ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
You may have noticed that some words or expressions are double-underlined and wondered why. The underlining indicates that more information is available and all you need to access this additional information is click on the word or expression.
USE THE SITE MAP
We use sandvox to produce and maintain this site and unfortunately this software has a number limitations when it comes to site navigation therefore it is suggested that you visit the "site map" in order to see what is available here.
Dublin's development
Dublin was for much of its existence a mediæval city, marked by the existence of a particular style of buildings, built on narrow winding mediæval streets. The first major changes to this pattern occurred during the reign of King Charles II when the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, the Earl of Ormonde (later made Duke of Ormonde) issued an instruction which was to have dramatic repercussions for the city as it exists today. Though the city over the century had grown around the River Liffey, its buildings as in many other mediæval centres backed onto the river, often allowing for the dumping of household waste directly into the river, it being a form of collective sewer. As Dublin's quays underwent development, Ormonde insisted that the frontages of the houses, not their rears, should face the quay sides, with a street to run along each quay. By this one development, Ormond changed the face of the city. No longer would the river be a sewer hidden between buildings. Instead it became a central feature of the city, with its quays lined by large three and four storey houses and public buildings, such as the Four Courts, the old Custom House and, later and grander, The Custom House designed, as was the Four Courts, by master architect James Gandon. For his initiative, Ormonde's name is now given to one of the city quays.
It was however only one of a number of crucial developments. As the city grew in size, stature, population and wealth, two changes were needed. (1) The existing narrow-streeted mediæval city required major redevelopment, and (2) major new development of residential areas was required.
PHOTOGRAPHS OF DUBLIN
We really do have a very large collection of photographs (at least 20,000 and increasing at a rate of about 1,000 per month. There are a number of ways of viewing them. All of our photographs are available on Flickr (go to Flickr and search for infomatique).
GEO-TAGGED PHOTOGRAPHS
This is something that we have tried to do a number of times without any real success. We believe that we are now in a position to show on a map where individual photographs were taken.
Visit our initial test and see what you think.
OUR SERVERS
We have just installed a new JetPhoto Server (it is still in beta) to serve slideshows and presentations, please visit and see if you like it. When viewing photographs you select the little globe icon to see the relevant location on a map.
Infomatique is hosted by hosted by Darklite and The Streets Of Dublin is hosted by Globat but we also use a number of other servers and hosts. Dublin Snapshots is our fastest at present. We are also experimenting with Rapidweaver as an alternative to Sandvox ... visit OSX64 to see what Rapidweaver looks like.
THE VIKINGS IN IRELAND
The Vikings were the first settlers at Dublin and old reminants of
their settlement have been found at Wood Quay in Dublin City Centre
on the site of Dublin City Council's civic offices.
MORE ABOUT THE VIKINGS
Viking Warship "Sea Stallion"
On Sunday July 1st 2007 the World’s largest reconstruction of a Viking ship – a 30 metre long war ship replica - left the Viking Ship Museum harbour in Roskilde, Denmark and set its course for Dublin. MORE ...
THERE IS MUCH MORE AVAILABLE HERE
Dublin was for much of its existence a mediæval city, marked by the existence of a particular style of buildings, built on narrow winding mediæval streets. The first major changes to this pattern occurred during the reign of King Charles II when the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, the Earl of Ormonde (later made Duke of Ormonde) issued an instruction which was to have dramatic repercussions for the city as it exists today. Though the city over the century had grown around the River Liffey, its buildings as in many other mediæval centres backed onto the river, often allowing for the dumping of household waste directly into the river, it being a form of collective sewer. As Dublin's quays underwent development, Ormonde insisted that the frontages of the houses, not their rears, should face the quay sides, with a street to run along each quay. By this one development, Ormond changed the face of the city. No longer would the river be a sewer hidden between buildings. Instead it became a central feature of the city, with its quays lined by large three and four storey houses and public buildings, such as the Four Courts, the old Custom House and, later and grander, The Custom House designed, as was the Four Courts, by master architect James Gandon. For his initiative, Ormonde's name is now given to one of the city quays.
It was however only one of a number of crucial developments. As the city grew in size, stature, population and wealth, two changes were needed. (1) The existing narrow-streeted mediæval city required major redevelopment, and (2) major new development of residential areas was required.
