The first of the month, I walk by the bay
Weather is glorious, oh do try and stay
Gentle breeze embraces
My heart now races
Feeling lucky, on this beautiful May Day
St Helen’s
It was a place that I had passed many times but had not visited until recently, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The old, Georgian-era house – now the Radisson Blu Hotel – has a wonderful history and it is a real treat.
Built on land owned by Viscount Fitzwilliam in 1750 its first occupant was Thomas Cooley who was a barrister and Member of Parliament. And, due to the fact that it was built on a gentle slope and had a great view of Dublin Bay, it was known as Seamount.
The property has changed hands many times and was bought in 1851 by Lord Hugh Gough (born in Limerick 1779) who changed its name to St Helen’s, and lived there until he died in 1869. He had fought with distinction under the Duke of Wellington (born in Dublin 1769) in the Peninsular War and was wounded at the Battle of Talavera in 1808. In 1815 he was knighted, and later made a field marshal in a ceremony held in St Helen’s.
In 1899 Sir John Nutting bought the property and spent a lot of money extending and improving it. He had it faced with the distinctive Portland Stone, and inside Carrara marble is to be seen in the floor and fabulous pillars. In the Dining Room there is a beautiful copper border around the walls and a magnificently decorated fireplace. Apart from the house he also spent heavily on landscape gardening, lawns and stables. Later, he was given the title of Nutting Baronetcy of St. Helens. He died in 1918 and the house was bought by the Christian Brothers who used it as their headquarters until 1988. It was again on the market before its current operators, Radisson Blu Hotels, arrived in 1998.
Listed as a National Monument in 1994, and often referred to as ‘one of the most beautiful houses in the country’, there is plenty to see and enjoy here.
Filed under Architecture, Dublin, History, Ireland
Tom Clarke Remembered
Whether you are travelling north or south, the views from the bridge are unique and wonderful. To the East the river widens as it reaches Dublin Bay and Howth Head beyond, while off to the west you take in the beautiful Samuel Beckett bridge and the beating heart of the busy city. The Tom Clarke Bridge is the first, or last one across the Liffey, depending on which way you are going, and was originally called the East-Link Toll Bridge. It was renamed on 3rd May 2016, the hundredth anniversary of his execution in Kilmainham Gaol, having been opened the 21st October 1984.
Tom Clarke was born in England on 11th March 1858. His father, James (from Leitrim), was in the British Army and his mother, Mary Clogheen, was from Tipperary. After being posted to South Africa the family returned to Ireland and lived in Dungannon, Tyrone, where young Tom went to school, and the town that he always considered as home.
He went to America in 1880 where he joined Clan na Gael. Later, in 1883, he was stopped by police in London while carrying a bag of explosives, and he was sentenced to life in prison, spending fifteen years incarcerated. He returned to America and became a naturalised US citizen on 2 November 1905. He and his wife Kathleen returned to Ireland that year, and he was soon involved in politics.
As the senior figure in the Irish Republican Brotherhood he was the first signatory of the Proclamation on the 18th April, due to the respect that the other six leaders held him in.
Due to the increasing level of traffic there was a need for a new bridge to the east of the city, and the project took a year and a half to complete. A simple design was a deliberate choice due to the pressures of time and money, and National Toll Roads operated the bridge until the 1st January 2016 when Dublin City Council took over its ownership.
April – Springtime Is Here
April’s here, the days grow and run
Brighter now, under a warming sun
East Pier for a walk
A long friendly talk
Gentle breeze whispers, let’s have fun
Count John McCormack
John McCormack, the lyric tenor, was born on the 14th June 1884 in Athlone, County Westmeath. He was one of eleven children born to Andrew McCormack and Hannah Watson, both of whom were from Galashiels, Scotland and his father was foreman in the Athlone Woollen Mills. He was baptised in St Mary’s Church, Athlone, on 23 June 1884.
He went to school in Athlone before attending Summerhill College, Sligo. When his family moved to Dublin he sang in the St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral choir, and it was here that his young talent was first noticed. In 1903 he entered the prestigious Feis Ceoil competition and won the gold medal. The following year he practised with and helped James Joyce, a young man who also had ambitions of becoming a singer, but sadly for Joyce he only won the bronze medal.
