kilkenny parade – poor mans smithfield?

I found it interesting to read about the furore about kilkenny Parade on archeire. Particularly in the light of comments that it represents a ‘poor mans Smithfield’.

Whereas I have no familiarity with the Kilkenny scheme,I am very familar with the McGarry NiEanaigh scheme on Smithfield (I live in and operate and architectural practise from a dilapidated 1730’s townhouse on the North King Street end of Smithfield overlooking the Square.

I would suggest that the appelation of ‘poor mans Smithfield’ is extremely unfair in the context of the Kilkenny scheme in that the Smithfield scheme is itself of very poor design quality and realisation: hard cement grouted cobbles (as opposed to the original dry fill sand /cement) all laid in a generally unspiring diagonal pattern which lacks the complexity or richness of the original herringbone pattern, a ‘bombastic’ and curiously dated series of ‘lighting pylons’incorporating unfinished raw galvanised steel supports to the gas braziers over, all somewhat reminiscent of the grosser architectural excesses of Albert Speer, – one almost expects an SS marching band to appear in full panoply.

Finally a bizarre distribution of bollards and secondary lighting combined with a slip access routes for vehicles to either side manage to diminish the overall grandness and width of the space.

Smithfield itself is a poor mans civic space, ill conceived architectural intervention achieving in a matter of months what generations of rackrent landlords and slum property owners could not manage – the destruction of what had been a fine subtle, simple market space dating in its previous form from the 1660’s.

Shame on it’s architects, a little less ego and a little more concern as to the real needs of residents and of the square itself, – a sensible tree planting programme, a play space for local children, repair and reinstatement of damaged and missing cobblestone surfacing along with a more subtle and low key upgrading of public lighting, reinstatement of the original street furniture such as the (now) missing stone horse trough, could have produced a minor masterpiece of civic design.

Is it too much to expect Irish Architects to display such concerns and to discard egotism in favour of real urban design values and needs???.

Certainly the Smithfield scheme is a sad example of the fascism of design professionals such as our own in seeking to impose conceived or imagined solutions reflecting ‘design concerns’ rather than real needs.

A well regarded UK architect once defined an architect to me as – “someone who, when asked to produce a garden design advises his client to build a shed!!!!

This tends to be reminiscent of the scenario in locations such as Smithfield ,an architect produces a design proposal for a run down area which often fails to resolve the real concerns of the locale, instead imposing a ‘hallmark’ design of the ‘Look Ma, No Hands!! – school.

Any comments??.

James Kelly RIBA

“a ‘bombastic’ and curiously dated series of ‘lighting pylons’incorporating unfinished raw galvanised steel supports to the gas braziers over, all somewhat reminiscent of the grosser architectural excesses of Albert Speer, – one almost expects an SS marching band to appear in full panoply. “

I completely agree with this… there’s something about the braziers lit that suggests Nazi torchlit marches… somehow appropriate in the light of Ireland’s new found intolerence…..

[This message has been edited by Paul Clerkin (edited 29 April 2000).]

Without knowing more about the Kilkenny plan, it is impossible to judge it on the picture above, (even if the posts do look like giant sign posts missing their signs).

But I agree about Smithfield. Although still the same size, it now seems so much larger and windswept. Really, the space is now crying out for trees and as for those braziers….