Underneath Dublin?

Theres a 3 metre diameter tunnel running along under the south bank of the Grand Canal, I think one quadrant carries a watermain but it may be out of service. It was built back in the late seventies/ early eighties i think.

Anyone know where it finishes?

Somebody e-mailed me this. Sounds very interesting.

LÉARGAS

Thursday 14 November 2002
7.00 A FASCINATING JOURNEY UNDER THE STREETS OF DUBLIN

“We’re entering the kingdom of the rats. This is their world. They live in the underground of Ireland, not just of Dublin. But they are afraid of you as you are of them. Up to now they haven’t bothered me personally”. (David Green, Dublin City Council Drainage Division, speaking in the underground Poddle river.)

This week Léargas, in a programme called Baile Átha Cliath Faoi do Chosa, goes places where no camera has been before – into the dark and sometimes dangerous world of Dublin’s underground. Presenter Fachtna Ó
Drisceoil and David Green of the City Drainage
Department, brave sewage and rapidly rising waters in a tour of Dublin’s underground river, the Poddle. Archaeologist Annaba Kilfeather travels the same journey on the surface, revealing the Poddle’s secret history as she goes. The programme discloses some of Dublin’s best kept secrets. We enter the Liffey tunnel, close to the East Link Toll Bridge. We travel through the Phoenix Park rail tunnel, which isn’t used for passenger rail even
though it connects Heuston and Connolly stations.

A newly discovered medieval slipway in a Merchant’s Quay basement is still covered at high tide by the Liffey’s waters, just as it was 700 years ago. The City’s original poor house – which later became the Foundling Hospital – has been re-discovered and incorporated into the basement of a modern extension to St. James’s hospital.

The programme also features the mummies in the crypt of St Michan’s Church and – bringing us right up to date – the first television pictures from inside the Dublin Port Tunnel.

Quotations:

“While a lot of work is done in the Liffey tunnel,
it’s out of sight and out of mind. If the work wasn’t done properly and there was no water in the tap and the sewage was coming back up the toilet people would know all about the Liffey tunnel!” (Peadar O’Sullivan, Senior Engineer with Dublin City Council, talking about the Liffey tunnel which carries main
water and sewage pipes, as well as electricity
cables.)

“It’s very quiet there and if you are interested in philosophy it’s a good place to meditate. In the middle of the city, with the Financial Centres behind, you can be in tune with nature down in the tunnel!” (Peadar O’Sullivan.)

“For those who are directly in the face it’s one of the toughest jobs you can find. They work in very confined space. It’s very hot. It’s incredibly noisy. Let me put it this way -it’s not the most desirable occupation but they are tough men and they’d need to be.” (Timothy Brick, Deputy City Engineer speaking
about the Dublin Port Tunnel.)

“There is so much stuff under our feet that people would be really amazed. They think they’re walking down modern streets but the footprint of the past is just beneath them.”
(Linzi Simpson, Archaeologist)

The Gresham Hotel has a whole series of tunnels, not only wine vaults, but tunnels which run under O’Connell Street to the Carlton Cinema area. This was the case during the War of Independence when Michael Collins used this network of tunnels to escape British forces durning one of their many attempts to capture him. The tunnels remain in place to this day, but many are blocked up. It will be interesting to see how the Carlton development will try to deal with this upon commencement of construction.

sounds great… is it really true that the tunnel under the pheonix park connects heuston & connolly ??? anyone know of its dimensions / condition ?

The GAA wanted to open it up so that trains from Kerry and Cork could wheel around as far as Connolly, nearer Croke Park.
But Iarnrod Eireann said it was a big job, capacity wise, and would require a new turning circle, which the GAA would have to pay for.
Other than that, it is in perfect knick. It connects with the Mullingar-Connolly line near Glasnevin cemetery.

Article in The Sunday Times

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2098-473370,00.html

Yeah……there are probably more rats than people living under the streets of Dublin ……..but the way mental illnesss and alcoholism and broken homes aka disfunctional families affect us poor Irish (is that some sort of a jibe), maybe you had the streets of Brazil in mind….where the police shoot dead homeless children such is the epidemic of homelessness.
To counteract rats, get a few Cats….they are great pets …..Bastet …..Egyptian cat Godess.

Oops, didn’t mean to post twice

No. Go and do some work

Well I’ll presume that Fozzie meant legitimate access with the cooperation of irish rail. If this is not the case, then I believe rotten.com will show him what he’ll look like after Mr. Train smacks him around a bit…