O’ Connell Street, Dublin
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I have to say I’m glad the statue of is gone. I was terrified it would be put back.
I don’t like religious iconography getting such a prominent place. Now I know this might be a bit secular humanist/pig headed but I don’t religion ‘shoved down my throat’.
Disclaimer: I couldn’t come up with a better phrase – Christains are of course entitled to their statues etc etc – but it’s such a public place.
I would still disagree about the paving either side of the plaza Graham, i think it appropriately marks the entrance to the key space on the street, while the lime trees clearly define the extent of the plaza itself … although i know a lot of this stuff is only picked up from an aerial perspective.
The limes look a smal bit raggy this year, they’ll need to fill out for a year or two before being clipped again.
The oriental planes on the side pavements will indeed grow to be considerably larger than the median Ash, strange i suppose that the Ash were put in semi mature compared to the planes, we’ll be waiting a good few years for the intended effect to be realised … the new planes will be great though.
I also find the lighting pretty dissappointing, the median lighting is straight out of some standard catalogue & the side lighting is even worse (also chosen for the refurb of inchicore (nothing against inchicore ! just not good enough for o’connell street). A design competition really was required, maybe the cc will re-think in a year or two.
The clutter is madness, looking forward to seeing the kiosks, but scared at this stage that they’ll just add to the mess …
Quote – GregF
And yes yes yes, those stupid, finicky, parochial, Super Valuesque, ‘lets all join in the fun’ permanent banners on the lampposts – how tacky, how lacking in distinction and grace, how small town Ireland, how patronising to citizens, how expensive if nothing else to maintain all year round – these yokes must cost a fortune to produce, pasted the whole way down the street, not to mention the quays and elsewhere.
This has to be the funniest, most colourful and sadly, truest statement about the redevelopment! GregF – I salute you!
Can I take it then GregF that ‘Supervaluesque’ = cheap? It may claim to be, but fo my liking that store is most certainly not! 🙂
Related to the O’Connell Street development, before the plans were announced in 1997, Mountjoy and Parnell Square had several sites used as surface car-parks. It is great that the last of these is almost completely re-instated: Parnell Square West is the site of the final replacement of ill-concieved demolitions. It will be completed in several weeks by my reckoning – the facade has been completed. Lets hope these squares will never be allowed to fall into such a state of disrepair.
The new ‘Moss Hall’ at 49-51 Parnell Square:
…to be finished in a few weeks. Here’s hoping the misspelling isn’t an indication of the level of design standards with this project – it does seem to be a very faithful reconstruction though.
The Sacred Heart statue in more recent times:
You gotta love it – modern Ireland encapsulated. We even smother religious icons in PVC.
The concrete base was painted day-glo green in its final incarnation before the chop.
Well the Jesus statue has finally been refurbished to the standard of the other monuments on the street. He has been made more positive and accessible to people and the addition of LED uplighters really helps. This photo shows beautiful detailing previously not visible through the perspex casing. The whole character of the work has been transformed from a rather dreary Jesus to an optimistic 21st Century JC. Great work DCC.
ha ha …good one Frank.
On the topic of statues ……see that the hoardings have finally been removed from the Thomas Davis and the 4 provinces ensemble around the corner on Dame St …Looks great too.
However placing the statue of Admiral William Brown and the new Department of the Marine inland, in a landlock county is surely rediculous. He’d be better placed overlooking the seas in Galway, Cork, Waterford or Dublin which have fine maritime histories. This is truely Irish and rather stupid ….could only have been devised by suits and bureaucratic geeks.
Im sure this was a sarcastic aside on the part of mr Thomond Park in reference to the insanity of placing the new D of Marine in Cavan, a landlocked county. I would imagine Admiral Brown will be installed in Wexford (where I think he hailed from).
Im delighted Thomas Davis has finally come out of his closet. Will the fountain work is the next thing….we know the history of fountains in Dublin
@StephenC wrote:
Im sure this was a sarcastic aside on the part of mr Thomond Park in reference to the insanity of placing the new D of Marine in Cavan, a landlocked county. I would imagine Admiral Brown will be installed in Wexford (where I think he hailed from).
Hehehehe 😀
He was in fact from Foxford County Mayo
http://local.mobhaile.ie/Default.aspx?alias=local.mobhaile.ie/admiralbrownp
I think decentralisation of his statue and tourist potential should be given to the County Mayo Town
Just to add we have another ‘Father of a Navy’ as such, that being Commodore John Barry , Father of the American Navy. Another unsung Irish hero, he hailed from Wexford.
And Mr. Submarineman, John Holland, from Liscannor.
@kefu wrote:
Agree with most everything that has been said. But I think one thing in need of particular attention is the Luas electricity sub-station at the Liffey end of the street. It really is incredibly incongruous and yet, it would have been so simple to even just clad it in timber.
I think the best thing for it now would be an open artist’s competition to transform it into a large open-air installation of some sorts. I’m absolutely convinced this is feasible even if the ESB require entry to it.Saw the lads giving this concrete lump a lick of magnolia/grey paint this morning as well as the cast iron bollards in front of the GPO’s pillars.
