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.
Although provision had been made for the establishment of free public libraries in Ireland since 1855 it was not until 1883 that Dublin Corporation formed a Public Libraries Committee. In April, 1883, the committee recommended "that two libraries be established at an annual cost of 1,000 pounds; from the Borough Funds and that a Committee be appointed to establish and manage the libraries".
An American studying in Ireland has the opportunity for many adventures and cultural experiences. Although I never thought my experiences would enable me to search for a nameless face in an intriguing old photograph. But somehow it did and I’m certainly glad it did.As a student at Trinity College pursuing my Master’s in Public History and Cultural Heritage, I decided to take on my internship at the Dublin City Library and Archive (DCLA); I knew I wanted to work with people and photographs and I felt this was the place to do it.As I searched through the countless photographs at DCLA, I sought to discover a face with a story, even though that story was at the time unknown to me.Towards the end of my search of the photographic collection, I saw an attractive young face with a candid expression looking up at me. I was immediately drawn to the photo and knew it had the potential to serve me well with my endeavour.Without a name or much information to work with I, with the help of DCLA staff, researched the photo and mainly through social media, found the man I had been searching for - Mark Leddy, a Dubliner born and raised.As soon as I contacted Mark (who was very open towards my project), I learned that he was a man with a particular sarcastic Irish style who challenged me to develop complementary questions to suit his unique persona.Above: Mark Leddy by the 8th Lock next to Ballyfermot in the late 1980s. (click to view larger image)I had the privilege to interview Mark in order to gain insight during the time in which the photo was taken to today and how he and the city have changed.The photograph was taken when Mark was 13 or 14 years old, in the late 1980s by the 8th Lock on the Grand Canal next to Ballyfermot. Highly interested in the arts at a young age, he presumes he was writing a poem when the photo was taken.“At the time I wanted to be seen as an artist,” he explains. He also recalls he was listening to The Doors with the headphones around his neck as he “wanted to be Jim Morrison.”During this time Mark always had his head in the clouds. “When I grew up I wanted to live inside Back to the Future. That was my projected future; that’s what I wanted out of life, fantasy,” Mark recalls.As we chatted, it became clear that the arts played a major role in Mark’s upbringing and thus, in how he looks upon Ireland – both in the past and nowadays.During the interview, he even went on to recite verses from W.B. Yeats’ September 1913. Mark believes “The old romantic Ireland we thought existed is gone” and that “Ireland has become a souvenir to the rest of the world.”He recognises that the city has changed a great deal, like every place it has its challenges but reveals that “it’s a beautiful place with some beautiful people.”Growing up Mark believed the world loved the Irish and that “wherever we go we’re welcomed.”Today when he’s with people from abroad, they typically say they love the Irish. Speaking about Dublin in particular, he insists “people have some romantic view of the city.” And if they have an Irish heritage, they are going to see it a bit more romantically than it actually is.Above: Mark Leddy by the 8th Lock next to Ballyfermot in 2015. (click to view larger image)Mark is pensive as he reflects upon Dublin, “It’s as many splendored as the streets.”“People come to the city, they walk up ten streets, they visit nine pubs and they have great fun. And then they somehow have a highly detailed view of the city. I don’t even have it and I’ve been living here all my life.”Yet, Dublin is home for Mark, it’s familiar; “The more you walk the same path the more you know the path.”It’s his hometown and he will live and probably die here. Although, the ideal home for Mark would be in a remote cabin, “maybe a little babbling brook to get the water from in the morning. Just get away from everyone. I’d love to be a mountain man,” he says.To get away from the bustling city, Mark enjoys spending time along the canal; he walks the same paths as where the photo was taken over thirty years ago.“Nowadays the place that gets the most out of me is the canal.” He walks his dog in the area every day for three to four hours. He also keeps himself busy by doing a variety of activities such as reading, listening to music, and watching movies. “I keep myself interested in things; I’m rarely bored.”Mark is also an avid photographer. About a year ago, a friend introduced him to long exposure photographs at night. He took one photo and was “amazed and then just hooked.”Then in the following months he wandered the city every night at two in the morning to capture the perfect image.Soon after, he discovered photographing people. “That’s tough but when it works they’re great photos. And my trick is not to pose them; I don’t like posed images. And you can pose them without posing, you can do that if you’re clever enough. For me the photograph is a crayon that does what you want,” he quips.With Dublin’s rich diversity of people and culture, it’s an excellent place to have the hobby of photography. There are “characters that will keep you entertained all day. What else are you going to do all day? There are some very funny (humorous) people in Dublin.”Dublin will continue to stand witness to Mark Leddy’s life, just as Mark Leddy will continue his observations and impressions of the city. The two will interact and influence each other just as they always have and ultimately, Mark Leddy’s path will continue to be the evolving face of a Dubliner.About our Guest Blogger, Emily CooksonEmily is a student at Trinity College Dublin pursuing her Master’s degree in Public History and Cultural Heritage. Emily worked on a project designed to bring both the past and present into focus, revitalizing photographs of the past and placing them into terms of modernity. Emily put out a call in February for information about a number of individuals featured in photographs from the past, in order to learn more about their lives, their personal history and memory, and the circumstances of when the photographs were taken. This is one such story to emerge from that call.
Monuments and statues are a significant feature of the cityscape of Dublin; some make an appearance for a short period of time, while others become more permanent fixtures. This collection of images represents some of those statues that have spent time in the capital city, as well as some that are soon to move. Certain monuments that no longer adorn the streets and parks of Dublin reflect the nation’s indefatigable struggle to regain independence, such as those that were notably connected to the British Monarchy, which unfortunately included the only three equestrian statues in Ireland.
This gallery is a tribute to an animal which has been a friend to Dubliners through the centuries. Whether as a working horse, a military high-stepper, a means of transport or simply a beloved companion, these images show the important role Dublin horses played in daily life throughout the last century, from those pulling the Lord Mayor’s Coach to those feeding from an old car in Labre Park.
Alive Alive O! Dublin's Markets and Street Sellers
Crying cockles and mussels! Alive Alive O! Cabbages on Moore Street, lilies on Grafton Street, Christmas decorations on Thomas Street. The photographs here tell the story of the changes to the markets during the late 20th and early 21st century - the demise of the Iveagh clothes market, the re-invention of the Smithfield Horse Fair and the huge changes undergone by the street traders in Moore Street during the redevelopment of the area from the 1970s onwards.
Monday, 26th August, marked the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the strike in Dublin of 700 tramway-men belonging to James Larkin’s Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union (IT&GWU), a strike that developed into a general lockout of union members.
The Gloucester Diamond got its name from the diamond-shaped intersection at Gloucester Place and Sean Macdermott Street. Colloquially, ‘The Diamond’ refers not just to Gloucester Place, but the entire area surrounding it. It is recorded in Thomas Campbell’s map of 1811 which predates the first Ordnance Survey maps of the area (1829-41).The photographs in this gallery were taken between 1968 and 1987 and therefore depict the later redevelopments.