In 1905 he set off for Italy where he was trained by Vincenzo Sabatini, the renowned voice coach, before making his operatic debut on the 13th of January 1906 in Mascagni’s L’amico Fritz at the Teatro Chiabrera, Savona. In 1907 he had his first operatic performance in Covent Garden, London, in Cavalleria rusticana, becoming the theatre’s youngest principal tenor. Later, he partnered Nellie Melba, the most famous soprano at the time, and performed there for eight consecutive seasons.
In 1909 he toured the major cities of America, and his recordings were hugely successful. Later he stepped back from appearing in operas and preferred to give recitals which proved to be both perfect, and profitable, for him. He was the first artist to record It’s a Long Way to Tipperary; and Keep The Home Fires Burning in 1917. And, due to his singing and support of various Catholic charities he received the title of Papal Count in 1928.
He returned to Ireland and bought Glena on Rock Road, Booterstown for the fresh, sea air as his health was suffering due to worsening emphysema. He died on 16th September 1945 and was buried in Deansgrange Cemetery, Dublin.
Photo: Eddie Hanlon
Filed under Art, Dublin, History, Ireland, James Joyce
Grand Slam Glory
Another Grand Slam, let’s rejoice
Sing it out loud, be in great voice
Andy Farrell’s our man
With a glorious plan
Racking up points, yeah, that’s nice!
Dundrum – Corner of the Pale
Like many small villages in and around Dublin, Dundrum grew slowly and quietly until the introduction of the Dublin South East Railway in 1854. This was constructed by William Dargan, Ireland’s first ‘railway mogul’. The line was operated until 1958 when it closed amid much controversy, only to be reopened with the introduction of the LUAS in 2004. The elegant, new bridge, named after the line’s creator, reflects the nature of change and rebirth that the area has seen.
In 1971 a modern shopping centre opened across the road from the Dundrum train station. It was the second of its kind in the country (Stillorgan S/C being the first) and dominated the neighbourhood for years.
In response to the recent level of construction in the area new roads were built which bypass the old village. Holy Cross church is still a refuge of peace, and along with the red-brick terraces, standing for over a century, give the main street a quiet, almost timeless air. The 17th century St Nahi’s Church is an interesting place where you can see the baptismal font used for the christening of Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, and the grave of George Johnstone Stoney, the Irish physicist who introduced the term electron as the ‘fundamental unit quantity of electricity’.
The library, which now almost sits under the new bridge was opened in 1914. It was one of many libraries funded by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, and it is still a busy place even in the expanding digital age. The contrast between the old building beneath the towering new bridge conjures up a sense of progress with an acknowledgement to the past. For a village that was once at the corner of the Pale – the area established by Henry II between 1171-72 and where English rule was established – Dundrum is now very much at the centre of things and moving forward.
Filed under Architecture, Dublin, History, Ireland
William Dargan
William Dargan, one of Ireland’s most important engineers of the 19th century, was born on the 28th February 1799 in County Carlow. He attended local school where he excelled at mathematics, before getting a position in a surveyor’s office in Carlow. By 1819, and with the help of local MP Henry Purcell, he was working with the renowned engineer Thomas Telford on the important Holyhead to London road. In 1824, and back in Ireland, he assisted Telford on extending the Howth Road from Raheny to Sutton, leading Parnell to describe the road as “a model for other roads in the vicinity of Dublin”. He also was assistant manager for three years on the Birmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal, as well as adding more roads in Dublin, Carlow and Louth.
Busy as he was he did find time to marry Jane Arkinstall on the 13th October 1828 in the Church of St Michael & All Angels, Adbaston, Staffordshire, but they had no children.
In 1825 when the Irish parliament decided to construct a railway from Dublin to Kingstown – DKR (now Dun Laoghaire) he became committed to setting it up, and along with the engineer, Charles Vignoles, they designed the route and the line was opened on the 17th December 1834. It was very successful, and it was the earliest dedicated commuter in the world. Other lines were completed: Dublin to Drogheda, and the Great Southern and Western Railway. He contributed nearly eight hundred miles of track to the rail network and was rightly called the ‘Founder of Railways in Ireland’. He also designed the Ulster Canal, connecting Lough Erne and Belfast, which was a difficult but brilliantly handled project.
