This photo gallery tells the history of social housing in Inchicore which is a suburb of Dublin, 5km west of the city centre. It traces the history of the area from tenements and one of Dublin Corporation’s first social housing schemes to the conversion of Richmond Barracks to Keogh Square then St Michael’s Estate and beyond.
All-Ireland Days: The Pursuit of Liam and Sam (1953-1984)
Summer comes around, the ground hardens, and the thoughts of many people turn to the playing fields of Clones, Thurles, Castlebar, and other venues throughout the land. All dream of a visit to Croke Park in September. These photos from the Fáilte Ireland Tourism Photographic Collection celebrate the lucky few who played in All-Ireland Finals in the second half of the twentieth century.
Dining in Dublin: 150 Years of Eating Out in Ireland’s Capital
What’s it like to eat in Dublin? As this image gallery shows, Dublin boasts a rich and varied food history that includes everything from haute cuisine to kosher pickles to a “Wan an’ Wan” by the Liffey. Some of the Dublin eateries in these pictures came in and out of existence within just a few years, making their stories harder to trace. Others evolved into cultural institutions, famous not only for their food but for their contribution to the vibrancy of Dublin life.
Kildare is a county that is steeped in rich culture from the horse racing fields of the Curragh to the beautiful canals that flow through villages and towns like Sallins and Athy. The Grand Canal is an ideal place for activities like angling, boating, canoeing, sailing and rowing, the banks of the canal are very popular for walking and cycling. There are many former churches and castles dotted around Kildare that add to the scenery of this fine Irish county.St Patrick’s College Maynooth (below, click image to view larger version) was founded in 1795 as a seminary for the education of priests and by 1850 had become the largest seminary in the world. The Bishops began to look for a site and it was desirable that the college be near Dublin. This seminary was urgently needed because in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it had not been possible to educate Catholic priests in Ireland. The chapel, built by public subscription, was initiated by Charles W. Russell, President from 1857 to 1880. St Patrick’s College also has a university as part of the campus. Thousands of students from the four corners of Ireland and abroad attend the university each year.Naas Courthouse (below, click image to view larger version) was constructed in 1807 to a design by Architect Richard Morrison, it was extended in 1860 when the four columned portico was positioned as it is today. The Naas Courthouse was the original meeting place of the Poor Law Guardians who held their monthly meetings as did their successors Kildare County Council, from 1899 until the building was badly damaged by fire in the 1950s, which caused them to move to St. Mary’s. The Criminal Courtroom was the setting for many films, due to its remarkable resemblance to the Old Bailey in London.Theobald Wolfe Tone one of the leaders of the 1798 Rebellion, was a leading figure in the United Irishmen Irish Independence movement and is regarded as the father of Irish Republicanism. After his death he was buried at Bodenstown, Kildare in 1798 near to Sallins where his family had a farm (below, click image to view larger version).The Japanese Gardens (below, click image to view larger version) were devised by Colonel William Hall Walker, a wealthy Scotsman from a famous brewing family, the gardens were laid out by Japanese master horticulturist Tassa Eida and his son Minoru. Their aim was, through trees, plants, flowers, lawns, rocks and water, to symbolise the ‘Life of Man’. That plan was completed to perfection and Eida’s legacy is now admired by the 150,000 visitors who soak up the peace of the gardens every year.In conclusion Kildare is a great place for either a short visit or holiday and Kildare also has a good transport network. From my work scanning the photographs I noticed that bicycle and horse and cart were popular forms of transport in the 1950s. Click images below to see larger versions. . The Fáilte Ireland Tourism Photographic Collection was donated to Dublin City Library and Archive. The black and white negatives and colour slides date from the 1930s until the 2000s, they give a significant amount of visual information about Kildare throughout the decades.About our Guest BloggerThis blog post was submitted by Deirdre Coleman while on work experience in Dublin City Library and Archive, October 2016.
I am currently digitizing photographs from the Fáilte Ireland Photographic Collection at Dublin City Library & Archive. These photos date from back to about the 1930s up until the present day. There are also negatives, in all sizes from glass plates to 5x4 negatives to small 35mm. The negatives are in good condition and due to their size they retain a great amount of quality.The photos for the most part are of Ireland's popular tourist destinations but also of places that are historically important. The photos show the unique beauty of Ireland and its unique culture. The boxes are organized by county. So I started with Wicklow as it is where I am from. After getting through several photos I found one funny picture of a lady hugging a cross and later on I found one similar. It was from Glendalough. I’ve been to Glendalough a lot; my grandparents are buried there. I’ve never noticed this large cross and certainly never noticed anyone hugging it. The cross is 'St Kevin's Cross' or 'The Wishing Cross'.Another picture that caught my eye was of a cross that was standing inside what looked like an old stone room. This cross was distinctive in its appearance. The cross appeared to be cracked in several places and also had a relief of a crucifixion on it. What also struck me was its location as if it was in storage or locked away.View the photos on flickr.The Wishing CrossSt Kevin's Cross as it is also known is almost four meters high. It stands in the graveyard near to the cathedral. The name 'Wishing Cross' derives from the legend that anyone who comes to the cross should try to embrace it. If they can wrap their arms fully around it and touch their hands on the other side a wish can be granted. The cross was dug and straightened and reinforced in 1989 so today it looks different from the pictures from Fáilte Ireland which are from between the 1940s and 1950s.The Market CrossThis Cross dates from about the 12th century. The name comes from the original location of the cross. It stood near the front of the entrance gateway where a market took place. Due to increasing traffic it was moved in 1912 to St Kevin's Kitchen where it stood before being placed in the visitor's centre. The cross was rebuilt from several different pieces in the 19th century. These different pieces show evidence of different types of wear and decay so it is believed they could have been used for different functions. Another piece seems to have been buried for some time. The pieces were found scattered around the Glendalough site. The cross features the figure of the crucified Christ with another figure under him, possibly a saint or bishop.All black and white photographs are from the Fáilte Ireland Photographic Collection, Dublin City Library & Archive. See more Fáilte Ireland images in 'Through the Looking Glass': Tourism in Dublin 1940s-1950sAbout our Guest BloggerWritten by Joe Melican, Solas Student in the National Print Museum, on work experience in Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street.
