?

oops

From todays Irish Times:

Liffey kiosks are ‘visual vandalism’, council told
Frank McDonald, Environment Editor

The architect of a planned European-style book market on Grattan Bridge has appealed to the public to suspend judgment on the project until it is finished.

Capel Street art gallery owner, Mr Gerald Davis, has complained to Dublin City Council that four new kiosks intended as elaborate book stalls were “totally out of place” and amounted to “visual vandalism” of views of the Liffey.

However Mr Dave Richards, of Gilroy McMahon architects, said the kiosks were “like a piano with its lid down” at present. “They have to be seen with their panels opened out and awnings down.”

Mr Richards said he was “pleasantly surprised” by the reaction so far, even from wisecracking Dubliners. “In general, people are delighted to see this type of thing happening here.”

The kiosks were prefabricated in Spain as part of a €2 million project to turn Grattan Bridge, which links Capel Street with Parliament Street, into a contemporary version of an inhabited bridge, such as the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.

City architect Mr Jim Barrett said the proposed book market on Grattan Bridge was the latest phase of the city council’s plan to enable people to enjoy the river.

The €2 million budget included a major reconstruction of the bridge deck, new granite paving for the footpaths and a set of benches with wooden seats and toughened glass backs.

The kiosks are due for completion by St Patrick’s Day. The first one to open on a pilot basis will be a book sales outlet for the Hugh Lane Gallery.

Mr Richards said the idea was to recreate something which the city used to have – the bookstalls on Bachelor’s Walk and Wellington Quay which brought a touch of the Seine to the Liffey.

© The Irish Times

Predestrian side

Roadway side

Nice one Paul!

How about one of these:

http://www.dezain.net/2003/scape/25.jpg

I think the kiosks look a bit cumbersome, resembling pre fabs or cargo boxes, giving a cluttered effect on the briidge. Maybe they should have been installed at the time the bridge was revamped, would have avoided this reaction now. But we should give them a chance however.
In hindsight, It’s good to see that the Liffey boardwalk has been a good success however despite all the initial nagative talk from An Taisce and the like etc….. Maybe Cork, etc ….could have the same.
O’ Connell Street will prove to be a success too, despite the negative talk from the Green Party etc….

null

I am a fan of the boardwalks myself, but lets get one thing straight here.

Originally posted by GregF
In hindsight, It’s good to see that the Liffey boardwalk has been a good success however despite all the initial nagative talk from An Taisce and the like etc…..

Let us be fair here, some people are of the opinion that Dublin city council, like to be seen as their own bosses in everything, the heros. Which often has the negative impact, that they do not always bring in the ideas and people who could really do a much better job in some cases. Of course Dublin city council have a huge bargaining chip with developers, as witnessed by that pedestrian bridge, over to Abbey street rubbish then have just completed. But the insight and understanding they display every time they try to use that bargaining chip, is very suspect in my opinion.

I think that developers are far too savy, and the Dublin city council far to naive in 2004. Frank McDonald painted a very rosy picture of Dublin city council last week, and while in large part it is true – they still don’t always get it right by any manner or means.

If you get a chance paul, point that camera of yours down to the building, at the pedestrian crossing from teh new ped bridge.

I have visions of ‘John Wayne’ lasso-ing one of those columns some day and allowing his horse to give it a good thug, wild west fashion.

Worst ‘muck’ design I have seen in a while, and yet another obviously statement, that architectural technologists/tossers in DCC are still doing the architecture all along dublin’s quays.

Here ya go

Well so much for the idea of buying a good digital camera to record my impressions of what I experience in architecture! Even though they can be useful for some kind of record, or places abroad etc, etc.

Ya know what guys, I am going to level with you all straight up here – and admit, that I have loads more brushing up to do on my discursive abilities and skills, compared to much of the fine discussion and debaters here at Archiseek. It has always been my biggest single reason for failure at various endeavours related to architecture. So good discursive abilities are key to sucess in most lines of work I think.

However, I think I have a pretty keen eye when it comes to smelling a real turkey in real world architecture, and you cannot actually tell from the above images what I am talking about. In some odd way, those photographs actually make the thing look good! Yet, when I walk around and through that area of town, I know deep down the thing is a complete ‘kick for touch’ in terms of architectural design. I have spoken here in support of the new rendering technologies available to architects – which produce photographic images.

But whoever, doesn’t believe me should actually go and visit this place in question. It is a clear example of where the developer produced maybe a couple of nice 3DS VIZ images, that looked okay, and decided well let’s just do it. And that is the whole point, looking at those images, the development looks fine. But in reality, you just know it isn’t, strange. So people don’t judge how bad the development really is, just by those photographs – rather go and experience it and report back please.

Its both a good development and bad architecture. It opens up a new route and uses the land efficently but the architecture sucks donkey balls. The bottom picture shows the horrendous join of the new building to the old facade which is terribly crude. Recessing the shopfront behind the original facade is badly thought out – it now provides a great public urinal. And as for the tower….

It goes way beyond sucking any balls at this stage in Ireland Paul, it passed that stage back around 1999/00 as I recall correctly. Think of dentists when they qualify usually go to some other country for a while and work at very cheap rates in order to ‘get practice’. (I.e. Get all the real baddies out of their system) While some poor guy over in unemployment England is left holding his jaw for the rest of his life. This is an example of that in architecture.

The boss architects in this country should begin realising this, and take their heads out of their BMW catalogues and golfing magazines long enough, just to see what their latest recruit from Eastern Europe is doing with his/her cracked copy of 3DS MAX. :)And perhaps give a job to someone like myself, who cannot afford to make these kinds of balls jobs in the same country that I wish to live/work in.

I can put up with the river side, it’s not that offensive. However what about the other side of this development , on Abbey street. It is the 1960s concrete look , so ugly.
The path for pedestrians should be wide, instead it feels closed in with a concrete overhang and obstructed by large concrete pillars. What a pity

Genevieve

Anyone care to do the Group 91 bridge anecdote here? I am tired of typing. 🙂

Anyhow, I will just cross link this here:

https://archiseek.com/content/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2744

Carlisle Pier thread.

Now it just came to me what these new kiosks resemble.

Huge scaled up versions of the huts for the car park attendants at BCP car parks in the UK.

Isn’t the Abbey St. side actually a 60’s building called Chapter House? Also bear in mind that the extremely bleak Wast facing wall is soon to be covered up by whatever CIE is building on its former depot.

Okay. Good observation, to look at what is going on in the whole general area. Still that Group 91 Poddle Bridge and Jervis Street route, was about ‘that whole general area’ too. This DCC bridge and route it has now burrowed through a pile of developer’s rubbish is a sad, sad compromise – where does that little alley lead to anyway? How does it improve pedestrian flow, by landing you straight outside a big blank wall elevation of the Jervis Centre?

I mean, if the Poddle bridge location, had been used instead for a new pedestrian bridge, it would have brought in the meeting house square in Temple Bar, and the whole of Jervis St leading up as far as Parnell st, etc into the picture of people movement in Dublin city centre. Pull out that OS map and have a look if you don’t believe me.

The new pedestrian bridge which DCC done, in defiance of Group 91 and Temple Bar properties is just in a bad location whichever way you look at it.

I hate, that ‘zig-zag’ maneuvre you have to make, having crossed the new ped bridge, to get onto the Jervis St, direct route up as far as Henry St, Parnell st. That count-down clock is supposed to be so helpful, but It is really just a waste of money building that new pedestrian bridge where they built it.

Just a very, very sad example of DCC trying to ascert whatever authority they think they have, over the Temple Bar thing, which they weren’t part of.

The fact that DCC burrowed through a developer scheme, to make some gesture towards the urban theme, doesn’t change one thing I am sorry. And what is going on over in Capel St, is just another typical Archiseek, lets do aesthetic ping-pong.

So how many times, is this now, I have pointed out DCC lack of any clue in anything to do with open space or pedestrian movement?

No way garethace, the group 91 poddle bridge was absolute shite!

I’ve tried to point out this before about those new buildings beside millen bridge, they’re quayfront GRAIN, and they work well as grain, whereas the fake Georgians at the corner of Jervis Street dont work as grain cos theyre fake and the finish is bad. Nor do the fakes on Bachelors Walk (designed in-house by the council).

LOL! 🙂

Respectfully, I am too long at this game to get worried with arguments as weak as that. I don’t have to even agree with an argument, to enjoy it – just as long as it interests me.

With all due respect, come back when you have something more to offer. My suggestion, would be to read my post carefully again, examine the situation in question, and carefully try and present an argument that would contradict what I have argued.

That would be interesting at least. The above response just isn’t, sorry. To tell you the truth, I find it difficult myself to get up off my behind, and look at things – but it is always worth it.

A book you might be able to dig up in Boton Street Library or someplace is Edmund N. Bacon, Design of Cities – a good reference to build up a decent response around. I haven’t even read much of it myself, but the pictures in it are still worth a hour or two.

(I know this breaks the rules of the forum, but) I’ve never read somebody so far up their own arse!

In my general posting or just this post specifically.

Because if the problem, is with my posting in general, then I might agree with you. In fact, I might even do something about it.

But in the case of this post specifically, all I can offer is that, I don’t take any prisoners – but I have followed the Poddle Bridge and Aftermath saga since the mid nineties.

So I can assure you, you are not talking to someone who is up their own arse, or any place else in regards to this issue.

BTW, I have mentioned now and again, that I like the boardwalks. At least they got the positioning of them correct, and that is why they perform such a crucial function now.

You are really just being immature – if the only argument you could come up with, was that attempt, respectfully.

Back to the kiosks, my god those kiosks on Grattan bridge are absolutely awful! They look like stationary Luas cars with the roundy edges knocked off that could easily have been bought in a portaloo catalogue. Also how do they relate to the already primitive seating that is in place, with their pseudo celtic ‘windbreakers?’ I thought those seats were a temporary arrangement and the new kiosks would be attached or connected in some masterstroke, but what the crap?

Nobody who has slagged off those buildings beside Millen bridge has said exactly why they think they’re crap, or even what they think might look good there instead. They wern’t designed by DCC in-house, or an east-european architect. It was an Irish architect, George Morris.

No garethace, you do submit interesting posts. Telling somebody to reread your own posts and your tone in that post is what I was referring to.

The original alignment for the pedestrian bridge (Jervis Street/Meeting House Square) would indeed have created much greater connectivity (sorry about the pretentious word), but I’d prefer the Howley Harrington bridge design any day to the Group 91 bridge, which was an architectural conceit (does an “all hail group 91” thing exist on on this site???).

Millenium bridge is also uncomfortably close to ha’penny bridge – the original bridge site would have been that bit further away.

Given that it’s there now, they should at least make the most of the Eustace St/Millenium Walk axis by putting a sign on the blank wall of the Jervis Centre that can be read from across the Liffey, so as to get more people to walk down it.

Another entrance to the Jervis Centre where Millen Walk comes out would be daft given that there’s one at the nearby corner. And Dixon’s would have to lose some floorspace – so unless that was agreed in their lease……

StephenC, with reference to Capel Street, DCC would have us believe that the “bland and boring box” on the corner of Mary’s Abbey and “another planned for opposite” ARE the “judicious urban planning” that will make it a great thoroughfare again!!

I can put up with the river side, it’s not that offensive. However what about the other side of this development , on Abbey street. It is the 1960s concrete look , so ugly

Two different developers Quartier Bloom (sout of Great Strand Street) – Wallace, Chapel House et al (North of Great Strand Street) – Danninger (Zoe)

I don’t think this development is as bad as is made out either.
Ok, it’s standard stuff, using standard materials, but it isn’t cringe inducing to look at it.
There are of course bad elements to it, the red-bricked part attached to the tower is very cluttered and messy near the ground floor, and there’s more clutter on the other building where the ‘new meets the old’, with messy windows squeezed in at the top on the side.

And the join with the new stone and the brickwork should not have been made on the quay facade.
The lack of windows in the old building is really awful, and clearly looks it in that pic from earlier, it looks derelict.

I think what the problem with it is, and perhaps the problem you have with it Brian, is that it is a landmark site, clearly noticable, and deserves better than the mundane.

And yes, the Millenium Bridge is too close to the Ha’penny, and the natural route mentioned should have been used. I often have to make the zig-zag too and is annoying and just silly.

The original alignment for the pedestrian bridge (Jervis Street/Meeting House Square) would indeed have created much greater connectivity (sorry about the pretentious word), but I’d prefer the Howley Harrington bridge design any day to the Group 91 bridge, which was an architectural conceit (does an “all hail group 91” thing exist on on this site???).