Well,I dunno,but I`m gettin to view this particular flagship IAP with increasing despair.
A brief stroll along the Street last evening at 1900 revealed little more than wat appears to be a form of steel pole nursery.
Hot on the heels of this observation comes the news this morning that yet MORE poles are being driven deepinto the heart of the street as Bus Atha Cliath set about replanting the original Bus Stops which had been displaced by the IAP works.The Bus Atha Cliath PR Person did allude some months ago to the existance of something called a “Bus Stop Action Plan” which she marketed as some form of integrated co-operative venture between the Bus Company and the Civic Authorities which would see potential Bus Travellers provided with State-Of-The-Art features such as Shelters,Seats and Accurate Information etc.
Now,at the time of this revelation I remember smiling inwardly at the very notion of this “Action Plan” actually existing and todays Pole Setting display confirms my belief that the Action Plan existed only in the secluded regions of a PR persons brain.
The other interesting little tableau I bore witness to last evening is the daily arrival of the Pennys Articulated Truck
This little display is now beginning to rival London`s Changing-Of-The-Guard as a Must-See for visitors to Dublin.Briefly,it consistes of a fullsize Articulated HGV arriving into O Connell St Northbound at c.1845/1915 each evening.
The vehicle is delivering/collecting from the Pennys store which has its goods inwards in Princes St,a street with only a single vehicular access point.
I would STRONGLY recommed members and friends of Archiseek to get a ringside seat to the events which follow the Arrival of the Siad Vehicle onto the GPO Plaza.Firstly the Truck Driver must attempt to position his/her vehicle along the front of the GPO in order to allow a reverse around corner manouvere.
This can be compounded by a reluctance of following general traffic to allow the HGV sufficient if ANY room to do this.
Cyclists are particularly adverse to giving the Truck any room at all and on last evenings observations appear to be fully prepared to cycle directly under the wheels of the container-trailer to prove whatever point they have in their head regarding trucks.The unfortnate driver DOES have an assistant,a young fellow who is despatched out from Pennys Warehouse to assist in the manouvere.
This lad`s prime concern HAS to be the amount of pedestrians who stream across Princes St on the recently widened footpath blissfully ignorant of a 38 tonne articulated vehicle reversing down upon them.Last evening for example I witnessed imbicilic women shoo`ing their little children across behind the MOVING truck in direct opposition to the poor lad who was doing his best flapping his arms to prevent the little dotes being squashed.
People reading newspapers,listening to MP3`s or merely looking for somewhere to have a slip,trip or fall were merrily playing Chicken with the reversing truck.
Whilst the unfortunate Truck Driver is carrying out his tricky and DANGEROUS manouvere,motorists and cyclists continue to drive directly up to the Cab Portion of the truck,preventing any further movement,until the dopey git`s stop their texting long enough to become aware of 38 tonnes of hardware blocking their path.
Even better is the City Councils strategic placing of its Poles,one of which is positioned on the central median just at the point where the Tractor Unit requires the maximum space to complete the manouvere.
Oh and I almost forgot the steady stream of cars exiting Princes St each of which makes great efforts to tuck itself into the Trucks Blind-Spot in order to give the driver a little more to worry about.
There is of course a Garda on permanent post outside the GPO,however depending on the member he/she can often be remarkable reluctant to stir away from the GPO`s facade as there are issues surrounding the active involvement of a Garda facilitating a 38Tonne HGV in mounting footpaths and reversing along one-way-streets etc…
THIS DAILY DISPLAY UNDERLINES THE COMPLETE AND TOTAL SHAMBLES WHICH DCC HAS PRESIDED OVER IN RELATION TO THE ONGOING OPERATION OF O CONNELL ST.
Presently the renovated street is little more than a collection of potential danger points which as both vehicular and pedestrian traffic resumes its former levels leaves little time left before a MAJOR accident.
As I read of the imminent retirement of the present City Manager and the eulogies being directed in his direction I am left wondering if there exists no disciplinary procedure within the City Council whereby Senior Administrators can be forced to account for crazy,half thought out schemes which at completion have SERIOUS safety shortfalls inherent in them.
Well,I dont REALLY wonder at all because I know that WHEN that serious accident occurs it`s the lowest in the food chain who will bear the brunt…yes folks the Truck Driver.
Mark my words,should some cyclist or pedestrian get entangled with that truck this evening the GPO Garda will launch forth like a rocket,pen in hand to take the Truckers details.Perhaps nobody in DCC`s Planning Dept ever bothered to ask how a major large scale department store would recieve it`s deliveries…perhaps they,like CJH,have somebody to do their shopping for them ?
Either way its merely reinforcing my belief that the O Connell St IAP is rapidly dissolving in a Vat of Acid ……Available in Tablet form from Civic Offices,Wood Quay …..:o
nice. but seriously , i think it is overall a good job. it could be better, but it is a good job. what is needed now is some time for the trees to take. The main decision to move tress from the central median to the footpaths is sound.