Digging through the photographic collections of the Dublin & Irish Collections, Pearse Street, I came across this set of photos from May 31st 1985. These photos were of the instantly recognisable collection of beards known as the ‘The Dubliners’ standing on a bridge playing music. The event was the unveiling of a plaque that announced the renaming the Ballybough Bridge to the Luke Kelly Bridge.
Technology is an ever-changing form for the collection and communication of information. What happens, however, when the form of equipment is no longer the current practice of collecting information? What happens when the method is out dated and showing its age? At Dublin City Library and Archive, the staff work hard to preserve the documented history of Ireland even in its less prevalent forms. Numerous images were generously donated from Fáilte Ireland, the national tourism development authority.
Through the Looking Glass: Tourism in Dublin, 1950 - 1990
These photographs tell a part of the story of tourism in Dublin, offering an insight into how the city has been seen from both the inside and out. The timeline created by these images allows for an interesting comparison between then and now.
This image gallery shows a selection from the photographs and slides of the amateur photographer, William Stafford. He took most of these pictures during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. The collection contains a great variety of images, from the imposing form of Queen Victoria in the days after she was moved from her plinth outside Leinster House, to the derelict courts and alleys of the mid-20th century city. There are images here of Nelson’s Pillar just after the explosion of March 1966, the old Queen's Theatre, of flower sellers and fishmongers and street urchins. Many of the places he photographed, such as Hospital Lane in Islandbridge, have now disappeared or have changed beyond recognition. There are also images of the family business; the Stafford brothers started out importing coal and salt to their works on Ormond Quay, eventually concentrating on salt importation and packaging.The Stafford Collection material was retrieved by Jeremy Wales of the City Architects Division, and Charles Duggan, Heritage Officer, Dublin City Council, during clearance works to facilitate the development of the ‘Dublin House’ project at 29-30 Fishamble Street, the former home of William Stafford. Now held in Dublin City Library and Archive, it includes postcards, business and family papers and a large collection of religious ephemera. The siblings Angela and William appear to have been very religious, and one of their sisters, Cissie, became a Carmelite nun. One of the most interesting parts of the collection is the photographic element. On retrieval, the slides and prints had been left for years in unsuitable conditions, and were in very poor condition. Apart from a little work on the colour slides, we have not done any restoration work on the images as yet, so the viewer will get a real sense of the years that this material lay neglected in the dark and damp house in Fishamble Street.The main reason for publishing this gallery is to bring the images captured by William Stafford back into the light. We also hope that it will be seen by members of the extended Stafford family and that they will get back to us with more information on the fortunes of the family and especially on William, our photographer. Finally we are anxious to establish whether anyone has a claim to the material, and whether it can be made freely available to the people of Dublin, as we feel William Stafford would have liked.View the Stafford Image Gallery.
On Monday, 21st October, 1805, a coalition of countries commanded by Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson defeated the French and Spanish fleet in the Battle of Trafalgar. During the battle the Vice-Admiral was shot and killed.Left: Engraving: J. Warburton, J. Whitelaw, Robert Wash, History of the City of Dublin, 1818, Vol. 2 (click to view larger image)Soon after the battle, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, James Vance, convened a group of dignitaries: bankers, nobility, clergy, merchants, etc, to decide one way to honour the memory of Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar. The choice was to build a monument: a pillar. Initially it was William Wilkins who designed the project, which included a Roman galley on the top of the pillar. Later, the architect Francis Johnston (who also designed the General Post Office, Royal Hibernian Academy, St. George's Church and the Chapel Royal in Dublin Castle) changed the original design placing a statue of Nelson instead of the galley.In 1808, the foundation stone for Nelson's Pillar in Dublin's O'Connell Street was laid. The statue was funded by public subscription. The Doric column was 121 feet high, with 168 spiral steps inside, and was topped by a 13-foot high statue in Portland stone of Vice-Admiral Nelson carved by the Cork sculptor Thomas Kirk.On 21st October 1809, the fourth anniversary of the Battle Of Trafalgar, the Pillar was opened to the public for the first time. For 10d in the beginning and for 6d later, the public could enter the column and go up to contemplate Dublin city from the top.A porch at street level designed by G.P. Beater was added in 1894.Above: Nelson's Pillar Engraving: Individual print (click to view larger image)With the advent of trams, the Pillar became a tram terminus, and a popular meeting place for friends and lovers. "I'll meet you at the Pillar" became a popular saying. . Above Left: Nelson's Pillar, 1960s. Above Right: Pillar Entrance, 1960s (click images to view larger versions)On 8th March 1966, 161 years after the Battle of Trafalgar, at precisely 1:32 am, a bomb exploded and the statue of Admiral Nelson was destroyed. The badly damaged monument had to be entirely removed as a result of the extensive damage. The head of Nelson was recovered, badly damaged but intact, and has now found a permanent home in the Reading Room of the Dublin City Library and Archive on Pearse Street, where he keeps an eye on the readers researching the history of his native city. . Above Left: Nelson's Pillar, 1966. Above Right: Nelson's head (click images to view larger versions)The site of Nelson's Pillar is now occupied by The Spire.These photos are from the Dublin City Photographic Collection. Visit our online Image Galleries.