That is very good, you have managed to construct a decent and clear piece of communicative writing there. You have separated the issues excellently:

1) Aesthetic value of Group 91 bridge – I agree with you, I didn’t like it at all – it was crap, even if it did try to be ‘stylish’ etc, etc. The same guy did the lamps up in Smithfield too btw, and many think those are a bit over the top too.

2) The placement of the Group 91 bridge though was far superior. No one will actually use that new burrowed tunnel after a while, and just opt to do the ZIG_ZAG maneuvre instead, which is a disgrace in my opinion, considering these public projects do cost as much as they do and are ‘once off’.

It is well worth noting, that Group 91 in their original planning submission to the council, made only one small mistake, which did become their undoing in this matter. They didn’t draw their site boundary over as far as the opposite bank of the Liffey to Temple Bar. Instead opting to just draw the boundary along the mid-course of the Liffey. Meaning, when they came to building the Poddle Bridge, they didn’t have any jurisdiction on the opposite bank of the river. That is how DCC eventually won – on a technicality.

Apparently, sources tell me that DCC were quite miffed about not being part of the whole Temple Bar thing, and went out of their way to enforce their dominance in this small matter. It was unfortunate that such a public project, with so much potential to improve north/south connectivity in the broader context of Dublin city, became engulfed in such political bashing – but such is life. DCC only know one trick you see – this tunnel burrowing idea, which was kind of novel in the 1980s but has since then gotten very tired indeed. But what do DCC do? They continue to pull this one trick they know, out of the drawer every time they need to actually think.

I think we need to try harder to separate issues in that manner here at Archiseek – it is only a point about communication, but would lend increased weigh and value to contributors writing here. It is definitely harder to do and requires more work, in an effort to express oneself properly, but it is worth practicising – it gets easier with practice – being able to juggle the various strands of an argument about the built environment.

Archiseek is thought of by many people out there involved in the built environment, as an aesthetic ping-pong match, a group of ‘style-police’ like the Georgian society or something at its lowest and most ridiculous. However, the opportunity does exist here at Archiseek to expand one’s own awareness of the many strands associated with problem solving in the area of the built environment – a lot of which I never even knew about until visiting the board here at Archiseek. I am sure I do not stand alone in that experience.

Brian/Garethace,

As someone who generally just lurks on this board, I was interested to see you compliment Devin’s “communicative” writing skills.

You should learn from him. In fact learn from George Bernard Shaw who – at the end of a long letter to a friend – apologised for it, saying he didn’t have time for a short one.

Why not write your spiel offline, go away, re-read it and then re-write it again to make the same sense with half the verbiage.

Sure it take more time but it’s worth it – you will get more readers.

Am I th only person who has seen the four boxes erected on Capel Street Bridge. If I am the only one here is a brief description: Four white boxes, imagine the box section of a refridgerated truck, placed equidistant along the bridge, they are about 20 feet long and 10 feet tall. I presume they are to become cafes, but they ruin the beautiful vistas up and down the river. I really think that they are horrible, am I on my own ?

They are the long awaited bookstalls &
very disappointing too.

angels – photographs of the kiosks in this thread on page 3

https://archiseek.com/content/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2150&perpage=15&pagenumber=3

Thanks for the compliment whoever you are, asdasd.

But I do kind of agree with garethace about standards. Sometimes we just bang down something as a quick reaction to what somebody else said in a post, cos we’re in a rush out or something. But I guess it is worth taking the time to write something worth reading.

Yeah , ‘fridges’ is a good word to describe the look of those kiosks at the moment. I’m waiting for them to undergo some kind of transformation….

And why have they been placed directly in front of the wood and glass benches, which were supposed to be for gazing at the view / sun setting in the river etc. ?

The benches face the wrong way anyway – they face up the river across the road instead of down the river.

This area is now very crushed and cluttered compared to what it was beforehand. I think they have over done it on the number of kiosks, one or two maybe but four is over kill. Are there really enough booksellers in Dublin to take up the leases on them all?

I say move the daft seats or even remove the their backs so you can sit and look down the Liffey.

The seats are plonked right in the middle of the pavement, dividing it into two narrow strips.

It’s funny here, for once no one’s going to saying a word about the kiosks until they’re open, but really, with an awning or whatever out, and a big black hole opened up in their fronts, they’re not going to look much better.

And whatever about when they’re open, what about when they are closed, in the evenings, during early morning rush hour and probably for most of Sundays, they’ll look just like what they do now.
Passing today, they really are ugly, esp when seen from the Millenium Bridge, four big containers straddled across Grattan Bridge, like the bad old days in front of the Custom House.

And that beautiful raking angle view of the bridge from just alongside it, taking in the ironwork, the massive iron brackets, the lamp standards and the stone arches looks horrible now.

But I do kind of agree with garethace about standards. Sometimes we just bang down something as a quick reaction to what somebody else said in a post, cos we’re in a rush out or something. But I guess it is worth taking the time to write something worth reading.

]

Well, if you want a really good example of where they made the right decision where to put something, take a walk over by Dawson Street sometime.

When ABK did the new Arts Block there was no entrance from Trinity out onto Nassau Street. So ABK put one in.

But look where they put it though, not in front of Reads, not in front of the Setanta Centre or Kilkenny Design, not in front of Judge Roy Beans….. but right at the bottom of Dawson Street.

I know that ‘trinangle’ pedestrian island and crossing there is awkward at best, and creates congestion – but from a point of view of coming and going to Trinity, it is in the right place.

What they also did is interesting – they made a nice overflow space with a seat around a tree – that is just enough to take the chokepoint of pedestrians crossing, coming from Trinity, moving along Nassau St etc, and manage.

You can even ‘wait around there’ for your friend, to meet someone, etc, etc. You can have a smoke there or a drink of coke if you want.

Compare that to the new bridge on the Liffey – where when you get to the oposite side of the road, there is nowhere to really stand and relax, you are shoved literally by the flow of the crowd down the Quays in either direction.

The really nice thing about the board walks is being able to linger around there without bothering anyone.

I have always wondered why that footpath is so thin along the Trinity side of Naussau Street and South Leinster Street. It does not make sense when you think of the amount of people waiting to get various buses. I know that if it were to be widened it would mean less space for the buses and cars etc. However, cars are for some reason allowed to park outside the Kilkenny Design shop. Surely the path could be widened slightly?!

I agree with you about the Arts block entrance Garethace. It is a nice little space, so much movement, but as you pointed out, also a chance to sit beside the tree and relax.

Thanks

Phil

I have always wondered why that footpath is so thin along the Trinity side of Naussau Street and South Leinster Street. It does not make sense when you think of the amount of people waiting to get various buses.

You could say that about most of the footpaths in Dublin. Its about time the old predestrian reclaimed some street space.

Originally posted by phil
I have always wondered why that footpath is so thin along the Trinity side of Naussau Street and South Leinster Street. It does not make sense when you think of the amount of people waiting to get various buses. I know that if it were to be widened it would mean less space for the buses and cars etc. However, cars are for some reason allowed to park outside the Kilkenny Design shop. Surely the path could be widened slightly?!

I agree with you about the Arts block entrance Garethace. It is a nice little space, so much movement, but as you pointed out, also a chance to sit beside the tree and relax.

Thanks

Phil

Simple answer to any of the above…. Dublin City Council just don’t have any eyes in their heads, otherwise all of this would be painfully obvious to them. It is a question of someone taking responsibility for it really – and clearly Dublin city council down through the years have not been able to do anything like that.

Temple Bar Properties/Architects were the only ones in my experience who showed enough assertiveness to go and do anything. Most people do not realise how little land/influence Temple Bar Properties could exert on that area – but what they did do, they did well I think.

This place is just waiting for another bus disaster.
At 5 in the evening, the pavement there is choked solid with people waiting for buses, so the many people rushing to Pearse and other places have to walk along the road, often weaving in and out of buses that are parked, moving and about to move.
It’s a joke.
Are we going to have to wait for another terrible Wellington Quay incident before something is done?

I hadn’t actually thought of take Pearse Street station route, you are referring to, and yes, that is a really busy route at rush hour.

Up on the north side, the route from O’Connell Street area as far as Connolly station etc, isn’t at all as tricky.

I haven’t any experience of rushing down to the station on the Quay though.

Anyone?

The Lisney marketing spiel for the kiosks:

Address: Dublin City Centre Kiosks
(At Grattan Bridge)

Status: To Let
Rent Per Annum: Details on Application.
Size (sq.m.): 12
Introduction: Tremendous opportunity to let superbly positioned street kiosks in the heart of Dublin city centre.

Benefiting from an enormous volume of passing pedestrian and vehicular traffic

Suitable for a variety of users (Subject to Planning)

No Food Users

Location: The Street Kiosks are located on Grattan Bridge between Capel Street to the north and Parliament Street to the south in the heart of Dublin city centre. The kiosks, which have excellent profile overlooking the River Liffey, also benefit from the enormous volume of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, which cross the bridge on a daily basis. Grattan Bridge is a one way vehicular thoroughfare providing one of the main arterial routes from the north to the south of Dublin city centre.
Dublin city centre attracts a vast number of visitors each year, both national and international. The kiosks are located in the very hub of all the activity between the north and south of the city and adjacent Temple Bar and Dublin Castle. These Kiosks offer traders a truly unique retailing opportunity in the heart of Dublin city centre.

Description: There are four stand alone street kiosks located on Grattan Bridge ready for immediate occupation. Each kiosk, which opens overlooking the River Liffey to the east, has under floor heating, electrical sockets, lighting and water and waste supply. They also have excellent display on the north, south and western elevations.
Accommodation: Kiosk 12 sq.m.
Lease Details: Licence Agreements
The kiosks are available on short-term yearly licence agreements.
Licence Fee
Details on application.

See an image here

That brochure bears absolutely no resemblence with what is currently on Grattan Bridge.

I am also wondering where all the additional lamposts have gone?

This really bears simularities to the new kid on the block thread, in which the rendering of the building in black and white looks really smart only for the exterior cladding to be changed with a really dodgy pastel tone. 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁

The ‘no foods’ ruling seems quite restrictive – it should be no junk food.
Aside from a book/newspaper/magazine stall, I can’t think of too many things that would be successful.

Grattan Bridge is to be painted too, given the test patches of undercoat everywhere.

Previous Boardwalk took a lot longer than that, I’m afraid. Would be highly unlikely to be finished for the Summer unless they’ve learnt an awful lot of tricks since the last time.
Speaking of bridges, the Luas bridge at Heuston is open to pedestrians again for the first time in what must be several years.

On bridges, does anyone know what stage Calatrava’s second liffey crossing is at?

I’m really looking forward to it, I think it will be a great addition and really help traffic flow.

The AAI has a site visit to the boardwalk extension in May so obviously they think it will be quite advanced by that stage….

Any one passed the Kiosks recently?

They have added horrendous tower lights, ala the smashed ones in Temple Bar, about 2-2.5 storeys high to each corner of each of the kiosks.

This area has gone from a refreshing open space to a very cluttered and cramped space. I was really looking forward to the Kiosks and will hold final judgement till they are finally up and running but its not looking good.

I’ll try and get a pic at some stage.

The second Calatrava bridge will be up at Macken Street; I can’t remember who won the commission for the pedestrian bridge being built at the moment.

Edit: Damnit – I remembered the designer of the other pedestrian bridge, at Custom House Quay (Brian O’Halloran & Associates), but not the one at Eden Quay. Maybe it’s a DCC project?

as i said before those stall are awful, nothing but advertising blocks!

they should have been far more see through

there is a bridge being built on eden quay? are you sure?

Blue: Those pictures are definitely supporting your Dublin Thunderbirds theory. 🙂

LOL. I know Phil, I really didn’t want to put up this final pic because I though it might frighten some people but since you guessed….

It must be for city officials to escape if anything goes wrong! 🙂 .

Joking aside, what is the point of the four lamps sticking up in the air? They really don’t do anything for the kiosks!

Originally posted by phil
It must be for city officials to escape if anything goes wrong!

As long as they take Royston with them who will complain?

It is amazing that no one has done anything about the fridges

Originally posted by Diaspora

It is amazing that no one has done anything about the fridges

I don’t quite understand what you mean about fridges? Can you explain?

Thanks

Phil

What in the name of all that’s sane….???!!!!

