Thursday, April 4, 2013

D is for Dublin


I have been fortunate over the course of my life to have visited many cities abroad. Each has its own unique style, culture and atmosphere. New York, Paris, London, Rome, Melbourne, Toronto, Bangalore … I could go on. The vast majority of these visits have been in the context of work. I unashamedly admit I have fallen out of love with the corporate world of work but if there is one thing I am grateful for it is the opportunities I was afforded to visit and to fall in love with so many wonderful places.

That said, if I was told that I could feature only one city in my A-Z Challenge, then it would have to be Dublin. A city steeped in history, it has undergone enormous change over the past 20 years, very much a symbol of the new-found prosperity that Ireland enjoyed during the recent boom times. The good times have gone and while Dublin is now clothed in its Celtic Tiger facelift it also retains much of its quintessence.

Here is a view of just some aspects of Dublin, as seen through my camera lens.

Dublin – A City of History and Tradition


The GPO (General Post Office), in the centre of O'Connell Street, is one of Ireland's most famous buildings and was the last of the great Georgian public buildings erected in the capital. During the Easter Rising of 1916, the GPO served as the headquarters of the uprising's leaders.



"In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty ..."
Statue of Molly Malone, she of cockles and mussels fame from the song, stands at the end of Grafton Street, with Trinity College in the background.



A flower seller taking a break on Moore Street. The famous Moore Street open air fruit and vegetable market is Dublin's oldest food market.



Built in 1816 over the River Liffey and originally called the Wellington Bridge (after the Duke of Wellington), the name of the bridge changed to Liffey Bridge. The Liffey Bridge remains the bridge's official name to this day, although it is still commonly referred to as the Ha'penny Bridge.


Dublin – A changing City


A view at dusk along the River Liffey shows the changing face of Dublin. The Customs House, built in 1791, is flanked on the left by Liberty Hall (at one time Ireland's tallest building) - 'classic' 1960's architecture. On the right is the IFSC (International Financial Services Centre), developed in the late 1980s, which today houses more than half of the world's top 50 financial institutions.


The New Face of Dublin


The Samuel Beckett Bridge, one of the newest bridges to span the Liffey, is one of a number of modern structures that now grace the urban landscape of Dublin.



The ultra-modern facade of the Bord Gais Energy Theatre which stands in Grand Canal Square.

8 comments:

  1. I would love to visit Iteland and Dublin would probably be the city. Funny, my son was just trying his Irish accent. I forgot what he was saying. Lovely pictures!

    Come check out my A to Z! Jen Hemming and Hawing Again

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    1. Thanks Jen. I hope you do get to visit Ireland. As well as Dublin, I recommend the west of Ireland - very rural and very scenic!

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  2. Dublin is a great city, personally, I love Galway, but that's a different letter. Great post glad you liked the city.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. I rather like Galway too :-)

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  3. A picture tells a thousand words. Love this blog as I love Dublin. Well done. x Carol

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    1. Thanks Carol. I'm trying to find a reason to use a photo with each of my posts. One or two of them will be stretching the theme a bit!!

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  4. I'm a few days behind sorry!
    This is fab though John. Great pics
    And a smashing bit of history :)

    auntyamo
    http://ficticiousamo.wordpress.com

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    1. Thanks Annmarie - I'm doing a bit of catch-up myself tonight!

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