MORE ABOUT THE VIKINGS
Viking Warship "Sea Stallion"
On Sunday July 1st 2007 the World’s largest reconstruction of a Viking ship – a 30 metre long war ship replica - left the Viking Ship Museum harbour in Roskilde, Denmark and set its course for Dublin. MORE ...
The City of Dublin has many museums, galleries, gardens and other cultural attractions for Dubliners and visitors and we intend to photograph all of them. Below is a specially modified search engine powered by Google search
As running The Streets Of Dublin is very expensive we are requesting your support.
All you need do is Shop Online as You Normally Would!
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Despite having a long tradition of emigration that continued up until the early 1990s, Dublin now has a sizeable number of immigrants. Foreign nationals in Dublin are primarily young and single and the biggest numbers come from across the European Union, particularly The United Kingdom, Poland and Lithuania but also from right across the European continent. There are also considerable and growing numbers from outside Europe, particularly China, Nigeria, the Philippines, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and Russia. This immigration has stimulated a new diversity in Dublin that, while still relatively moderate when compared to other European capital cities such as Paris and London, has brought a new dimension to life in the city and looks set to grow considerably in the future. 10% of the Republic of Ireland's population is now made up of foreign nationals, and Dublin is home to a disproportionate number of new arrivals to the country - for example, 60% of Ireland's Asian population lives in Dublin even though less than 40% of the overall population live in the Greater Dublin Area. One tangible manifestation of this multiculturalism is in the spread of new ethnic food stores, notably on Parnell Street and Moore Street.
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Some of the greatest writers in the English language were born in Dublin
Some of the greatest writers in the English language were born in Dublin and every corner of the city has links with the written word. One of Ireland’s first writers to be recognised internationally was Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels and Dean of Saint Patrick's Cathedral. Trinity College Dublin has educated many of Dublin's world-renowned writers, such as Oliver Goldsmith (author of The Vicar of Wakefiled), Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Edmund Burke. Here it is possible to view the Book of Durrow and the Book of Kells (transcriptions of the Bible).
In the 19th century Oscar Wilde captivated the world's imagination with his satiric masterpieces (enjoy the "Wilde and Co." literary walk of Dublin, organised by John C. O' Mahony (contact: 00353 (0)86 3296304). Oscar Wilde's writing brought Dublin to prominence during the late Victorian era.His works, including An Ideal Husband, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture of Dorian Gray have enshrined him as one of Ireland's finest writers and satirists. His home for many years may still be seen in Merrion Square.
The most famous Irish poet of the 19th century, James Clarence Mangan, came from Dublin's Fishamble Street (where the first performance of Handel's Messiah was staged). During this period, the city produced a number of writers in the supernatural genre such as Bram Stoker author of Dracula, (visit the Bram Stoker Dracula museum at Westwood Leisure Centre, Clontarf) and Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu who based many of his ghost stories in Dublin.
The Nobel Prize winner George Bernard Shaw, despite living most of his life in London, never forgot his connection to the city and its culture. His birthplace has been restored and is open to the public (www.visitdublin.com). It was here in this house that Shaw began to imagine the characters who would later feature in his writings. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925.
Even those writers who could not wait to leave the banks of the river Liffey still return to them in their work. The most striking example of this is, of course, James Joyce, who immortalised the streets of Dublin in several of his great works, particularly Ulysses. Visit the James Joyce Centre which is dedicated to promoting an understanding of the life and works of James Joyce. Similarly Samuel Beckett, creator of some of the world's most influential modern experimental literature, used the speech rhythms of his native city in works such as Waiting for Godot.
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James Joyce Centre
Amanda Large , 35 North Great George's St., Co. DublinThe Centre is holding a series of free readers' groups for newcomers to "Dubliners", "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man", "Ulysses" and "Finnegans Wake". From Monday 27th January 1997: A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man. The groups will meet every Monday evening at 7.30pm in the Centre. The more academic James Joyce Institute meets on Tuesday evenings at 7.30pm to mull and fight over Finnegan's Wake (not recommended for the fainthearted). Also Joycean Walks through the Joyce country of Dublin take place at 2.30pm daily depending on demand and weather.