What the heck are they thinking – they’re unbelieveable!
A couple of mobile phone antennae and a dish or two and they’ll be complete!
I dread to think what a wide view of the bridge is like, not least from the Millenium Bridge, which was bad enough without these additions.

What a mess, and the advertisers will be along soon too to fill up the glass cases.

Originally posted by phil

I don’t quite understand what you mean about fridges? Can you explain? Thanks Phil

Phil,

I have heard the kiosks on Grattan Bridge refered to as the fridges by many people in conversation.

What should be done is slightly more complicated. They were sneaked in by inclusion in a street furniture consultation document. But I would contend that any rateable property cannot be descibed as ‘street furniture’ once rates can be levied. What would be next an annual bill on memorial benches?

The city architects have fouled up one of Dublins finest bridges making it a danger to road safety and destroying its character.

They need moving

so says the architect in f mcd article a few pages back…

hmm nice metaphor but anyone seen any other pictures of the things open ?

the one on lisney ain’t too clear… or promising

couldnt find Mr Dave Richards, of Gilroy McMahon architects website then have gilroymcmahon.ie

but it doesn’t exist

and of course these things will be closed down atleast half the time so it be if he considered that

Yes the 16 new poles are unbelievable!! Grattan Bridge now looks like a space station. Have you seen the view from Capel St. yet? It’s incredible! – like a blizzard of clutter has hit the bridge!

It’s time for the City Architect to concede his folly.

I wonder would they look any better in another position within the city? Any thoughts?

bottom of smithfield market?

nowhere

Originally posted by chewy
bottom of smithfield market?

..
What? As stables during the horse market every month? 😀

Dunsink?

Whilst I approve of contemporary design (not these ones though) – I think this was the wrong locations for these. Should have gone for something that would have fitted in with the bridge’s architecture. More metal (perhaps copper – which would look great when it weathered).

The design of these looks like a filled in bus shelter and the flagpoles only add to the clutter

in a word – crap

Considering they were designed as book stalls they would make excellent programme vending kiosks for a stadium. Either Croke Park or the redeveloped Landsdowne Rd would be perfect, the poles could be used for hanging County/Country banners,

Beyond that I think Rory’s Dunsink might be a close second.

Good idea Diaspora…. they’d look pretty good as that….

Passing by last night and the 16 poles on the Grattan Bridge container kiosks were being removed! Are the kiosks next??

And while they’re at it they could remove those two grimy old flagpoles – one at the Wellington Quay corner and one at the Upr Ormond Quay corner – they serve no purpose.

That’s very interesting, are the CC putting their hands up on this? Going by the other day one of the worst views is from the corner of the bridge where it joins the north Boardwalk, all the poles accumulate in the view – depth of field and all that – and the clutter is truly extraordinary, and right infront of Sunlight Chambers.

Its a pity they won’t be in Croker in time for the Ulster final, but they have until September for the main events

http://www.lisney.com/subnav.aspx?tabid=3&tabindex=2&inc=commProperty&ID=944

The to let boards are down, but they are still being offered via the web,

I am getting confused they are prepared to licence them out but aren’t advertising them openly.

They really ought to go :confused:

Past there this morning and I had to do a double take I thought my eyes were deceiving me.

Were those granite blocks that were nicked some time ago ever found? The wall at Eden Quay is extraordinary, the blocks are so thick, much moreso than other quay walls in the city.

Originally posted by Diaspora

http://www.lisney.com/subnav.aspx?tabid=3&tabindex=2&inc=commProperty&ID=944

The to let boards are down, but they are still being offered via the web,

I am getting confused they are prepared to licence them out but aren’t advertising them openly.

Why can’t the City Architect just concede that he made a mistake and rectify it by removing them.

Barrets strike rate before this has been impressive, there is an architects touch in many of the good things Dublin has seen up to now such as,

O’Connell St (the implementation delays not his fault)

Henry St is a revelation who would have believed a decade ago that it would have a higher footfall than Grafton St?

Liffey House is one of the best contemporary buildings in Dublin and no doubt he had his influence there too.

The boardwalk which gives a great recreational asset to the City.

But the Kiosks just never translated from the drawing board to reality. They are bulky and the bridge simply doesn’t have the scale to accomodate them.

They are also entirely out of Character with the bridge and surrounding architecture such as the Clarence Hotel and Sunlight chambers.

They also required planning permission as rateable structures, which they don’t have.

I’ll have to take a walk down for a look…yeah they’re very bland alright…esp for the Irish climate…grey is never very sucessful…I’ve always felt that the pavement drainage channel is positioned exactly where you’d want to stand if buying something…and they’re those very deep ones…I can see a lawsuit on its way! 😉

Originally posted by StephenC
The first ‘bookstall’ opens for business today on Grattan Bridge. Its a florist…booksellers didnt seem to interested in the stalls. I wish them the best of luck but I have a feeling it will be a difficult spot to make a success of. The bookstalls look very sleek and modern when opened although a more colourful awning should have been used. They look a little bland and lifeless. Perhaps an opinion poll would be in order….

I’m sure these are a total rip off of something I saw in an AJ / AR or a RIBAAJ recently put can’t find it. Anyone help?

Any bets on how long the initial batch of traders will last?

I think there isn’t really enough space down there for circulation once the counters are open. If they all last until Paddy’s day I’ll buy something from each them myself. How come no-one has a good thing to say about them, I think they look very clean and modern myself.

Originally posted by burge_eye

I’m sure these are a total rip off of something I saw in an AJ / AR or a RIBAAJ recently put can’t find it. Anyone help?

They are all to do with the ‘Barcelonaisation’ of our city.

Forgot I had these pics – the Grattan stalls from a couple of weeks ago. Apologies for resolution:

And a wider view of the bridge:

to be honest i think they’re allrite. when are the o’connell street box things being put in?

I expect the planning of the O’Connell Street ones to be better so as they don’t end up with a drainage channel running across their pay points & their awnings tied to benches which were supposed to be for public seating.

According to today’s (27/10) Times Commercial Property “Work on the new Macken Street bridge, which will link the south and north quays, is to begin early in the new year”. Anyone know if this is happening?

As far as I know, a pedestrian bridge is to be installed there – you can see the gap in the boardwalk where it is going.

It’s mentioned here: http://www.dublincity.ie/planning/Draft_ContibutionScheme03.pdf

Any photos of the new stretch of boardwalk?

Here’s some pics of it. Not posting out of admiration though – I’m not exactly the world’s greatest fan of the Boardwalk. I think AT’s initial assessment of it as gimmicky and utilitarian perfectly sums it up.
Whereas it is undoubtedly very pleasant to walk along, and the wood finishes particularly attractive to users at close quarters, on the whole the structure feels temporary and certainly looks it – and the Ormond Quay section with the various slopes and slants looks positively ugly tacked into the quay wall. The grills used for balustrade are equally so.

I appreciate it’s very easy to criticise the project without coming up with alternatives or solutions, but I think it nothing short of ridiculous that pedestrians are forced out into a cantilevered ledge over the river in order to allow traffic take precedence along the quays.
Surely the quay environment could have been improved rather than invading in such a manner on the riverscape, or at least we could have waited for the Port Tunnel to open and observe the traffic results.
Eden Quay is especially wide to cater for improvements. And if the pedestrian situation is such that the Boardwalk is practiacally needed , how come there isn’t one on the southern quays?
Perhaps to put things in context, in 15-20 years time when the Boardwalk will probably require reconditioning, will it be refurbished or simply removed?

And from O’Connell Bridge:

A view from Butt Bridge:

Liffey river taxi gearing up for launch
Lorna Siggins, Marine Correspondent

A river taxi may be running on the Liffey next summer if a plan submitted by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) is approved by Dublin City Council.

The DDDA is seeking permission to build a landing stage at Bachelor’s Walk. The stage would consist of a 20-metre-long floating pontoon with a sliding gate entrance, access platform and gangway for passengers off the boardwalk.

A 54-seater vessel is being built in Sweden for delivery next spring. The authority hopes to run trials on the river for several months. It anticipates that the transport service could be up and floating by June, focusing initially on the tourist market.

The initiative is part of the DDDA’s River Liffey regeneration strategy, which also allows for the introduction of a fast commuter ferry service between the docklands and the coast – initially Dún Laoghaire.

The strategy proposed a cross-river ferry between City Quay and the Irish Financial Services Centre (IFSC) II among a series of projects to revive practical use of the waterway.

It is understood that the DDDA has held discussions with several operators in relation to contracting out operation of the services, and may advertise formally for bidders. Navigation of the river’s 15 bridges, specifically the upper reaches between the Ha’penny Bridge and Heuston Station, is restricted by tides and the low headroom on fixed structures.

The new Millennium Bridge and the Matt Talbot Bridge are particularly problematic at high tide, and the riverbed rises west of the Ha’penny Bridge, which causes a difficulty at low water. The service could eventually run to Heuston Station. Water bus stops may also be located at Tara Street to link with the DART, at the IFSC I and II, Forbes Street, Britain Quay, the Point Theatre and the Alexandra Basin ferry terminal.

© The Irish Times

Good idea?

All entrances to the existing boardwalk were closed last night, with some stonework removed from the quay walls lying by the Millennium Bridge, Any idea if there’s anything other than widening the entrances going on?

There’s no Boardwalk on the southern quays because the sun is more likely to fall on the other side.
I felt at the beginning that it was a gimmicky project but I think it has been the greatest recent success of the City Council, apart from the regeneration of O’Connell Street.
No amount of traffic restriction on the quays would have ever led to a situation where you could have hundreds of people sitting out: reading, drinking coffee as is the case with the Boardwalk on any relatively warm day.
Even when the Port Tunnel is open, I don’t think walking along the outer path of the quays would ever be particularly pleasant because of its narrowness. There were still be plenty of buses and cars whizzing by at 35 miles an hour.

@Andrew Duffy wrote:

All entrances to the existing boardwalk were closed last night, with some stonework removed from the quay walls lying by the Millennium Bridge, Any idea if there’s anything other than widening the entrances going on?

I noticed that at the weekend. I was wondering was it the installation of some flood protection barriers superior to the sandbags that have been around for a while now…

I’m pretty sure there’s a pedestrian bridge being built that will go between the quays, rougly in the middle of the new boardwalk extension.

I seen that three of the kiosks are now open for trading, I really don’t think they look any better open than they did closed and they look a bit light on customers as well, unless the plan was that they would only be busy during the summer.

I’m told by Dublin City Council that there was a delay in having the wooden boards delivered because of a shipping strike (???) in December. There’s no issue apart from that and they’re due pretty shortly. Council seem confident it would only be a month or two after that before the extension will be open. Also the work that took place before Xmas re flooding was the construction of so-called Dutch dams (that’s what it sounded like). Somebody else can probably enlighten us on what exactly they do.

There’s a huge ‘dam’ just gone down on Eden Quay recently, wider than any of the openings in the walls on the older Boardwalk.
Here’s the lovely nerw wood going down – the craftmanship in laying the timbers is superb – from the cutting to the joining to the bolting down, very impressive.

Unfortunately it looks like there’s going to be a rather nasty problem with this new stretch of Boardwalk – over the past few days most of the brand new, unfinished handrail has been covered, and I mean covered in seagull droppings 😮
Never seen anything like it – whether it was just a one off or not I don’t know (not exactly an expert on the bowel movements of sea birds) but if this this is going to be the state of affairs along here on a permanent basis I’d gladly stick to Eden Quay, warts and all (yes it’s that bad :))
I pity the the person who has to sand it down for finishing…

Does anyone know if anything is happening with that 2nd Caltrava (spl?) bridge east of Talbot st. bridge. Last I heard (Dec ’03) no one was willing to stump up the dough ?

Graham,
I was in the southern capital yesterday and remarked the same thing crossing the new pedestrian bridge there – A CARPET of droppings. Must be the season for it!

A new bridge for Merchant’s Quay in Dublin: – what do you think this is about?
The picture accompanying would seem to me a subway station in Washington DC.
Looks like a mistake to me

http://www.dublincity.ie/press_news/news/new_pedestrian_bridge_over_liffey.asp

very sensitive location – facing the four courts

Strange image alright. Do those architects have a web-page? Aswell, as StephenC just said, what is the point in this?

Yes – any decent pics anywhere?

This is a highly highly sensitive location – it is Dublin, the image of the city presented to the rest of the world, whatever about our own enjoyment of the location. It is more Dublin than Merrion Square or the Custom House or the Spike will ever be.
That classic river view with O’Donovan Rossa & Fr Matthew bridges and matching balustrading along the quays ought not be touched with a bargepole.
Whereas it is generally accepted now that striking modern architecture works well next to older structures or locations, this should not be an excuse to build anywhere, supposedly because we’re so ‘enlightened’ now.

