Storymap have just released over a dozen new videos of Dublin storytellers, as part of the Dubline project. The Dubline is intended as a historical and cultural route that runs from Trinity College Dublin to Kilmainham. These stories are a great adddition to the stories along the route which were already recorded as part of their broader project of mapping the city. You can see their map of the Dubline stories here.
A screengrab of the new Storymap ‘Dubline’.
Beginning down at College Green, Lorcan Collins has contributed this great video on the history of King Billy on College Green. We’ve looked at this statue in the past, quoting from Ireland in Pictures (1898) who wrote that “no statue in the world, perhaps, has been subject to so many vicissitudes.” Lorcan’s story ends with praise for the brilliant Thomas Davis statue, and the meaning of that man to the nation:
Ross Keane from the IFI talks about the history of that institution, including controversies around films which suffered to Ireland’s infamous film censorship such as Natural Born Killers.
My own father has contributed to the series, telling the story of the horrific Whiskey Fire that hit the Liberties in 1875. Horses and pigs running through the streets, dead bodies carried out of wakes and burning tenements all feature. You’ll be amazed to hear how all those who died met their end:
My own earlier contribution to the Storymap series features along the route, in the form of the story of Vonolel, a famous and honoured horse. We’ve posted that here on the site before.
Click on the book for more.
Click on the book for more.
Donal
Ciarán
Sam
Come Here To Me! 
Reblogged this on Gotche96's Blog.
Brilliant about the fire. And the deaths…any other less-respected source and I’d have been doubting that story 🙂
Roy, it is a fire that has always fascinated me. It was a huge incident at the time. The brigade were in attendance for five days before the last fires in warehouses and other buildings were put out and this was after the burning whiskey was dealt with. There was actually a bit of a fuss in the newspapers as a Mr. Crofton from the Corporation (the son of a former City Engineer) tried to claim credit for having the manure brought to the Liberties to fight the fire but Captain Ingram put pen to paper and told of the ‘great distress caused to the men of the brigade’ by this claim as it was all his idea and was in place before Crofton even arrived on the scene. The papers of the day carried great reports and the Illustrated London News did a feature on it. The illustrations used in the Storymap feature were from the ILS article including the stampeding pigs and the lads filling their boots. It is a piece of forgotten history, by accident or design I cannot say. Some bits of history are deliberately forgotten – how many people will tell you that their great granny was out looting in Easter Week and got a really nice dress (and a set of golf clubs)?