Victorian Dun Laoghaire

what I miss about home is... Victorian Dun Laoghaire...
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Victorian Dun Laoghaire

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This is the view from the promenade that leads up to the East or Bandstand Pier. Many a time my Aunt used to take me and my brother here to catch crabs and shrimps and marvel at the mail boat coming in and going out. We would look across the bay to Howth... down the coast to Bray.

Is it just me or have these places changed? A different type of people congregate here now.

Once again I am reminded of Marietta biscuits and orange lemonade...

The Heineken Building

What I miss about home is... the Heineken Building, at least that's what we all called it in our house.
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The Heineken Building

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I think it was a late 60's office block. I don't know who designed it, but it definitely is one of Dublin's better 'skyscrapers'. Perched on the corner of O'Connell's Bridge like a sentinel guarding it... we used to use it as a landmark to meet near.

Stillorgan Obelisk

What I miss about home is... Stillorgan Obelisk.
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Stillorgan Obelisk #1

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The Obelisk is nestled in what is now a housing estate at the top of Carysfort Avenue leading into Blackrock. Designed by Edward Lovett Pearce, it was erected as a memorial to those who had perished in a famine in the early 1700's. I always wanted to climb up it, but never did. It is iconic and appears on the skyline as you walk to and from Stillorgan, Blackrock and the surrounding areas.

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Stillorgan Obelisk #2

Blackrock Baths

What I miss about home is... Blackrock Baths. We used to swim here when we were kids. Built by the railway company in 1839 for the locals. Use declined in the 60's, partly due to heated indoor pools, where most of us learnt to swim. In the late 1980's the baths closed and were been sold to a developer, whom I believe is considering high rise flats...
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Blackrock Baths #1

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Blackrock Baths #2

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We would sit on the timber slats on the tnad and watch the other swimmers. The water was cold, and there was the occassional piece of green seaweed floating by... The seats are long gone, the windows to the dressing rooms have all been smashed and the place is covered in graffiti, some of it not very savory.

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Blackrock Baths #3

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We never jumped off the top diving board, but we did off the bottom one; great memories, that sadly can never be re-lived. I can even taste the sea water...

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Blackrock Baths #4

Blackrock Market

What I miss about home is... Blackrock Market. Situated in the middle of Blackrock, the Market is a place I go back to whenever I am home. You can buy everything there, well, almost everything... but thats good enough for me.

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Blackrock Market #1

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Blackrock Market #2

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Blackrock Market #3

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Blackrock Market #4

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Blackrock Market #5

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Blackrock Market #6

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Blackrock Market #7

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Blackrock Market #8

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A truly wonderful piece of Ireland and a place where I could easily spend a fortune... and sometimes do!

Custom House...

What I miss about home is Custom House... built in the 18 century, Custom House is one of James Gandons most important works as an architect. It is an iconic building that stands on the north side of the River Liffey. Its grand facade is a reminder of Georgian Dublin past; ironic that it now looks over to the New Dublin on the south side of the river.
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Custom House #1

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Custom House #2

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Custom House #3

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The original Gandon interior was destroyed by fire in the 1921 Rising.

These shots were taken on an old Lomo LC-A film camera, one evening a long time ago. The film was Ilford XP2 Super, a chromogenic film that I had processed as colour, hence the sepia tone. This is how the shots were printed - no manipulation whatsoever!

Carlisle pier, Dun Laoghaire

What I miss about home is... the Carlisle Pier in Dun Laoghaire, it was used by the mailboat which sailed between Dún Laoghaire and Holyhead. The pier was built between 1855 and 1859 I believe, and I am told was named after the Earl of Carlisle, the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

Carlisle Pier #1

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Carlisle Pier #2

The trains from Dublin used to come into this siding. I remember it as a kid; they seemed full of potential - I always wanted to know where the people were going. The reality is they were leaving Ireland to seek their fortune over here in England.

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Carlisle Pier #3

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The terminal building is a 1960's design and was closed in 1980. The demolition began in 2009, but I am not sure if it has been fully demolished - I haven't been home in a while.

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Carlisle Pier #4

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Carlisle Pier #5

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Carlisle Pier #6

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All that is left of the Victorian age is the cast iron columns that still hold up wrought iron trusses as they look longingly over to what has replaced them. I can't help thinking that the new terminal doesn't have the same presence as the old one...

The Doors

What I miss about home is... Georgian Doors. The country is full of this wonderful aspect of Georgian architecture. What draws me to them in particular is the intricate design of the fanlights. Wonderful circular, elliptical, square even, windows with delicate timber beading; the only light that was let into the entrance halls of the great town houses;

Georgian Doors #1

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Georgian Doors #2

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Georgian Doors #3

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Georgian Doors #4

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Georgian Doors #5

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Georgian Doors #6

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I always used to wonder what it must be like to live in such a house in Merrion Square, or Ballsbridge... Sadly now, a lot of them are offices or flats. Their past splendour is just that; past

Ashe's Pub

What I miss about home is ... Ashe's Pub in Camp on the road out towards Dingle, deep in Co. Kerry.
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Ashe's Pub #1, Camp, Co. Kerry

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A real old world pub, not many left...
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Ashe's Pub #2, Camp, Co. Kerry

Dun Laoghaire Harbour

What I miss about home is... Dun Laoghaire Harbour. I used to go fishing there, off the Coal Quay and the West Pier.
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Dun Laoghaire Harbour #1

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Its all change now... the marina has arrived...

Dun Laoghaire Harbour #2

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and the yacht reigns supreme. I doubt there are many shoals of mackerel there now...

Ha'penny bridge, Dublin

What I miss about home is the Droichead na Leathphingine; the Ha'Penny Bridge across the Liffey in Dublin.
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Ha'Penny Bridge #1

The Ha'Penny Bridge was built in 1816; made of iron and cast in Shropshire; it originally replaced ferries that crossed the Lifey. A toll of a halfpenny was levied on those using it and there were turnstiles at both ends. The toll ended in 1919.

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   Ha'Penny Bridge #2

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Ha'Penny Bridge #3

Dun Laoghaire Victorian Shelters

What I miss about home is... the Victorian carriage shelters along the promenade next to the East Pier. They have now been refurbished to something of their former glory, but are kept shut, locked, never to be used again. Shame.
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Victorian Shelter #1

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Victorian Shelter #2

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Victorian Shelter #3

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Dublin Castle

What I miss about home is ... Dublin Castle. I get the creeps as I walk through its demesne, thinking of the past and what it must have been like to be there...

Dublin Castle #1

Shop Door Mosaics

What I miss about home is... shop door mosaics. They used to be part of the shopfront on so many shops; I remember them especially in chemists; set back between the stall risers on either side, they are largely a thing of the past as all possible space is given over to stock.

Shop Mosaic #1

Shop Mosaic # 2

Lá Fhéile Pádraig...

What I miss about home is ... St Patrick's Day. Memories of the parade, a day off school, shamrock and a harp shaped badge on a piece of green ribbon...

Bratach na hÉireann

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Not to mention, for those of us old enough... the pint of Guiness...

The Obligatory Pint

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Train Journeys...

What I miss about home is... train journeys; to the city, to the seaside and daytrips during the long summer holidays. Marietta biscuits, Miwadi orange, Tayto crisps and if you were really lucky, a Cadbury's Snack. Happy memories of sand in the sandwiches and the sea air in our faces...
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The Dart.

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IE Train #1

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IE Train #2

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The Luas

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