Leave the location alone. I know it’s a typical reactionary response but really, what is wrong with the existing bridges? It seems to be something of a CC hobby now to litter the riverscape with ‘striking’ new structures…

That must be a mistake. You wouldn’t want to go putting a bridge there – enough damage has been done over the past 25 years with putting bridges in the wrong place on the Liffey. Leaving aside the folly of the Loop Line Bridge (which I suppose was just a reflection of the power of the railway companies at the time), the consistent spacing of bridges along the Liffey had always been observed…for hundreds of years…until Frank Sherwin Bridge was stuck in a few feet away from Sean Heuston Bridge in 1982.

Then the Millenium pedestrian bridge which of course ‘enhances criss-cross movement across the Liffey blah blah’ but also compromises the spacing of bridges again.

Then James Joyce Bridge – Yes, coup for the city get a Calatrava bridge etc. etc., but this one is definitely in the wrong place; Because it was squeezed in between two older bridges, it messes up the quay length/river width ratio again. It’s also very close to the oldest and most beautiful bridge on the Liffey, Mellowes (aka Queen Maev) Bridge.

There is so little detail on that page that it must be a mistake, there is no way that the corpo would commission a bridge and not announce an image heavy press campaign to sell it. Then again they did the fridges in sneakiest possible way.

‘The Fridges’ – so the title’s official then 😀

O’Connor Crowe Architects don’t appear to have a site which is strange…are they imaginary too? 🙂
On the issue of the older western bridges, their paving is often in appalling condition, esp at the corners with the quays. Certainly this needs to be improved for pedestrians – bit cheaper than any bridge too.

The chq bridge is exciting – it’s great the way bridges take so little time to go up after planning; this one is taking shape quite fast.
Is there a need for that ped bridge at Hawkins/Marlborough Sts, esp so close to O’Cll Bridge? More clutter, not least when combined with the new Boardwalk. Even if Marl St is improved as per the IAP, there’s still not going to be the attractions to make people go there. Perhaps in light of the Hawkins redevelopment though…

Good news about the DDDA huts.

Or “Portaloos” according to the Irish Times’ ‘What’s Not Hot’ section on Saturday.

heheh
Nah, fridges is still the more accurate term, even if less humerous 🙂

Here’s hoping their offspring won’t crop up on O’Connell Bridge as part of plans for there; their breeding like rabbits along the boardwalks is quite enough thank you very much, albethey the more fashion-conscious wood-clad generation 🙂

@Graham Hickey wrote:

heheh
they’re breeding like rabbits along the boardwalks is quite enough thank you very much, albethey the more fashion-conscious wood-clad generation 🙂

The boardwalk can take these type of structures quite well as at least half the height is mitigated by the Quay walls and the kiosks are framed against terraces of buildings behind the Quay thoroughfares. The fridges in contrast stand out for the egotistical flight of fancy that they are. The market has spoken http://www.lisney.com

I hope for the individual traders (2/4) sake that they hold them on no more than short term licences and I would be examining my break options very closely. 🙁

Wonder if the open ones are doing any decent trade – I passed them today and the man in the newsagent one looked bored senseless; then again staff tend to in most stores so maybe that’s not the best indicator…

Agreed about the boardwalk kiosks, they do work well – just being flippant earlier – however the wood cladding is in an very poor state on both of them and requires immediate attention – they look so tatty.

Have to laugh at the contractors working on the Boardwalk – they’ve just covered the most recently erected handrail in sheets of plastic and parcel tape to protect it from The Attack of airborne detritus 🙂

the eden quay boardwalk is open now, walked on it today.

so according to the ddda newsletter the new foot bridge, the _sean o’casey_ bridge, is arriving this week and will be open by may.

All telephone kiosks should now be removed around Ireland. No one needs them any more. We use our mobiles. They are just targets for vandals, and invariably unsightly heaps of broken glass and rubbish.

They obviously still make money – if they didn’t, do you not think that Eircom would have them pulled out?

yeah, fair point. maybe councils should decide that these things aren’t worth it anymore, though. there was a case in the past that the public needed to make emergency calls to the cops or whatever; that need doesn’t exist. the only people that use them now are crims who don’t want to leave traces

all public jacks should be pulled down while they’re at it. dublin is disfigured with them e.g. the one in the centre of terenure village, the one at mount jerome cemetry… is that one still there opposite Trinity?

@notjim wrote:

so according to the ddda newsletter the new foot bridge, the _sean o’casey_ bridge, is arriving this week and will be open by may.

Well the month of March has come and gone and still no sign of the new footbridge. Unless it’s one of those fancy invisible/optical illusion ones as used by Indiana Jones on his last crusade. Maybe I should go down there and attempt it ???

In fairness Rusty the bridge did arrive in March – It was being unloaded yesterday.
(as mentioned on) https://archiseek.com/content/showthread.php?t=1615&page=2

Today you can see most of the peices on the big flat construction barge. Very dark grey. No photos from me I’m afraid as it was way to wet to remember to bring a camera this morning! Though I did see someone else taking pics with a fancy camera- hope they’re a member of this forum!

Do ye think this is a new structure or work on the existing one?

Westland Row will be closed at the times and dates stated below this weekend. Westland Row from its junction with Pearse Street to the south of Railway Viaduct, on Sunday 3rd April 2005 between the hours of 6.00am and 2.00pm. Northbound traffic will be diverted via Merrion Square West, Merrion Street, Hume Street, St. Stephen’s Green, Cuffe Street, Kevin Street, Bride Street , Bride Road, Nicholas Street and Winetavern Street to the North Quays. Southbound traffic will be diverted via Pearse Street and the city centre. Local vehicular access and full pedestrian access will be maintained at all times. The Closure is to facilitate works on a pedestrian footbridge over Westland Row.

Kefu. With the construction of Trinity’s new building, I have a suspicion that the pedestrian bridge (between Goldsmith Hall and the campus) might temporarily be removed. I am speculating of course, but I don’t see how it will remain whilst the new building is being built.

That bridge is staying in situ. They are knocking the stairway/lift access tower on the corner of Pearse Street and Westland Row. The bridge is now supported by a temporary structure closer to Pearse Street roadway. The bridge will be integrated into the new building in time.

Cheers Adhoc.

What do you reckon they are closing the road for?

The transference of the load onto the temporary structure?

The new Boardwalk is interesting – the newness is all very strange, don’t remember the older ones being like that at all 🙂
The new wood of the seating is magnificent – and the amount of seating the whole way down is a distinct improvement from the previous scheme. The shiny bins look well too. What doesn’t however is the crude piece of railing put in almost against the quay wall to guard the hole around the flight of steps down to the water. Whatever about the handrail negating some of the utilitarian appearance of the railings along the river – bare and in against the granite walls it looks totally inappropriate.

What is of note is the new perspective this Boardwalk affords you of Burgh Quay, and the D’Olier St/ Westmoreland St apex at O’Cll Bridge – things you either saw in passing as you walked along Eden Quay, or never saw at all because of the bus stops and all the weird glum people staring at you 🙂
Being able to sit down and look has its benefits, but also its downside – that is the sight of all the crap shovelled in around that area over the past 40 years.

The Hawkins regeneration, whatever form that may take, will be a welcome boost.

I also had a walk down the new stretch of boardwalk last Friday – was amazed by the fact the new stretch already reeked of piss – it was quite revolting

That’s just the river Rory…

Some pics of the new Boardwalk, including the lovely new seating & bins – captured while still clean & unweathered.
Also the quay wall which hasn’t been cleaned – it’s got a sooty finish to it that looks well against the new timber.

This Boardwalk has a more solid feel than the others – doesn’t seem to shudder as much :). Also the overhanging trees create a pleasant backdrop:

Well I’m getting seriously demoralised with the use of the new boardwalk on Eden Quay. I walked along it yestarday and I’d say about half of the people sitting there were ‘daytime drinkers’. It was particularly depressing to see one group throwing their ’empties’ into the Liffey once done. Was this it’s intended use ? I actually feel on guard using it now.

I must agree. It is a disgrace. This section of the boardwalk is now dominated by druggies and drunks. It is seriously intimidating. Gardai at nearby Store St and Pearse St seem to keep well clear of it.

Drug clinics at Amiens St and Pearse St attract a huge number of undesirables into this area. The opening of the drug clinic on Amiens st (next to the Dart station) a few years ago resulted in the permanent closure of the that Dart station. Access to Dart platforms is now only through Connolly mainline. Apparently it was closed because of druggies wheeling and dealing, shooting up, and generally intimidating people in the pedestrian access tunnels.

Anyway it now appears the boardwalk is their favoured venue for such activities.

Ah – often wondered why that DART section of Connolly was closed…

Unfortunately I’d have to agree about the new Boardwalk too – they’ve all just moved down from Custom House Quay and Butt Bridge, given a permanent home as it were.
They’re all harmless enough, aside from the ‘odd’ bout of fighting, shouting and generally being agressive, but certainly they generate an intimidating environment when the Boardwalk is empty, which frankly is most of the time. The rubbish left behind is the worst aspect of their congregating – not to mention them making the area very hostile for families, or even sitting down for your lunch.

Considering they always congregate in groups around this area, I don’t know what policing can do other than just move them on to somewhere else…

Well to be honest, I think our usual set of indigenous daytime drinkers has been bolstered by some of our more ‘al fresco’ drinkers from far off lands. I was over in Moscow a couple of years back and surprised to see how many people drink in the streets. There were many kiosks around the city where you could buy alcohol and happily drink your way around the city. It appears that some of this attitude has made it over here and I observed a number of different groups who were essentially spending the afternoon getting pissed and using the Liffey as a bin as they went. Surely Gardai could encompass the boardwalks on their patrols to attempt to curb this (illegal) activity ?

What are Dublin City Council’s bye laws on drinking outside? It’s prohibited in public parks, and the Port Company and Dublin Bus both have bye laws prohibiting it, but I don’t think the boardwalk is a park or part of the port. Is there a bye-law preventing drinking near the liffey quays left over from when they were working docks?

Its a Garda matter, should that not be enough?

Besides the public drinking I don’t think the Gardai are short of reasons to get involved: Possession of drugs, openly taking of drugs in public place, intoxication/drunkeness, intimidation of passers-by, litter offences/dumping of rubbish in to river etc etc In fact last week on the boardwalk I saw girl strapping the arm of a male friend and injecting directly in front of an onlooking toddler!!

Disgrace.

Dublin City Council have hit a new low in terms of sneaky tactics.

The notice seeking observations on the part extinguishement of the right of way at Grattan Bridge has been erected and dated as of 19th of June 2005 ie a sunday. Observations must be made by July 20th.

@Thomond Park wrote:

Dublin City Council have hit a new low in terms of sneaky tactics.

The notice seeking observations on the part extinguishement of the right of way at Grattan Bridge has been erected and dated as of 19th of June 2005 ie a sunday. Observations must be made by July 20th.

What are they planning on doing? Do you know exactly how they are planning on altering the right of way?

Thanks

Phil

@phil wrote:

What are they planning on doing? Do you know exactly how they are planning on altering the right of way?

Thanks

Phil

Phil,

it is entirely retrospective

@Thomond Park wrote:

Phil,

it is entirely retrospective

Devin informs that the above quote is inadequate to explain the point I was making; apologies phil I can be a little quasi-legal at times

The point is that DCC are applying to extinguish a right of way accross (Henry) Grattan(‘s) bridge that has stood since 1876 in its present form as a wide user freindly point of crossing the Liffey and has historically been the most easterly crossing point for most of the City’s existance for a good period back to 1676 as Essex bridge and earlier maps have indicated that it was an important fording point for the City at low tide which is still eveidenced today by the number of shopping trolleys and traffic cones visible at low tide at this point.

The fact is that Gilroy McMahon got this very badly wrong if unit occupancy levels and archiseek polls are any guide and that DCC never applied for planning permission for commercial space as they were legally required to do and that they never even bothered to put a notice in the paper askiong for affected parties and or interested parties and or proscribed bodies to comment on what constituted a significant change to one of the city’s major historical bridges.

I will be making the trip to Sean McDermott St to inspect the file and as this is retrospective I already know what I want to say, it will be a speculative trip to see if I can find any more technical defects in what has been to date a very flawed process.