In the immediate term , trying to keep the place clean, hoping that the retail finally picks up on the street , and setting about working on the side street is what is needed. The GPO and the plaza really do look good.
Looking ahead i think serious consideration needs to be given to moving the taxis around the corner to cathal brugha street, where there is ample room for a proper sized rank. When the bus stops are moved it should improve the buses all over the place situation.
It is with some regret that I must agree with the negative comments made here recently.
Coming in from the airport on the Aircoach last evening around 9pm I got a fine view of the new works, and it really is quite a depressing sight. A pity too that the problems are so much more apparent when the street is relatively quiet- at precisely the times when it should be possible to sit back and take a long, admiring look at the place. Not just the poles, not just the taxi rank, though both are seriously wrong as has been mentioned often enough. What hit me most forcefully was the grubbiness of the whole place, both litter and general grime. Maybe it was to do with the Women’s mini-marathon (did it go down OCS?), maybe it was the bank holiday effect, or maybe it’s just that most Dubliners couldn’t give a tuppeny curse about our supposed flagship street.
🙁
I would love to see litter wardens 24/7 armed with tazers..seriously the last time i was on O’Connel St. a lady with babe in arms just dropped ice-cream wrappers on the ground, not a bother..nobody to report to, nobody caring..the usual.
Indeed. That ever-astute man who sells literature and paintings etc on Lower Grafton St had one of his notorious signs up observing: ‘Dublin is covered in Mars wrappers’ – a reference to the Mars Ice Cream freebies being handed out all last week (managed to scoff seven of them over 3 days 😮 :D).
It’s unbelievable people just take something like that, peel the wrapper and just ditch it as they walk along. They were scattered all over Lower Grafton St, as well as on College Green and O’Connell Street and Bridge where they were also handed out.
There’s a heck of a lot of ignorant beggars in our midst – and Grafton St not exactly being the regular haunt of those that Dublin’s litter problem usually gets dumped on.Some of the more observant O Connell Streeters or should that be Boulavardiers may have noticed how Bus Atha Cliath have in the past 24 hrs erected a veritable Blue Forest of poles along BOTH sides of the “New” streetscape.
This presages the return to the status quo in Bus Stop terms.It now appears that the much vaunted Bus Stop Action Plan in reality was merely erecting all the new Bus Stops in EXACTLY the same location as the old ones were in 3 years ago.
It is a matter of some disappointment to me that Bus Atha Cliath have failed to subscribe to the ethos behind the IAP by doing something meaningful to reduce the stupendous amount of extended dwell time which buses have to spend at O Connell St stops.
What we now have from Friday 9th June is a Street which is largely nose to tail with immobile Buses for most of the day.
Buses on Most if not all of the major trunk routes are simply spending far too much time at the O Connell St stops which causes frustration for both passengers and for other users of the street too.
No opportunity has been taken to address this issue NOW rather than at some point in the future when the city eventually grounds to a halt because of a “Situation” at the Bus Stops opposite the Taxi Rank island.
The other and perhaps more fundemental issue is why DCC and The Depts of Transport and the Environment have failed to install Disabled Friendly Kassel Kerbing along this most heavily Bussed of streets.
What we now have is a situation whereby the FULL compliment of disabled access measures has deliberately been curtailed in order to maintain architectural symmetry.
This failure could well rebound upon DCC quite badly.
We have in the very recent past seen the Minister for Transport intervene in Bus Eireann`s new vehicle Tendering process following on from a complaint made to him by the Chairperson of the Disablity Authority,Ms Angela Kerins.
The gist of Ms Kerins complaint was that Bus Eireann were breaking the law (Sections 26 and 27 of the Disability Act 2005) by specifying new touring coaches which were not FULLY accessible for Disabled Persons.
We now have a situation in which the O Connell St Bus Stops are not FULLY accessible to disabled intending bus passengers due to the lack of Kassel Kerbing which is an integral component of the Disabled Acess package for Public Bus Transport.
I should imagine that Chairperson Kerins of the Disability Authority is presently dipping her quill in vitriol as she prepares a suitable missive for poor ol Mr Fitzgerald and him bein about to retire an all that…..You read about it first here but mark my words some quick witted legal brain will spot a nice little earner here and the Courts will be loath to accept a defence of “Nobody told me” from the highest and mightiest in DCC`s IAP office 😮
O’Connell Street face-lift completed
11 June 2006 23:05
A special ceremony was held today to mark the completion of the refurbishment of O’Connell Street in Dublin.Work on modernising the capital’s main street has been ongoing since the Spire was erected four years ago.
The project, which has seen thousands of cars taken off O’Connell Street, involved the cleaning of monuments and the widening of footpaths.
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At least 142 new trees were planted to replace those that were removed to facilitate the works.
I noted from RTE that cycling facilities are an issue; if they are poor now what would the Luas effect be?
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