Dublin City Council have launched a new digital collection called Vanishing Dublin which show ‘features of Dublin that have disappeared or changed utterly during the second half of the twentieth century’.
Some of the change is welcome. Few will miss the deprivation of the tenements. Other images are portals into our civic past – we can imagine the workers from Stoneybatter harrying through Thundercut Alley on their way to work at Smithfield or children rummaging for ‘hidden treasure’ through the debris of George’s Pocket.
The photos also tell stories of communities now dispersed. The residents of the Gloucester Diamond and Chamber Street saw their communities transformed. What remains of where they lived is digitally preserved here for them and their descendants.
The gallery depicts a ‘vanishing’ rather than a ‘vanished’ Dublin – one that persists in the memories of those who walked its streets, worked in its shops, drank and sang in its pubs, and called it ‘home’.
Scriven's Alley Racquets Court, John's Lane East, Wood Quay (1950)
Merchants's Arch (1974)
Greene's Bookshop, Clare Street (1971)
Parnell Street (1987)
Click on the book for more.
Click on the book for more.
Great pics, love the one of Merchant’s arch ’74.
Thanks for the photos. It’s so easy to forget what the city used to look like even 10 to 15 years ago. The one that struck me the most is Parnell St. It’s hard to believe that the street has changed so much. I lived there in 1994 and even then it had changed a lot in the 7 years since ’87. Here’s another older [url=http://dublincitypubliclibraries.com/content/072-parnell-street]pic showing where Peat’s used to be[/url] (across the road where the FÁS office is now).
Great stuff and thanks for drawing attention to it. I hadn’t been aware of the collection.
This is my shot of Merchants Arch today, and in the 1960s (see comments):
and the demise of Nelson’s Pillar:
http://www.photopol.com/pillar.html
and some views from the top of the Pillar:
http://www.photopol.com/gallery/procath.html
http://www.photopol.com/gallery/savoy.html
http://www.photopol.com/gallery/libhall.html
http://www.photopol.com/gallery/rotunda.html
Hi Polo can I print off some of these for use in my primary school. 6th Class in Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhurie Parnell Square. They love this sort of stuff. The Rotunda View is excellent. Theyt wouldn’t be published just viewed. Thanks
Brian O’ Toole
Brian. Fáilte romhat. You can use anything from anywhere on my site or Flickr as long as you’re not making money out of it.
Seriously though, I have put up a huge amount of stuff, including family history stuff, on my site and hope that it is of some use to people.
You are probably aware of my Coláiste page
http://www.photopol.com/colaiste/fcolaiste.html
I was there 1952-63.
Later Coláiste guys/gals also now have a facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_24485432683
If you want to mail me you can do so from my home page
http://www.photopol.com/
Beir bua
Pól
Used to come from Navan to get games for my Amiga in the old Peat’s!
Peats used to be great for gadgets and parts, a virtual treasure trove for a young boy.
However, it has gone “upmarket” and is quite expensive. It also lacks the personal service it used to have. I bought a radio there some years ago and they wanted me to buy it without hearing the quality. They explained that you couldn’t test the quality in the shop as there was so much electronic interference. I insisted and finally persuaded an assistant to accompany me out into the street so I could assess the quality while they ensured I didn’t scarper with the radio.
[…] of images of Dublin’s vanishing and forgotten features (see JayCarax’s piece on that here ) and about actually how much of this city has been erased. Streets, buildings and sites of […]
Nice views and memories but with the crisis I bet it could all be back before we know it.
Anthony, If you think you have seen great changes in Parnell St can you imagine how I feel!!!! I left there in 1953, born just off Parnell St in 1934. I remember the warren that was Coles Lane as well as almost every shop the lenght of the street from Capel St. to the Parnell monument.
I remember when “Peats” was just starting. Ma Ma bought our first T.V. from them sometime in the mid or late 50s
She paid weekely for it!
If I’m reading my history books right, that Racquets Court had been a tennis court since at least the early 1600s. Apparently the site is protected but from memory (and Google Maps) I don’t see any physical evidence of it any more…