1999 – Nice but in need of some TLC.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2000 – Painted for the Millenium – & refurbishment work has begun on the east side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2003 – Ok that’s grand…just leave it like that now and everything’ll be fine……and there’ll be enough room for everyone…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2005 – Nnoooooo!!

there are more obstacles there than on a pinball machine!

Those pictures are fantastic Devin – allbeit for the wrong reasons!
The present day situation is unbelieveable!

What’s a bit evident there and has annoyed me since the kiosks went in is the dead space between them – completely useless, and a shameful waste of valuable pedestrian walkway.
Also the foot wide length of pavement to the rear of them next to the road is just wide enough to tempt the odd pedestrian to put themselves in harm’s way.

Even if the kiosks weren’t there, does a drainage channel really have to go right in the middle of the pavement?
This is a practice that really irritates me, and is the one criticism I’d also have of the O’Connell St paving which has recieved similar treatment.
You splash into it in winter, and trip over it in summer, and it looks unpleasant too.
In this case surely it would have been simple to slope the paving either to the river side or down to the roadway where a decent storm drain could be installed?

I overheard some British tourists nattering away to each other and one of them says ‘What a fn eyes sore those mate!” pointing at the Kiosks on the bridge 🙁

@StephenC wrote:

I wonder what happened to the cast iron bollards shown on the prerenovated bridge.

I was hoping the little cast iron bollards with ‘corinthian’ tops would be incorporated in the scheme (I wonder where they are now?).
Also, the historic granite kerbstones that you can see in the 1999 & 2000 photos above were to be reused in the scheme, according to the Part X planning application, but this didn’t happen in the end. If you asked I suppose they would tell you it “proved unfeasible” or something :rolleyes: .

Leaving aside the fact that the kiosks destroy the space, are ugly and should be removed (and are quite possibly also a commercial failure, as only one or two of them ever seem to be open), the lack of coordination between the the kiosks and the seating is stunning. Like, what on earth were the CC thinking??! It is as if two different schemes for the bridge were carried out without one knowing about the other!

If you stand there for a few minutes, all you see is people cringing as they try to get past each other. And nobody uses the seats (why would they?):

The sad thing is that the seats were used before the kiosks landed…

…whereas now they have no view, are sited in the shade, and have pedestrians mushing past on busy afternoons.

A mute testimony to a City Council made up largely of well meaning elected officials who are dictated to and overruled by a coterie of phillistinic self important professionals.
Remember this is mere metres from the historic seat of Civic Governance in Dublin and of course within stone throwing distance of that other great City Council Monument to the Primacy of the Professionals…Civic Offices a structure of such monumental inappropriateness that No Name could be found for it !
What is Civic Offices today……A Fitting Headquarters for a highly regarded and astute City Council..OR a means of covering up a very respectable and valuable centre city underground car park and creche for the members of the Duma..?
It really is difficult to find ANYthing positive to say about this gang of incompetents……!
Devin talks about two different schemes being superimposed on the Bridge independent of each other…Too bloody right…..remember each floor of Civic Offices represents a different planet within the entire shaky edifice

(I’m not sure if this has been mentioned on the O’Connell Street thread and I’m too lazy to wade through all the posts since March this year to find out! Haven’t seen it mentioned on this one though).

I think it is a pity that it is so difficult to travel between the Bachelor’s Walk stretch of the boardwalk and the Eden Quay section. Going West to East, there are pedestrian lights which can allow you to walk from the Bachelor’s Walk section across to the island in the middle of O’Connell Bridge, but to get to the Eden Quay bit (without jaywalking) you need to walk towards D’Olier Street and cross at the lights at the other end of the bridge, before returning to Eden Quay. Or you could cross Bachelor’s Walk, cross O’Connell Street at the O’Connell Monument and then cross back over Eden Quay to the boardwalk.

I know there’s lots of traffic along the quays and on the bridge itself, so it might be difficult to arrange pedestrian lights the whole way across the bridge at the O’Connell Street end of the bridge. Maybe when the port tunnel opens…

Yes a good point – O’Connell Bridge has always been a nightmare for pedestrians in this respect.
It has improved a bit recently with the tweaking of sequencing, but there’s not much to be improved with this method if lights don’t exist in the first place, as you mention Bill on the Eden Quay side of the bridge!

Could be very tricky though to accommodate so many streams of traffic, pedestrian and vechicular with such an array of lights…

Coming from the Westmoreland St island lights down the bridge median to the lights at O’Cll Mon has improved recently, providing you run down the length of the bridge that is…

GRATTAN BRIDGE KIOSK IN PVC SHOCK

Yes, it’s true. A PVC sliding door has just been fitted to one of the kiosks (a blinds shop). Sorry to be negative but nothing is going right about these kiosks, is it? On the positive side, at least we were spared Georgian glazing strips.

And did the City Council really envisage one of the kisoks, i.e. that above, selling blinds?!
A kiosk selling blinds in the middle of the Liffey on a windswept bridge?!

Talk about the blind leading the blind 🙂
You can just see the Pythonesque scene of the seller saying, “oh hang on a second there, I’ll just have a check out the back”…..

(out of nothing but childish curiousity, where to the traders go to the toilet?)

A blind shop? really?

All kinds – frilly ones, Venetian ones, Roman ones, naff kitchen ones with the brass bar through the base 🙂 – you name it they’ve got it.
Just the miniature samples are something of a drawback :rolleyes:

From todays Irish Times

Spate of antisocial activities on Liffey boardwalk
Hélène Hofman

A meeting will take place tomorrow to address the problem of antisocial behaviour on Dublin’s Millennium Boardwalk by the Liffey.

The boardwalk, which attracts many tourists to rest, view the river and drink coffee, has become a magnet for people with alcohol and drug problems.

A Garda spokesman said yesterday that an operation to tackle the problem resulted in 46 arrests in the first two months of operation, and the problem has escalated this month and in July.

Between April 2006, when the operation began, and June 2006 gardaí arrested 26 people under the drugs misuse Act and 20 for public order offences. They also carried out 404 searches under the misuse of drugs Act during that period.

A cross-section of agencies, including the Homeless Agency, Focus Ireland, addiction services and community groups, will discuss measures to address the needs of those congregating on the boardwalk and at other Dublin city centre locations at tomorrow’s meeting .

“It’s not yet clear whether the problem relates to housing or drugs, so the meeting will focus on that so the relevant support can be delivered,” said Derval Howley, director of the Homeless Agency. “It does seem to be one of the main places people go during the day.”

A spokesperson for the Merchant’s Quay project, which works with the homeless and people affected by drug abuse, says the combination of good weather and a lack of day centres for homeless people means more may be congregating along the promenade during the peak tourism season.

The boardwalk, which stretches from Grattan Bridge to Butt Bridge, was built as a tourist amenity as part of Dublin’s millennium projects and was completed in 2000. Last May, a month after the Garda operation began, Dublin City Council erected a number of signs along the boardwalk informing people that the consumption of intoxicating liquor in a public place is prohibited. The council says it has received no complaints from the public since.

However, employees of the kiosks on the boardwalk say the antisocial behaviour is continuing to affect business and that most of the clientele now consists of tourists.

“It’s not good for business and it’s not good for the tourists,” says one vendor, who did not want to be identified. He has witnessed several incidents involving alcohol in the past month. “It’s the worst on sunny days when there are lots of customers. The guards are watching but when they come the people just put away their drinks and take it out when they are gone.”

“I don’t really feel safe, to be honest. But I have a security camera if anyone comes,” he said indicating the camera and monitor set up on a top shelf.

“We won’t call the guards unless something really bad happens,” said the vendor.

@Rory W wrote:

From todays Irish Times

Spate of antisocial activities on Liffey boardwalk
Hélène Hofman

A meeting will take place tomorrow to address the problem of antisocial behaviour on Dublin’s Millennium Boardwalk by the Liffey.

The boardwalk, which attracts many tourists to rest, view the river and drink coffee, has become a magnet for people with alcohol and drug problems.

A Garda spokesman said yesterday that an operation to tackle the problem resulted in 46 arrests in the first two months of operation, and the problem has escalated this month and in July.

Between April 2006, when the operation began, and June 2006 gardaí arrested 26 people under the drugs misuse Act and 20 for public order offences. They also carried out 404 searches under the misuse of drugs Act during that period.

A cross-section of agencies, including the Homeless Agency, Focus Ireland, addiction services and community groups, will discuss measures to address the needs of those congregating on the boardwalk and at other Dublin city centre locations at tomorrow’s meeting .

“It’s not yet clear whether the problem relates to housing or drugs, so the meeting will focus on that so the relevant support can be delivered,” said Derval Howley, director of the Homeless Agency. “It does seem to be one of the main places people go during the day.”

A spokesperson for the Merchant’s Quay project, which works with the homeless and people affected by drug abuse, says the combination of good weather and a lack of day centres for homeless people means more may be congregating along the promenade during the peak tourism season.

The boardwalk, which stretches from Grattan Bridge to Butt Bridge, was built as a tourist amenity as part of Dublin’s millennium projects and was completed in 2000. Last May, a month after the Garda operation began, Dublin City Council erected a number of signs along the boardwalk informing people that the consumption of intoxicating liquor in a public place is prohibited. The council says it has received no complaints from the public since.

However, employees of the kiosks on the boardwalk say the antisocial behaviour is continuing to affect business and that most of the clientele now consists of tourists.

“It’s not good for business and it’s not good for the tourists,” says one vendor, who did not want to be identified. He has witnessed several incidents involving alcohol in the past month. “It’s the worst on sunny days when there are lots of customers. The guards are watching but when they come the people just put away their drinks and take it out when they are gone.”

“I don’t really feel safe, to be honest. But I have a security camera if anyone comes,” he said indicating the camera and monitor set up on a top shelf.
ub
“We won’t call the guards unless something really bad happens,” said the vendor.

TBH I always thought the Boardwalk was a mistake right from its inception. What the planners dont realise is that a large minority of Dubliners have absolutely no civic respect and of course the scumbags were going to make a home for themselves there. I really dont think this sizeable minority of Dubliners are mature enough or have the capacity to understand that loitering, intimidation, grafitti and littering are just not acceptable. Therefore why the planners bother I dont know. Just take a look at the gobsh*tes who thought it was a great crack to constantly vandalise ‘the speed of light’ ‘monument’ on the M1 motorway near Drogheda. Now it has to be taken out. Same with the boardwalk.:mad:

Darkman if people enjoy using the boardwalk (not the addicts etc of course)
then i dont think think it was a mistake
If they actually enforced the laws and prosecuted (harshly) the people involved, and are seen to be doing it, then troublemakers may think twice.
If people were afraid to cross the gardai it might instill some civic pride!
Here – would-be criminals fear the NYPD, and rightly so

@paul h wrote:

Darkman if people enjoy using the boardwalk (not the addicts etc of course)
then i dont think think it was a mistake
If they actually enforced the laws and prosecuted (harshly) the people involved, and are seen to be doing it, then troublemakers may think twice.
If people were afraid to cross the gardai it might instill some civic pride!
Here – would-be criminals fear the NYPD, and rightly so

True. I think the gardai are dis-interested and tbh youd want them armed to command such respect and unfortunatley I and many others wouldnt trust an armed police force because the gardai as it is are corrupt (not all of them of course).

It just really annoys me as a taxpayer (thats not the government’s money, thats my money and your money) to see money spent on these projects and then these toe rags come along and ruin it. The board walk is not safe. Especially at night but I no longer walk it during the day either. The junkies are all over it!:mad:

Darkman and Paul H, as indicated by the article posted by Rory W, the issue is not simply about policing. There are clearly much more complex issues to be dealt with than simply trying to stike fear into those who are congregating there through zero tolerence policing. What will this solve? All it will do is move people on to another area of the city without solving anything in a real sense. It is not a case of people simply deciding that they are going to behave in a certain way, but in many cases is it is that they have found themselves in a situation where there is no other alternative.

what with this talk of a tolka boardwalk, why was it made a compulsory part of the design by the council?

The boardwalk is being erected as part of deal with developers on Richmond Road.
The construction of the boardwalk was a condition under which an apartment complex was granted permission.

http://www.dublinpeople.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1528&Itemid=49

“It is our policy to maintain and enhance the natural and organic character of the rivers and canals and to promote access, walkways and other recreational uses of their associated open space.”
He added: “It is not considered that the proposed boardwalk, limited to the boundary of this site with the river, will seriously affect the amenities of residents in the area.”

