college green/ o’connell street plaza and pedestrians

Interesting point Thomond P. Have you ever been to McDonalds in Bray? Same deal. It was the old Town Hall as far as I know. Very prominnant building at the top of the main street, which is also the point where the road divides ino two. I cannot recall exactly what signage is allowed, but it is far less than the normal McDs.

Does anybody know what happened to the sculpture that was affixed to the wall of No.1 College Green? It sat in one of the ground floor bays that has now been turned into a window. It was an abstract composition, green (possible marble?) and every time I pass the building I miss it.

There’s recent precedent in the UK stating that artwork designed for a building should remain with that building, rather than remain the property of the owners, even where the owners commissioned it for a specific building. I’m concerned about this item- perhaps they intend to re-hang it inside? I feel that exterior art belongs not just to the building but to the public realm also, and Dame St/College Green is the poorer for its absence.

Any info?

Cheers for that Phil. I do have a picture of it at home, but it’s a print only and scanner access is a problem. I’ll see what I can do.
It was in situ until the recent works were begun. I’m crossing my fingers that it’ll be replaced, though it can’t go back in its old location as that’s now a window.

Thanks Ctesiphon. Those images came out ok, all things considering. I remember that well now. I wonder where it went?

The OPW are repairing the fountain and renovating the area around the Thomas David memorial. Its been like this for a while. Should be near completion soon.

Thanks Stephen, never noticed it before. Are they going to have the water pumping too?

@anto wrote:

any chance they’ll cut down those trees that obstruct the view of Trinity?

I doubt it. I’d say the trees won’t get any attention until Westmorland St is redeveloped.

I seem to remember (through a haze of hallucenogens) hearing that Tomas Dabhis was to be re-erected at a different location……not sure if this is fiction,faction or malicious rumour !

Wolfe Tone is still in place although the large expanse in ront of him looks a little bleak. I hope that the fountain at the Davis memorial will finally be truned on…its quite an attractive feature although unfortunately very few people get to appreciate the statue stuck as it is on a traffic island. I think some lighting of the monument would be welcome as well. I presume the fact that the monument is boarded up means that major works as going on. They were originally scheduled for completion in Spring 2005 but I think the fountain’s plumbing proved more problematic than expected.

I have to say I like both these monuments….they were both put in place in 1966 to mark the anniversary of the Easter Rising. Its interesting how much ‘monument building’ went on that year….G of Rememberence, all those plaques, various statues.

From todays Info…..

STARBUCKS’ plans to increase its planned coffee shop outlets in Ireland have run into difficulties, amid claims the company’s presence would “dumb down” an historic part of Dublin.

The US chain will open its first coffee shop in the country in the Dundrum Town Centre today, but planning objections have delayed its flagship outlet, on Dublin’s College Green.

One objector to An Bord Pleanala has protested that granting planning permission would “dumb down” an historic part of the city; that allowing a coffee shop to open would run contrary to plans for a site that had been earmarked for a high quality restaurant, supposed to bring some class back to the area.

Paul Duffy, from Donnycarney, said he has no axe to grind with Starbucks, but added: “May they continue to grow and thrive and dominate the world as they are doing, but let them do so on the side streets away from our most important and historic buildings.”

He suggested Starbucks could relocate to Temple Bar “where the coffee might have a sobering effect on the drunks”.

Starbucks has more than 9,500 coffee shops worldwide, serving some 33m customers a week. The Seattle-based chain already has a small outlet in Dublin City University, but the Dundrum shop will be its first in the Republic to open to the general public.

Dublin City Council granted planning permission earlier this year to Treasury CMBS, owner of the College Green premises, to change the use of its Riada Building from a restaurant to a coffee shop, but that has now been appealed to An Bord Pleanala, with a decision due in October.

Another objector, Magdalena Gendek, from Drumcondra, protested that a Starbucks coffee shop would further erode the civic fabric of the urban centre, increase litter and it goes against the council’s policy of trying to control the spread of heavy corporate branding.

She said: “A restaurant of high quality such as Shanahans would be appropriate for the area, however a Starbucks multinational coffee shop chain store is an entirely different use.”

Aideen Sheehan

I thoroughly agree! This is a prime spot….or would be in any other city. However if Starbucks get in you will be able to get your latte to go just befre you hassle a taxi driver to whisk you away from the sight of all those ugly Georgian piles….

This is an absolute bulls**t objection and will quite rightly fail.
This is quite clearly predicated on some nonsensical notions about globalisation as Mr Duffy’s attempt at wit fairly clearly shows: ‘May they continue to grow and thrive and dominate the world as they are doing.’
A new Insomnia went in up the road without a whimper. The nearby Spar and Centras have all been granted licences to sell booze to drunks, which is a far more questionable practice.
Do these people honestly believe we should exclude new businesses from Ireland on the basis of their nationality?
What’s more insulting is the clear anti-Americanism implicit in this. It’s unacceptable for this non-historic building to be occupied by a major US chain – yet it would have been fine had it been an English or French coffee chain.
It was also perfectly acceptable for two of the city’s finest banking buildings (both just across the road) to be occupied by a pub and a furniture shop respectively.
There isn’t even an argument that this will somehow erode existing historical coffee retailers as Bewley’s are already gone and all the others are of very recent vintage.
And what does Mr Duffy even mean about the site being earmarked for a quality restaurant? Since when have restrictions like that applied anywhere.