#dublinsubculture

Irish National War Memorial Gardens, "Fancy a stroll around beautifully designed gardens near Dublin City" Photo: Taken by me The memorial gardens built to honour the Irish lives lost during World War One were created by the well-known architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. They are a masterwork of landscape and architectural design.Situated at Island bridge,  the gardens are on the southern bank of the River Liffey. This site was picked because of its beautiful  views of the river and the surrounding landscape.A calm and reflective ambiance is created as it is hidden away from busy roads and the bustling city.Views from within the space are captured threw tree line promenades and a series of levelled terraces that slow your movement threw the space allowing time for reflection.From the river side you can see up to the Phoenix Park and the Wellington Testimonial Monument. Today it is a vibrant public park that locals use in many forms, as you walk threw the space you can ...

Situated on Church Street, just around the corner from the Jameson Distillery in Smithfield, St. Michan's Church is located behind Dublin's Four Courts. The northside of Dublin's oldest parish church, it was established in 1095. Rebuilt in 1685, it has a grand pipe organ that is said to have been performed by Handel during the very first performance of his "Messiah." Although the main church still hosts mass every second Sunday and its inside hasn't altered much since the Victorian era, what's underneath is much more intriguing. Beneath the church, accessible by broad, chained metal doors and a short stone staircase, are burial vaults housing the mummified remains of several prominent Dublin families from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Here below are the fabled Sheares brothers. The Irish Rebellion of 1798 led to the conviction of these republican rebels for high treason. As was customary at the time, they were consequently hanged, drawn, and quartere...

  Situated away in Dublin's St. Enda's Park, the Pearse Museum is a tribute to the resilience of Irish nationalism and the unwavering legacy of one of its leading exponents, Patrick Pearse. Originally the location of Pearse's 1908-founded St. Enda's School, this historic estate today stands as a moving tribute to the man and the significant influence he had on the development of Irish history. Born in Dublin on November 10, 1879, Patrick Pearse was a man of extraordinary vision and passion. He had a great affection for Ireland and its rich cultural past from a young age. St. Enda's School was founded by him because of his great belief in the value of Irish language, literature, and folklore. The school's mission is to develop the next generation of Irish leaders who possess a strong sense of national identity. Pearse aimed to impart in his students at St. Enda's a deep appreciation for their nation's history and customs, in addition to a love of it. The ...

Smithfield Tower  The best view in Dublin, Built in 1895 for The Jamson's Whisky distillery, the malthouse chimney was abandoned in 1970 and lay forgotten for many years until becoming a 360-degree observation deck in 1999 that offered an aerial view of the city skyline. Standing at a height of sixty metres, it is among the tallest buildings in Dublin. From St. Stephens Green to Croke Park to Glasnevin Cemetery, you can view the entire skyline of the city, and on a clear day, you can even see the Moorne mountains to the north. The observation deck is reached after a staggering 297 steps of climbing.  "Patrick Geddes, one of the 20th century's greatest town planners, always maintained that the only way to get a sense of a city and the network of relationships between its buildings and spaces is to rise above the rooftops"(2000).With the aid of Dublin Bay, which encircles the city to the east, and the  River Liffey, which runs through the city from east to west, you c...

  The history of Howth Castle dates back to the Middle Ages. John de Courcy and Almeric, the first Lord of Howth, travelled to Ireland in 1177. According to legend, St. Lawrence won a battle at Evora Bridge, near the Church of Ireland, on August 10, the day of his feast day, giving him control of the Howth peninsula. It is supposed that he adopted the name St. Lawrence as a token of appreciation for this. Although Almeric constructed his wooden fortress above the harbor, a deed clearly shows that by 1235, a new fortress had been erected on the current location amidst the lush terrain. Once more, wood would have been used to build this. The current structure's earliest surviving elements date to the middle of the fifteenth century. Subsequent generations made significant alterations to the house to fit their own needs, 1738, when the house assumed its current form and when Sir Edwin Lutyens renovated and extended the building in 1911 and. Even now, traces of the changes may still be...

  The best preserved row of early to mid-18th century homes in Ireland may be seen on Henrietta Street. When residences were constructed for Dublin's wealthiest families in the 1720s, construction on the street officially started. In 1911, there were more than 850 residents on the street, with more than 100 of them residing in one home at 14 Henrietta Street. Much of Dublin is lined with elegant Georgian residences, and No. 14 is a perfect example of Georgian Dublin. When the first residences on Henrietta Street arose in 1720, the street was named for Henrietta, Duchess of Grafton, whose husband served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. No. 14 is one of three tastefully designed Georgian houses on the block that Irish real estate developer Luke Gardiner constructed in the 1840s.  Viscount General Richard Molesworth of Swords and his second wife Mary were the first family to live at the house. During the War of the Spanish Succession, Molesworth led his soldiers at the battles of B...

The Oratory of the Sacred Heart Celtic Revival style art close to you ! One example of Ireland's rich religious and architectural history is the Oratory of the Sacred Heart in Dún Laoghaire. Located in the centre of Dún Laoghaire, a busy seaside town south of Dublin, this holy building is significant for both its religious purpose and its magnificent architecture. In what seems like a simple building from the exterior has a very impressive interior that will take you by surprise. Designed by William Hague Jr, built between 1919 and 1922, commissioned by the Roman Catholic Church of Dun Laoghaire. The design of the Oratory has strong roots in the Celtic Revival style, which was popularised in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a means of honouring and resurrecting Ireland's rich cultural legacy. The elaborate interlace patterns, symbolism, and love for nature that defined Ireland's ancient Celtic history served as the inspiration for this architectural style.The Domin...

     Dublin's doors from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are arguably the most recognisable pictures of the city's Golden Age of architecture. Unfortunately, none of the several ideas that have been proposed to explain why they are so colourfully painted and embellished are likely to be accurate. Some have speculated, for example, that the custom dates back to Elizabeth I, when a Puritan official ordered that every window and door frame in the city be painted the same dull brown colour. The creative and expressive community replied by painting them with the brightest colours they could locate in a defiant act.  A comparable history originates from Queen Victoria's reign in the late 1800s. According to some, the bereaved queen ordered that all of Dublin's doors be painted black in honour of her late husband, Prince Albert. Once more, the disobedient Dubliners refused and created a colourful disturbance outside their front doors. Neither of these legends has an...