So the council have to keep access to the the waterside, so they get the apartment builders to build a boardwalk over the river… I can’t see how this would increase anti-social behaviour other then give a artificial collecting point… i probably won’t be very long…

Brazen drug dealers take over city tourist trail
Drugs and money exchange hands on the Liffey Boardwalk at Eden Quay at lunchtime yesterday

Thursday August 24th 2006
Scourge moves into open in towns across the country

DRUG dealers and addicts have turned one of Ireland’s main tourist thoroughfares into a virtual no-go area. An investigation by the Irish Independent shows dealers openly selling drugs on Dublin’s Liffey Boardwalk in broad daylight. And as our shocking pictures reveal, even the presence of active gardai in the area does not deter them. The blatant behaviour of the dealers in a main tourist area is the most high-profile example yet of how the scourge of drug abuse has moved into the open in towns across the country.
It came as Ireland prepares to host the Ryder Cup – and just hours after Tourism Minister John O’Donoghue launched a multi-million euro campaign to promote Irish tourism. Dublin TDs last night called for a dedicated garda patrol unit to stamp out drug abuse in the area.
Over the course of a two-day investigation, we photographed dealers and addicts exchanging money for drugs in broad daylight during the height of the busy summer tourist period.
Our pictures clearly show:
* Drugs being openly exchanged for money;
* Women hiding drugs in their bras so gardai cannot find them;
* Methadone being consumed in public;
* Children accompanying their parents as drug deals take place;
* Customers approaching dealers and asking for their drug of choice.
Male and female dealers worked up and down the tourist attraction, hiding the drugs down the back of their trousers or in their bras. Others openly waved around small bags of pills in full view of the passing public. On Tuesday, two plain-clothes gardai stopped and searched a number of people who were loitering along the boardwalk. Yesterday, the officers were back – and the dealers were still in action. Our pictures show one dealer being surrounded by a group of around six people as soon as he arrived.
“The guy came up and they all swarmed around him like the Pied Piper,” said one witness.
Labour TD Joe Costello said the boardwalk was once a novelty for people to walk along when they visited Dublin. “It has become a no-go area because of the activities,” he said. “Instead of being an amenity for the citizens it is a focus for people who are involved in drug-pushing to congregate.” He called for a dedicated garda squad to patrol the area and deter such activity.
Independent TD Tony Gregory also added his voice, saying the area was now a complete turn-off for tourists.
A spokesman for Dublin City Council said it had a community officer to patrol the areas and report such activities to the gardai. However, he could not say if there was an officer on the boardwalk at all times. “We are working in conjunction with the gardai to alleviate the problem,” he said.
Workers whose offices are alongside the boardwalk said they were too afraid to sit there to have their lunch. “There’s so many of them hanging around in big gangs,” said one young woman. “I wouldn’t go over there on my own and even in groups we can’t really relax and enjoy the sunshine. We have to constantly keep an eye on our bags.”

Gardai were also seen arresting a number of men. They chased a young man on a bike who tried to run when he spotted them. After being searched he was cuffed and brought away.
A family was forced to flee the area recently after a knife fight broke out between two drug addicts, while there are also concerns that immigrants who cannot find a job are sleeping rough beside the Liffey.
Gardai said 404 people have been arrested in the area between April 3 and the end of June under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Of those, 26 were arrested and processed in the courts. A further 20 were arrested under public order legislatio.
A spokesman said: “We monitor the area on an ongoing basis and any illegal activity which is reported or we come across receives our attention.” He said gardai were working with homeless agencies to help those sleeping rough in the area.
Frank McGee of Dublin Tourism said the activity is not helping Ireland’s reputation abroad. “The problem is, what are the memories that tourists are taking back?” he asked.

A day on the capital’s boardwalk of shame

THE sun was out yesterday morning on one of Dublin’s main tourism thoroughfares.
And it also brought the drug dealers out to play. From early morning drugs were bought and sold as openly as souvenirs along the Liffey Boardwalk, while tourists and children walked by.
Two plain-clothes gardai were on the wooden walkway for most of the day but even they could not deal with the level of dealings along one small section between O’Connell Bridge and Butt Bridge.
Groups congregated for several hours, greeting each other as familiarly as office workers who had donned their tracksuits for their day’s work.
At around 11am a small wad of cash could clearly be seen being handed from a woman to a man, both of whom continued to loiter throughout the day. She could later be seen taking a bag of small white pills from her pocket and showing them to a friend.
Shortly after 11, the gardai swung into action, catching a young man who was sitting on the wall close to Butt Bridge.

Nervous
While the gardai were dealing with their arrest, two men sitting on the bench were approached by a third. Smoking a cigarette and looking nervous, he bought some drugs from the two men before moving off.
After midday a man in a red jumper appeared close to the busy bus stops. A group of seven people, who were there for most of the day, quickly swarmed around him and money was exchanged. The group blocked the entire footpath and elderly passersby were forced onto the road.
The substances were openly exchanged in front of signs warning of €1,000 fines for anyone caught drinking on the boardwalk.
Tourists passed just feet away, some gazing open-mouthed at the sweating dealers, others keeping their heads down and walking resolutely on.
At around 12.20pm a woman approached a younger male, seen doing business with several individuals throughout the day.
Our pictures clearly show cash being exchanged for a substance, which she then placed in her bra for safekeeping.
This method was also used by a young woman – who appeared to be pregnant – who walked down the boardwalk with a minder after lunch.
Her minder, holding a bulldog on a leash, watched over her as she sat on the bench to dole out the wares she had earlier stuffed up her t-shirt.
A little earlier, a woman pushing a buggy gathered in the middle of another drug hustle. Standing close to her and witnessing the entire deal was her young son. Aged around four, and wearing a red Spiderman t-shirt, he watched as his mother and companions carried out in the drug deal. She was later stopped and searched by gardai but nothing was found.
She sat on the boardwalk for hours – and just yards away from a woman who was brought a methadone fix by a friend.
A male arrived at around 2.20pm with a flask and gave her methadone, which she knocked back with a grimace.
The gardai maintained their presence throughout the day, with many of the deals happening as they brought yet another suspect to the local garda station.
By late afternoon, many of the dealers and abusers had moved on, aware that they were now being watched.
The ‘Beirut Boardwalk’ as it has come to be known, was supposed to help rejuvenate the city centre, giving the Liffey a Parisienne atmosphere.
Instead it has attracted alcoholics, drugs dealers and abusers.
The problem has now had a knock-on effect among city residents and led to protests from residents in Drumcondra about a proposed boardwalk along a section of the Tolka River.
The activities on the Liffey Boardwalk have guaranteed that no one wants a boardwalk anywhere near their home.

Edel Kennedy
© Irish Independent
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/ & http://www.unison.ie/

Gardai ineptness…
It’s crazy the way the city can be allowed to be handed over to scumbags, hence no seating on O’Connell Street.
I see that 2 glass panels have been broken awhile on the James Joyce bridge. No sign of them being replaced.

The shock horror ‘revelationary’ nature of this story is amusing – this has been going on since day one of the Eden Quay Boardwalk opening, and to a lesser extent Bachelor’s Walk previously. I’ve seen everything from dealing, to injecting, to drinking (constantly), to urinating (including group-huddling around a woman so she could do her business whilst shielding her from passers-by – bless, the consideration for public morality was touching) – all a day in the life of Eden Quay. And that’s not accounting for persistent nagging for cash from people sitting along Bachelor’s Walk over the past five years.

Since the Garda crackdown along Eden Quay earlier this year, exactly as Phil has said, the usual unfortunates have simply been forced to relocate to the Custom House area on a more permanent basis, rather than their circumstance actually being addressed. The intimidation they cause, and the extraordinary amounts of waste they leave at every scene, has simply been moved further east out of the city centre. Clearly others have moved in to take their place as demonstrated by the Indo, so it’s a complex matter. Garda

There are some very fancy “lamp shades” on top of the public lights along the stretch of the Boardwalk between O’C Bridge and the Ha’penny Bridge.
Not sure what they are for but some of them looked in an Oriental style from my taxi, which was hurtling along Aston Quay yesterday evening.

@kefu wrote:

There are some very fancy “lamp shades” on top of the public lights along the stretch of the Boardwalk between O’C Bridge and the Ha’penny Bridge.
Not sure what they are for but some of them looked in an Oriental style from my taxi, which was hurtling along Aston Quay yesterday evening.

As far as I am aware the lamp shades have been put up as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival that is going on throughout the city at the moment.

http://www.irish-architecture.com/news/2006/000163.html

Spot on, JJD. This from Onsite@Archiseek:

https://archiseek.com/onsite/2006/07/dublin_fringe_festival_lantern_installation.html

EDIT: Damn you, PC, with your superior keyboard skills!

Long time lurker.

I read in the mail on sunday last week that the council are finally to move the kiosks from the bridge and admitted that they were a mistake and not working. They plan to move the kiosks elsewhere in the city to ‘return the view’ of the liffey

Dare we believe that it might be true…?

I passed them again the other day and they really are an embarrassment. Thanks for the info.

Absolutely. Butt Bridge’s lovely mellow granite balustrades are in a particularly poor state, with balusters missing and metal railings clipped about the place for as long as I can remember – railings that don’t even seem to serve any purpose. There have been some excellent restoring insertions done here in the past, with appropriate granite sourced, and yet in other places (as seen below) there’s even O’Connell Bridge Portland balusters hacked in! 😮

Only in Dublin…
There’s also a nasty litter problem round here that needs sorting, as does the paving (or lack thereof).

I sourced the kiosk article from the Irish Mail on Sunday below. Also here they are about a year ago – nothing’s changed except the blind shop has closed I think.

€2 million flop we dreamed would rival Paris
By Warren Swords

It was intended to be a cultural development ranking along the best any city in Europe could offer. Dublin city planners hoped a book market would rival markets along the River Seine in Paris abd the famous medieval Ponte Vecchio across the River Arno in Florence.

However, just three years later, Dublin City Council has admitted that the project on Capel Street Bridge (also known as Grattan Bridge) has been a disappointment – because no booksellers ever expressed an interest in opening there.

The council installed four elaborate, space-age kiosks in February 2004. Now, however, instead of selling wonderful and rare book, three of the outlets remain empty while the other has been let to yet another newsagent.

Every other business that opened on the bridge was forced to close due to lack of turnover – including an art gallery, a company that sold blinds, and a florist. The result is a €2 million eyesore that has blocked arguably one of the best river views in any European city.

Martin Kavanagh, executive manager at Dublin City Council, admitted that the council was disappointed at how the development has turned out. He added: ‘Maybe one of the advantages of taking out two of the kiosks would be to restore the view of the river.’

The council is now considering moving the ‘market’ to another location, such as the corner of George’s Street and Dame Street.

Ends.

So moving two or four of them? Would this be that gaping hole at the back of the big rendered WSC building on the corner?

@GrahamH wrote:

So moving two or four of them? Would this be that gaping hole at the back of the big rendered WSC building on the corner?

It HAS to be all four, surely?

The only site that would fit that description is the patch of tarmac I think you’re referring to, Graham- under the ‘Why Go Bald?’ sign, where Mick Wallace had his containers for a good while.

(I’ve only just twigged the irony of Mick Wallace having his sheds by that sign!:) )

Yay! Great news about the kiosks.

But why would two be left :confused: …. some desperate face-saving effort by the Council? Let’s just quit our losses DCC and remove the lot!

We want this:
.

Where oh where is that Calatrava bridge ? If I didn’t know better, I’d say Dublin City Council put it’s construction out to tender, chose a company and instead of the construction beginning in ’06 the company in question promptly went out of business. The whole tender process begins again and we can look forward to another year delay before commencement. 😡

They could stick one of the kiosks in Wolfe Tone Park by Jervis St, which currently barely has a purpose and even less seating. That tennis table from O-Connell St is currently there, among a nice little copse of trees I think. A newsagenty shop woudl actually be welcome there, especially in summer as apart from the super-Spar at Jervis St Luas stop, there ain’t much like that there.

@fergalr wrote:

They could stick one of the kiosks in Wolfe Tone Park by Jervis St, which currently barely has a purpose and even less seating. That tennis table from O-Connell St is currently there, among a nice little copse of trees I think. A newsagenty shop woudl actually be welcome there, especially in summer as apart from the super-Spar at Jervis St Luas stop, there ain’t much like that there.

That is a good idea Fergair. Nice atmosphere there during warm summer days. A Kiosk could add quite nicely to it. Hard to know where to put it though (Without moving more headstones!!!).

Law preventing begging struck down
Thursday, 15 March 2007 12:15
The law preventing begging has been struck down by the High Court.