In 1853 he was the lead promoter for the Great Exhibition that was held on the lawns of Leinster House. Afterwards, he was involved in the creation of the National Gallery of Ireland on the same site, and a statue to him stands outside the main entrance.
He died on the 7th February 1867, and was buried in Glasnevin cemetery.
Filed under Architecture, Dublin, History, Ireland
Flann O’Brien
Brian O’Nolan, author, poet, columnist, and better-known to many as Flann O’Brien, was born on the 11th October 1911 in Strabane, County Tyrone. His father, Michael, was an officer in the Customs and Excise Service and this necessitated much moving about from one post to another as he proceeded to rise to more senior positions. The family lived in Glasgow, Dublin, Tullamore and the children were educated at home by a tutor or correspondence course.
He finally went into formal education at CBS Synge Street when the family were living in Herbert Place. The place didn’t agree with him, and he was much happier when they moved to Avoca Terrace and he was sent to Blackrock College. Although not a rugby player he made friends easily. Later, he studied English, Irish and German in UCD and graduated in 1932. He joined the Department of Local Government in 1935 and two years later he became the family breadwinner when his father died.
His book At-Swim-Two-Birds which was published by Longman, using the pseudonym ‘Flann O’Brien’, in March 1939. In 1967 The Third Policeman was published to great acclaim. From 1940 to 1966 he wrote the column Cruiskeen Lawn in the Irish Times under the pseudonym ‘Myles na gCopaleen’. This was very popular and allowed him to discuss topics of the day and take issue with of those in authority. He introduced us to The Brother (a real Dubliner), the Plain People of Ireland and the fantastic puns of Keats and Chapman.
In 1954 he was one of the six ORIGINALS who went on the first Bloomsday trip from Sandycove, but only managed to make it to The Bailey such was their inebriation. A verse from his poem The Workman’s Friend is due:
When things go wrong and will not come right,
Though you do the best you can,
When life looks black as the hour of night
A pint of plain is your only man.
He died on 1st April 1966 and was buried in Deansgrange Cemetery, Dublin.
Daniel O’Connell Memorial
There are many statues and monuments on O’Connell Street with that of Daniel ‘The Liberator‘ O’Connell (1775-1847) being a most wonderful piece. Having done so much for the cause of Irish freedom it was no surprise that he should be honoured in such a grand style, and the story behind the memorial’s completion is a very interesting one indeed.
Shortly after O’Connell’s death a committee was setup to raise funds for the creation of a memorial to The Liberator, and it soon raised over £8,000. A two-ton granite stone, cut from the quarry in Dalkey, was put in place on the 8th August 1862, by the Lord Mayor, Peter McSwiney. Later, a competition was held for design of the memorial with a closing date of 1st January 1865. However, none of the designs were acceptable to the committee which was headed by Sir John Gray, and he contacted John Henry (JH) Foley (the Dublin-born sculptor) who was then living and working in London. There were protests against the possible transfer of funds out of Ireland ‘for the execution of an undertaking which, above all others, should be thoroughly national, and as the monument originated from Irish hearts, so it should be sculptured by none other than Irish hands.’
Foley agreed to having an Irish architect submit designs that he might use in the memorial, and in a progress report to the committee in August 1871 said that the work would be completed by 1875 – the centenary of O’Connell’s birth. However, it was not to be as Foley died in 1874 and Thomas Brock, his assistant, was officially appointed to complete the memorial four years later.
The memorial is 40 feet high with the statue of O’Connell being 12 feet tall. Below it there is a frieze where the Maid of Erin points up to her liberator, while in her other hand she holds the 1829 Catholic Emancipation Act. Finally, there are the four winged victories representing the virtues attributed to O’Connell – patriotism, courage, eloquence and fidelity. It was unveiled on the 15th August 1882.
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