Guinness Brewery
This is the home of Guinness Stout, the famous black beer with the distinctive creamy head. Arthur Guinness purchased Rainsfords Brewery here in 1759 and began brewing his famous 'Porter', which is now produced around the world at the rate of over 10 million glasses each day.
Located on Crane Street, in the heart of Dublin's Liberties, the Guinness Hop Store, a converted 19th century building, should be part of any visitor's itinerary around the city. The handsome four storey building houses the 'World of Guinness Exhibition' a fascinating audio-visual show on the history of Guinness in Ireland, a model Cooperage and Transport Museum, a souvenir shop and perhaps most appropriately a lively bar where you can sample Dublin's finest brew at your leisure. The two top floors of the building play host to a variety of art exhibitions throughout the year.
Trinity College
Trinity College on its 40 acre site retains some of its ancient seclusion and its cobbled squares, gardens and parks have a tranquil atmosphere compared to the bustling streets outside. The campus contains a unique collection of buildings dating from the 17th to the 20th century. The College is famed for the great treasures it has the honour to be guardian of. These include the BOOK OF KELLS a 9th century illuminated manuscript the books of Durrow and Armagh and an early Irish harp. These are displayed in the Collonades exhibition Gallery and the Long Room which is the most impressive library in the College housing over 200,000 of Trinity's oldest books. A recent introduction at the College is THE DUBLIN EXPERIENCE a multi media interpretation of the city of Dublin. This show, which is based around a sophisticated audio visual presentation, tells the story of Dublin and its people from its earliest beginning to the present day. The Dublin Experience is a complete orientation to the city and in many ways it is also a guide to the main events of Irish history. The Dublin Experience operates from late May to early October each year and should not be missed. The Book of Kells and its background is the title of a major new exhibition on Trinity College Library's most famous manuscript which will opened in the Old Library in February 1996.
The Book of Kells
Trinity College, Co. Dublin
The Book of Kells contains a Latin text of the four gospels richly decorated by Irish monks around the year 800 AD. The greatest Irish work of art to survive from the middle ages, it has been in the library of Trinity College Dublin since the 1660s. The exhibition The Book of Kells. Picturing the word places it in its historical and cultural context and compares its images and techniques to those in contemporary metalwork, bone, slate, stone and enamels. Much of the exhibition is an analysis of its animal and human ornament. Such images are persistent and repetitive, but their meaning is remote for most observers today. A section of the exhibition is concerned with the physical processes involved in the creation of the Book of Kells: the manufacture of the calfskin it was written on, and the writing materials and pigments used. The exhibition culminates with the display of the Book of Kells itself in a specially designed Treasury. The Long Room The main chamber of the Old Library is the Long Room. At 65 metres long, it contains 200,000 of the Library's oldest books in oak book cases. The Library Shop A wide range of books, cards souvenirs and good high quality products related to the Book of Kells and Trinity College is available in the Library shop.
Malahide Castle
The history of the Talbots of Malahide stretches back virtually unbroken to 1185 when the property was granted to Robert Talbot by Prince John, Lord of Ireland. The castle is the oldest to be continually inhabited by the same family and apart from a period during which they were evicted by Cromwell the Talbots lived there until 1976. The castle has the only surviving original medieval great hall hung with an impressive collection of family portraits. It is said that 14 Talbot cousins breakfasted here before riding out to the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 never to return. The tiny doorway of the castle leads into the panelled oak room where a Flemish carving of 'the Coronation of the Virgin' hangs over the fireplace. According to legend this carving disappeared when the Talbots were banished to Connaught and mysteriously reappeared on their reinstatement. The delightful demesne was created by (Milo) Lord Talbot de Malahide between 1948 and 1973 and contains over 5,000 different species of trees and shrubs.
Dalkey Island
Dalkey, DublinThe island is uninhabited and its main interest is the early church dedicated to Saint Begnet near the landing place on the west shore. It has prominent antae and a massively lintelled doorway with slightly inclined jambs. The original roof was probably thatch or shingles, but medieval slates discovered in the course of excavation show that the church remained in use for some considerable time. The bell cote on the west gable is also a late addition.
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