A young Dublin man charged with begging on Parliament Street in the city more than three years ago challenged Section 3 of the nineteenth century Vagrant Act.

Niall Dillon claimed the act breached his constitutional right to freedom of expression and his right to communicate.

Mr Justice Eamon De Valera rejected his argument that it discriminated between rich and poor.

But the judge found that the act provided for a prison sentence of up to three months and this was disproportionate to the offence.

He also found that the act did interfere with the constitutional right of freedom of expression and freedom to communicate with other people.

The legislation has been struck down and Mr Dillon’s prosecution will not now go ahead.

Free for all on the boardwalk it seems

Landsdowne Road

They’d be great as programme vending kiosks!

Grattan Bridge will now be the crossing of choice!

Wolfetone Park?

Bottom of the Irish sea?

Am I the only one why actually thought these things were ok? The problem was with the idea of selling bokos from them, not tha fact they they were there.

My solution:

Keep two of them – The ones on either end. Then invert them so that they face each other. One will be a cafe kiosk, the other will be a tourist info kiosk. Put landscaped trees and some seating in the middle. Simple.

As for the other two, put them in another location such as St Stephens green, with the same uses as above.

Speaking of, whats happened to the ones for O Connell St?

@archipig wrote:

Put landscaped trees and some seating in the middle. Simple.

Trees on a stone (or is it a metal bridge? I can’t remember what the bridge actually looks like. I just remember the awful kiosks) bridge?

@PTB wrote:

Trees on a stone (or is it a metal bridge? I can’t remember what the bridge actually looks like. I just remember the awful kiosks) bridge?

In containers of course.

@archipig wrote:

In containers of course.

Ahhhh…So obvious now.

UK’s Flint & Neill wins bid to plan Dublin bridge:

from tcm.ie, http://breaking.tcm.ie/business/mhcweycweyoj/

UK consultants have been hired to work on a new bridge in the shadow of the planned U2 Tower in Dublin’s Docklands.

The multi-million euro link between the Docklands and Ringsend will accommodate public transport only and will feature two bus lanes and two footpaths. A cycle lane and space for a possible future Luas extension are also proposed.

The Flint & Neill Partnership in London has won the 340,000 euro contract to draw up a preliminary design of the bridge.

The consulting engineers have already worked on bridges and viaducts in Britain, Sweden, Finland, China and Hong Kong.

They were also involved in the design of the roof of Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport and a Baha’I Temple in Delhi, India.

Chongming Bridge in Shanghai, Sweden’s Malmo Swing Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge in Scotland are among the landmark structures they have worked on.

Has anyone been in the vicinity of Capel Street bridge today?

Because I’ve heard a rumour…

Oh it’s happening alright!

Both taken on Monday.

*wipes tear*

Isn’t it a pity that this was such a failure, the idea seemed appealing the abstract, but obviously a mistake the moment the kiosks arrived. What went wrong, if they had been somewhere else could this have worked and if so where and selling what?

the boxes themselves wouldn’t do much for any area really … perhaps a couple of elegantly designed kiosks would work on South King St … its not as if the shopping centre’s side elevation has much to offer …pity it didn’t work out alright, but i’ll be glad to see the back of these yokes !

Hallelujah!

Those yokes were desperate. And its amazing how shabby the fridges became in less than 5 years.

@notjim wrote:

Isn’t it a pity that this was such a failure, the idea seemed appealing the abstract, but obviously a mistake the moment the kiosks arrived. What went wrong, if they had been somewhere else could this have worked and if so where and selling what?

I would suggest that 2 units may have worked, (in historic rather than modernist genre of design) but 4 was total overkill.

Imo a key part of the problem is that once they werent being used, they served only as pinch-points where pedestrians were intimidated by anti-social behaviour, which in turn created a spriral of decline, deterring the idea that the units could serve the intended pupose. Completing the pinch-point effect are the seats; how many people do you ever see sitting on this who aren’t begging – probably about as many that sit around the Robocop Plaza beside City Hall…. That said, now that the Fridges are going, maybe the seats can at last function – but please replace those bloody awful looking plastic bins!

Anyhow fair dues to whoever it is in DCC that made the call to get rid of these 🙂

@hutton wrote:

…now that the Fridges are going, maybe the seats can at last function

With Liffey breezes and our climate?

@hutton wrote:

Anyhow fair dues to whoever it is in DCC that made the call to get rid of these 🙂

Agreed- there was something of the rising balloon (the longer you hold on, the harder it is to let go) about these kiosks. Somebody somewhere had to be a bit brave, so credit where credit is due.

Good to see them go – now if they could take the horrible lamp standards too

Portaloos for workers while Grand Central under Stephens’ Green is being built?

@Paul Clerkin wrote:

Good to see them go – now if they could take the horrible lamp standards too

The sea horses????

Are they definitely being taken out?

I’m guessing he means the fairly crude box like fittings installed as part of the scheme.

Sorry, that’s what I meant. Are the kiosks being removed, or is it a guess because they’ve been railed off?

@AndrewP wrote:

Sorry, that’s what I meant. Are the kiosks being removed, or is it a guess because they’ve been railed off?

The Fridges are indeed going. Dammit they looked so suitable as the book market they were intended as :rolleyes:

Is there a time frame for the removal or will this be another long term project?

Theyre gone!

Happy days. Area is still cordoned off, but I am glad to say all 4 units have been removed. 🙂

I’m sure they’ll be found washed up on Bull Island one of these days.

i think it was worth it that bridge how has a wider footpath than oconnell st bridge!!

It was incredible how quickly they vanished – so much so you begin to wonder if it was all a dream when you see the patches of newly laid granite where they once stood. Perhaps that’s the intention 😉
Literally within 3-4 days the bridge was back to normal, though the fencing is still there. Lovely to see the generous expanse of paving again.

Only one major quibble, and that’s the obsession in this city with laying drainage channels in the middle of pavements – why can’t surfaces just slope down to the road?! Or at least do what was done on O’Connell Street and make the slope so gradual towards the centre that a single strip of near-level paving slabs acts in itself as the channel, with regularly spaced drains. The current one of moulded shape is ideally designed for tripping over, and sited exactly along the route of heaviest pedestrian traffic.

@Paul Clerkin wrote:

now if they could take the horrible lamp standards too

Absolutely. Tesco Southampton want their car park lighting returned asap.

Okay they’re decent enough, but entirely unsuited to bridge use, and entirely unnecessary with the dazzling halogen lamps of the seahorse parapet standards.

A breath of fresh air.

Lovely to see everything back to normal again. Nice clean view of the Malton house and bumbling terrace too.

But given the €100,000s spent on this project, why was such a crude finish reinstated in parts?

Most of the resurfacing is of a high quality, but shoddy workmanship such as this pock-marking all about the place is a slap in the face to the overall high standard of the original project. Why couldn’t matching slabs simply have been cut and inserted? One would have thought every effort would be made to compensate for what will go down in the annals of history as Nightmare on Grattan Bridge.

Excellent, now all we need is to get rid of those feckin lamp posts !!
Shame about the finish in spots but to be honest, i didn’t expect any better, they’re quite adept at butchering paving …

A victory for common sense!

I’m a great believer in mobile kiosks as if they don’t work in a particular location assuming no wall to place them against you are trying to front then you just move them. In general kiosks over a meter tall represent clutter with little rent and massive disruption to sight lines; in London the Christmas lights on South Molton Street were exceptional but were ruined by a kiosk on Oxford Street of similar dimensions to these ones selling fake football tops and other cheap textile crap.

Were these ones sent to Croker or will they be reused somewhere else?

So looks like we’re getting the BX bridge & sooner than we thought … the only bit of positive news is that BX circus will not go ahead until after metro north is complete – enough time i hope for sanity to prevail & the ridiculous loop as proposed by the RPA to be abandoned.

Given that you could actually piss from O’Connell bridge & hit this new yoke, it had better be as discreet as possible.

@RTE wrote:

New LUAS bridge to ease traffic
Thursday, 17 April 2008 19:06
A new LUAS bridge is to be used to ease traffic disruption in Dublin city centre during the construction of the Metro North and the interconnector.

Dublin City Council’s Director of Traffic Michael Philips said the bridge to be built for LUAS line BX is ‘urgently needed’ to keep buses moving when works start in 2010.

He said an implementation group has been set up using engineers who worked on the Port Tunnel to oversee works by the Rail Procurement Agency and Iarnród Eireann.

AdvertisementMr Philips said they will advise on construction methods which he said is an evolving situation and will see St Stephen’s Green become ‘Grand Central Station’.

He said business groups are worried about the five years of disruption they face because of their experience during the last LUAS works which only lasted 18 months.

Mr Philips confirmed to a meeting of the council’s transport committee this evening that construction of a bridge for LUAS BX linking Hawkins Street on the southside with Hawkins Street on the northside will go ahead.

It is planned to have it ready when the dig starts for a new Metro North station on O’Connell bridge.

But apart from enabling works construction of the LUAS BX which will link the Red and Green lines will not begin until the metro is completed in 2013.

Mr Philips said the council are working with the utility companies to warn them that major works on gas, water and electricity lines will not be possible for five years after transport works start.

It was confirmed to councillors that private cars face bans or restrictions in College Green, Westmoreland St and O’Connell St.
And that work on the Arnotts development will be going on at the same time as metro and interconnector works.

A new LUAS bridge is to be used to ease traffic disruption in Dublin city centre during the construction of the Metro North and the interconnector

What does that mean?

urgently not needed…

everyone will be catching the metro after this so this is a waste of money
oconnell st bridge should be limited to 4 lanes

Can I confirm about the article on the BX bridge that it will be built by 2010 for buses to use during Metro dig construction so as to minimise commuter disruption but that it will only be after Metro completion in 2013 that the Luas construction on it to link red and green lines will begin?

The BX bridge will be a disaster. It will destroy the context for O’Connell Street bridge. It will create a nasty break in in the pleasing (slight) regularity to the series of Liffey crossings which form the spine of the city.

Allowing free reign to my suspicions, it’s obvious that the Roads and Traffic people in DCC have been intent on having a bridge at this location for many years. I seriously doubt that the “preferred” BX route is actually preferred by the RPA. I suspect that in order to “buy off” the strenuous and public objection from the DCC to linking the Luas lines, they came up with the dogs dinner plan (60% more expensive by the way than the the most obvious route) which incorporated this bridge. It’s obvious that DCC’s objections on the basis of their love and concern for O’Connell St. and the passage of busses around the end of Grafton St. were b*llox given that they’ve implicitly given their backing to this massively disruptive route which still involves digging up O’Connell St and going around the Nassau/Grafton St. corner. Once the RPA included the “bribe” of this bridge in a hacked together last-minute plan, DCC dropped their objections.

I was hoping the obvious flaws with the suggested route would confine the idea to the bin where it belongs and initially things looked that way as further work on BX was deferred in favour of more pressing RPA work. Now it looks like the most objectionable part of the whole route F (the bridge) will be built without the principal reason for building it purely to satisfy the whimsy of some traffic engineers in DCC.

What disgusts me is the state of O’Connell Bridge and I do not accept the excuse that we should wait ’til metro north is built to do something about it. It’s been in an embarassing state for decades. This bridge should be a centrepiece in the city and should be maintained and preserved as such in the way that similar structures are treated in cities which have any tiny bit of appreciation for historical fabric and are not run by a roads and traffic department. The BX bridge is actually completely typical; DCC devote so much energy and concern into procuring a “shiney new” bridge right beside the most important bridge in the city instead of putting a fraction of the effort into maintaining O’Connell Bridge in any form beyond the absolute bare minimum. All the marketing and PR w*nk from DCC about their aspirations for Dublin is shown up by their treatment of O’Connell Bridge. It is in awe that I try to imagine the size of the ego required to think that you could improve the one of the most important WSC set-pieces in the city by plonking another bridge 90m away destroying any remaining symmetry to it’s context. Meanwhile the existing bridge is in a foul state.

If you give over urban planning to roads engineers, that’s what you get. (Remember all the ‘road widening’ that blighted city centres for years?) In my view, they should all be locked in a dark room and only let out when there’s a full moon (and then only when there’s a Z in the month).

@TomK wrote:

Can I confirm about the article on the BX bridge that it will be built by 2010 for buses to use during Metro dig construction so as to minimise commuter disruption but that it will only be after Metro completion in 2013 that the Luas construction on it to link red and green lines will begin?

That appears to be the case Tom.

saw that and also saw a plastic barrier on one of them on Friday as it had disappeared. Think it’s gone now and we have a full bridge

Here’s a couple of pictures of the new Spencer Dock bridge showing progress and a view of the structure now the scaffolding has been removed. The best views of this bridge will be from the linear park or in the canal itself.
JJ

that metro west bridge bit the dust hard?

@missarchi wrote:

that metro west bridge bit the dust hard?

Pray tell. Has it been binned ?

A picture of the Spencer Dock bridge I took yesterday

It’s an interesting-looking bridge (very sinuous and elegant), but the stuff lining the canal is just desperate; when it comes to corporate architecture a sense of place and even a lightness of touch seem just to evaporate. Dull, dull, dull, dull dull…

john that will become a linear park when construction is completed. the bridge will open to pedestrains tomorrow afaik.

the bridge will open to pedestrains tomorrow

Are you sure, cos doesn’t really look ready for it.

So I was told by somebody involved. If you see it from above it’s pretty much done

the bridge is not open to pedestrians and probably won’t be until the end of the year when the tracks are connected from the bridge to mayor street

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/new-bridge-to-open-up-city-centre-1699894.html
DUBLIN City Council is pushing ahead with a new multi- million-euro bridge over the River Liffey.

It has invited “pre-qualification submissions” from contractors for the construction of the Marlborough St Public Transport Priority Bridge.

Contractors must submit their tenders by May 15 next.

The estimated value of the contract is from €8m to €12m, the tender documents say.

Last Autumn, the Council said construction was due to commence in late 2009, but it is being funded under the Transport 21 programme and it is not clear if this timetable is being adhered to.

@lostexpectation wrote:

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/new-bridge-to-open-up-city-centre-1699894.html
DUBLIN City Council is pushing ahead with a new multi- million-euro bridge over the River Liffey.

It has invited “pre-qualification submissions” from contractors for the construction of the Marlborough St Public Transport Priority Bridge.

Contractors must submit their tenders by May 15 next.

The estimated value of the contract is from €8m to €12m, the tender documents say.

Last Autumn, the Council said construction was due to commence in late 2009, but it is being funded under the Transport 21 programme and it is not clear if this timetable is being adhered to.

bet you to it:
https://archiseek.com/content/showthread.php?t=7337

BusGate strikes. Jesus. Bye bye vista.

And vista of a different kind…

August 10th, 1859: A modest proposal to keep the dismal Liffey swamp out of sight

JOE JOYCE

The stench of the River Liffey was a regular feature of summer in Dublin until comparatively recent times. In its first summer in existence in 1859, The Irish Times described what it was like then and offered a modest proposal to solve the problems:

TEN MILES from the city, Anna Liffey flows through the richest and most tranquil scenery in Ireland. Now it lies a sheet of silver, under drooping trees, undisturbed and smooth as a mirror, except when stirred by the sudden splash of the trout, the leap of the salmon, or the wake of the kingfisher skimming along the surface to its nest.

Now it expands into goodly reaches plashing along the inland bays of gravel; and now dashes its foam over milldams and salmon wiers, sending a column of spray upwards to dance in the sunbeams. No poet ever yet sang of a river flowing through a town. The emblems of all that is bright,

clear and tranquil in life are taken from the open fields under green trees. No one, to look up the Anna Liffey from Essex Bridge , would think she had ever been beautiful, or that so hideous an age had succeeded to so attractive a youth.

Every sewer in the city empties its grey or brackish stream of defilement into the river. The white scum settles in thick lines on either side of the mud and sludge. The river itself is strong-smelling and inky, charged with every species of animate or inanimate impurity. Down the stream are carried carcases of domestic animals until they reach the returning tideway; then they are borne backwards slowly, knocking about among the barges, sailing heavily under archways, until at last a burst of rain swells the river, and, carrying away these bloated masses of corruption, lands them at last upon the Bull or the bathing sheds of Clontarf. For 12 hours out of the 24 a large portion of the bottom of the Liffey is exposed. The sun plays upon the festering mass by day; the malaria hangs about it like a cloud by night. It is black, noisome, pestilential; more like a gigantic sewer than that sparkling river which glitters among the trees 10 miles away. Every summer sends abroad the fever-laded breath of the river; every summer our corporate magnates meet and solemnly discuss the evil and the remedy. All sorts of proposals are made, but never a one accepted. Yet, year by year, this river of concentrated sewage is becoming more fetid and more deadly . . .

If our energetic corporation is alarmed at an expenditure of £40,000 to purify and beautify our city, cannot something be done? We have the noblest line of quays of any city in Europe. Can we not enclose something within them better than a polluted mass of putrefying matter? A very simple plan, we think, would rend the quays a favourite and

pleasant promenade for our citizens, until the corporation screws up courage to spend this £40,000. What is to prevent our erecting three strong flood gates at Carlisle Bridge , under the three arches? By these the fresh tidal water could be kept in at half ebb, until the succeeding half flow. The river would always appear full, and not a particle of the dismal swamp be uncovered. The occasional opening of these gates at low tide would flush the river, and carry down all impurities. We do not see anything against this plan but its simplicity and cheapness. These, we know, are formidable objections in the eyes of the corporation who, having no bowels, have we suppose, no noses. We venture to say that five weeks’ work and £500 would free our city from a standing disgrace, and our people from danger. What will our worthy Aldermen say to this?

© The Irish Times

@StephenC wrote:

It is only temporary.

Ireland’s notion of “temporary” is worryingly close to permanent. See threads on Oireachtas car park and shop signage 😛 😉

@GrahamH wrote:

And vista of a different kind…

August 10th, 1859: A modest proposal to keep the dismal Liffey swamp out of sight

JOE JOYCE

The stench of the River Liffey was a regular feature of summer in Dublin until comparatively recent times. In its first summer in existence in 1859, The Irish Times described what it was like then and offered a modest proposal to solve the problems:

TEN MILES from the city, Anna Liffey flows through the richest and most tranquil scenery in Ireland. Now it lies a sheet of silver, under drooping trees, undisturbed and smooth as a mirror, except when stirred by the sudden splash of the trout, the leap of the salmon, or the wake of the kingfisher skimming along the surface to its nest.

Now it expands into goodly reaches plashing along the inland bays of gravel; and now dashes its foam over milldams and salmon wiers, sending a column of spray upwards to dance in the sunbeams. No poet ever yet sang of a river flowing through a town. The emblems of all that is bright,

clear and tranquil in life are taken from the open fields under green trees. No one, to look up the Anna Liffey from Essex Bridge , would think she had ever been beautiful, or that so hideous an age had succeeded to so attractive a youth.

Every sewer in the city empties its grey or brackish stream of defilement into the river. The white scum settles in thick lines on either side of the mud and sludge. The river itself is strong-smelling and inky, charged with every species of animate or inanimate impurity. Down the stream are carried carcases of domestic animals until they reach the returning tideway; then they are borne backwards slowly, knocking about among the barges, sailing heavily under archways, until at last a burst of rain swells the river, and, carrying away these bloated masses of corruption, lands them at last upon the Bull or the bathing sheds of Clontarf. For 12 hours out of the 24 a large portion of the bottom of the Liffey is exposed. The sun plays upon the festering mass by day; the malaria hangs about it like a cloud by night. It is black, noisome, pestilential; more like a gigantic sewer than that sparkling river which glitters among the trees 10 miles away. Every summer sends abroad the fever-laded breath of the river; every summer our corporate magnates meet and solemnly discuss the evil and the remedy. All sorts of proposals are made, but never a one accepted. Yet, year by year, this river of concentrated sewage is becoming more fetid and more deadly . . .

If our energetic corporation is alarmed at an expenditure of £40,000 to purify and beautify our city, cannot something be done? We have the noblest line of quays of any city in Europe. Can we not enclose something within them better than a polluted mass of putrefying matter? A very simple plan, we think, would rend the quays a favourite and

pleasant promenade for our citizens, until the corporation screws up courage to spend this £40,000. What is to prevent our erecting three strong flood gates at Carlisle Bridge , under the three arches? By these the fresh tidal water could be kept in at half ebb, until the succeeding half flow. The river would always appear full, and not a particle of the dismal swamp be uncovered. The occasional opening of these gates at low tide would flush the river, and carry down all impurities. We do not see anything against this plan but its simplicity and cheapness. These, we know, are formidable objections in the eyes of the corporation who, having no bowels, have we suppose, no noses. We venture to say that five weeks’ work and £500 would free our city from a standing disgrace, and our people from danger. What will our worthy Aldermen say to this?

© The Irish Times

Well spotted Graham.

What a difference 150 years makes.

Feckall really !

http://www.irishtimes.com/letters/index.html#1224252364407

How much we enjoy the Dublin boardwalk! How sad to see it is not being looked after. It needs deck-brushing and the handrail needs sanding and perhaps oiling, at least once a month.

once a month!

he’d be lucky

The boardwalks are absolutely wonderful though.

I always think that some enterprising little company should come along and provide gondola-like river tours on replica ancient celtic boats or something of the like, and they could moor along the boardwalks.

@Yixian wrote:

The boardwalks are absolutely wonderful though.

I always think that some enterprising little company should come along and provide gondola-like river tours on replica ancient celtic boats or something of the like, and they could moor along the boardwalks.

okay so yixian is some satire project by rumplestiltkin, right?

@lostexpectation wrote:

okay so yixian is some satire project by rumplestiltkin, right?

I’m far too new here to know what that means 🙁

my point was it’s never too late to introduce a little folklore or magic into a city, I really don’t know the first thing about what a “celtic boat” would even look like but something more cultural and characterful than the bland tubs that chug up and down capital rivers these days would be nice.

@lostexpectation wrote:

okay so yixian is some satire project by rumplestiltkin, right?

What are you picking on me for?! Although you’re right, he does sound a bit like somebody’s id!

We have the noblest line of quays of any city in Europe.

You often hear statements like this. In the nineteenth century were Dublin’s quays really nobler than Paris’, or Venice’s? Or indeed any number of other cities that spring to mind?

Wasn’t there recent-ish talk of putting a weir on the Liffey?

On a side: any notice the dredging work on the Grand Canal. They dumped all the crap on the side weeks ago, where it still remains!

I see one of those old black Victoriana cast iron bins has appeared and is looking rather incongruous on the the very contemporary James Joyce bridge. I hope this is only temporary, to be replaced with the more contemporary stainless steel type.
Else it is just carelessness and shoddiness on behalf of the Corpo if this is to be a permanent fixture. Next, they’ll be painting it mult-coloured to use up whatever paint they may have in the depot as their once old appoach of “anything will do” re-emerges and the general maintenance deteriorates. I remember that it took a long time for them to replace the broken glass panels a couple of years ago.

Are bins, like bus stops, only placed on bridges in Dublin?

I love how the bin in the close-up looks like it’s innocuously whistling while up to no good.

I love how the bin on the bridge peers longingly over the parapet at its smug ex-lover on the quays at the bottom of the image.

should have got the bridge designer to design the bins, maybe half as tall at the end of the bench

Perhaps the bin has turned up in tie and tails at the mod party – so embarrassing!

Oh don’t you just hate when that happens. Cringe.

really not sure if the cyan in an improvement , and the other frontage is pretty devoid of any sort of imagination too.

That blue is ill considered; it looks like the wrapping Munster Joinery use on pvc windows to protect them whilst they are being fitted; can somebody peel it off please.

I think the replacement of the former DCC building on Welly Quay is a lot better; excluding the set back pent house; in terms of the basic fenestration grain and windows excluding the unnecessary section of architectural glazing; it reminds me of some of the better infill done in London in the 1980’s only with a warmer brick colour; I think it will age reasonably well; but a deco plaque with images of the city where the architectural glazing is would have made it a far more attractive and civic project.

Thanks for the pics StephenC:)

As for the Wellington Quay construction, I too am dissappointed. I think PVC King expressed the correct sentiments in comparing it to 1980s infill.

I was in town before Christmas and first glimpsed its facade as I was walking down Jervis St. Given that it closes the vista, I thought it could have gone marginally (1-3 floors) taller to add some sort of focal point to the view. Also, on the Quay frontage I felt they could have curved it slightly to meet Fitzsimmons gable wall, or if there were legal issues involved at least been more immaginative in the treatment of how the frontage steps back. Visually, it did remind me also of the kind of depression led unambitious pastiche being built in the late 1980s/early 1990s when the planners were still harping on mock georgian facades and redbricks… and architects were still scared to extensively use glass or steel. Overall, its better then its predecessor but not great in its own regard.

C