The Northside of the River Liffey
Next day I went out and got us breakfast and we had the same arrangement as before where I went out on my own first then took Peter out later.
This time I had decided to explore the north side of the river. I started by walking to The National Wax Museum, then crossing O'Connell Bridge and heading off to the right. I wanted to see The Custom House which I had noticed on the drive in from the airport.
National Wax Museum.
The O'Connell Bridge.
The Custom House dates back to the eighteenth century when John Beresford, the first commissioner of revenue for Ireland, appointed architect James Gandon to build it in order that customs revenue could be collected from ships travelling on the River Liffey. Originally there was also a Customs Dock and a swing bridge. However, over the years the port of Dublin was moved further downriver, and the Custom House became obsolete. The Customs Dock was filled in and the swing bridge was demolished. Then in 1921 the IRA burnt the Custom House down to destroy the records kept there by the British government. After the Anglo-Irish treaty the Irish Free State Government had the building rebuilt. Nowadays The Custom House is home to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. It also has a visitors centre.
The Custom House.
The Custom House.
The Loopline Bridge.
I continued further along the river because I wanted to see The Famine Memorial.
The Great Famine which occurred in Ireland between 1845 and 1852 was a horrendous event that had a colossal impact on Irish history. Basically the Irish people were heavily dependent on the potato as their staple diet and a fungus-like organism known as the potato blight destroyed all the potato crops several years running. This led to starvation on a major scale. It is believed that between one to one and a half million people in Ireland died due to the potato famine. Another million people tried to escape death by emigrating to The United Kingdom, The United States, Canada and Australia.
The only crop affected by the blight was the potato, but Ireland also grew corn, wheat and barley and produced beef. Why didn't they just eat that? Well, because their British landlords continued to export this for profit while the poor people all around them starved to death. Naturally such injustices led to future unrest.
The famine memorial stands on Custom House Quay. It was designed by Dublin sculptor Rowan Gillespie. As you would expect, it's a very disturbing sculpture, hard to look at. It depicts people who are helpless, hopeless and starving to death. Perhaps they are using what little remaining strength they have to try and reach the Dublin docks and gain a place on a famine ship, which could take them to a country with food.
Approaching the famine memorial.
A half dead man carrying his lifeless child.
Clutching the few possessions they have..
Rake thin and lifeless.
Can they make it as far as the ships? And if they do, what next?
Of course this memorial exists within a context and just a little way further on there are two things also connected to the famine. One is a museum called Epic which tells the story of mass Irish emigration.
Epic
The other is The Jeanie Johnstone famine ship, a replica of a ship that took starving people on an epic voyage to a new life, if they managed to survive the journey. The original Jeanie Johnstone was built in Canada in 1847. During the famine years she made sixteen transatlantic voyages and carried around 2,500 emigrants to a new life.
Sign for the Jeanie Johnstone.
The Jeanie Johnstone.
The Jeanie Johnstone.
Figurehead of the Jeanie Johnstone.
I continued past the Jeanie Johnstone because I like bridges. I had already past an attractive bridge called The Sean O'Casey Bridge.
The Sean O'Casey Bridge
Selfie on The Sean O'Casey Bridge.
Now I wanted to keep going to The Samuel Beckett Bridge.
The Samuel Beckett Bridge.
The Samuel Beckett Bridge.
There were also lovely views of the river in certain places.
This is a view towards the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church.
Closeup.
River.
River.
River.
River.
River.
River.
I hadn't intended to go further in this direction but I could see another ship up ahead and decided to find out what it was. It turned out to be EMV Cill Airne, a former tender ship that is now a bar and restaurant.
MV Cill Airne.
On the other side of the road was the Dublin Convention Centre.
The Convention Centre.
On the banks of the river.
I had walked along on the water side. I turned round and went back on the other side of the road. When I reached The Epic Museum I had a look at the Triumphal Arch which was built in 1813 and used to be the entrance to The Custom House. I also had a look at the Royal Canal and the Scherezer Bridges which are twin rolling lift bridges.
The Triumphal Arch.
The Triumphal Arch.
Canal.
Canal bridge.
Royal Canal Scherzer Bridges.
I then decided to leave the waterfront and head inland a bit. I found The Chariot of Life Sculpture by Oisín Kelly, a Scottish Presbyterian Church and The Silver Penny, which was the local Wetherspoons pub. (Don't tell Peter he'll want to go.)
Chariot of Life" sculpture by Oisín Kelly.
Scots Presbyterian Church
The Silver Penny.
Tram.
I turned left and headed to O'Connell Street. There's a lot to see here including the famous General Post Office and many, many monuments. So why would a General Post Office be worth visiting? Well, because this was the headquarters of the leaders of The Easter Rising. Outside this building on the 24th of April 1916 Patrick Pearse read out the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. During the course of the fighting, the post office was destroyed except for its granite facade. It was rebuilt in 1929 by the Irish Free State Government. Nowadays this building is still a working post office, though part of it is also a museum.
General Post Office outside
And in.
General Post Office.
General Post Office.
General Post Office.
The myriad of statues in this area included the writer James Joyce, another talking statue.
James Joyce.
James Joyce.
Then there's Jim Larkin in front of The General Post Office. Larkin played an important part in the Irish labour movement and was the leader of the 1913 Dublin Lockout. The base of the monument has a quote attributed to The French Revolution: "The great appear great because we are on our knees. Let us rise".
Jim Larkin in front of GPO.
Close up.
Then there's Irish priest Father Theobald Mathew who played a leading role in the temperance movement and was known as the Apostle of Temperance.
Father Theobald Mathew.
Next I looked at Sir John Gray, an Irish physician, surgeon, journalist, and politician.
Sir John Gray Monument
On the other side of the road from the post office there was a huge department store called Clerys which I found quite striking. Unfortunately this shop closed down in 2015.
Clerys.
There was yet another monument on this street. This one was to William Smith O'Brien, an Irish nationalist and the leader of the Young Ireland movement. O'Brien was well-known for his fight for Irish interests in the British House of Commons.]
William Smith O'Brien.
Right at the end of the street near the O'Connell Bridge, there was a monument to Daniel O'Connell. He was known as "the Liberator" for his successful campaign for Catholic Emancipation in Ireland.
Daniel O'Connell statue.
Daniel O'Connell.
Daniel O'Connell.
I was nearly back to where I had started my walk, but I hadn't finished, not by a long way. This time I intended to walk along the north side of the Liffey all the way to Phoenix Park.
On the way there I passed the Ha'penny Bridge again and liked the monument at the other end of it, which is another talking statue. It's called meeting place and shows two women sitting down to chat after they have finished their shopping. I sent a copy of this to my neighbour, Jane and she said it looked like her and me sitting at the bus-stop. I didn't have the heart to tell her A.I. calls this 'the hags with the bags'. Actually this was my favourite of all the statues I saw, because it was just of ordinary people. I also passed the Grattan Bridge and some colourful buildings.
Ha'penny Bridge.
Meeting Place.
Meeting Place.
The Grattan Bridge.
Buildings by the river.
Boat.
River.
Further along I came to some interesting Street art. I especially liked the 'do not remove ' one.
Do not remove.
Do not remove.
Shark.
I reached an attractive looking building which was in the process of being renovated. This turned out to be the four courts and dates back to the late 1700s. This consists of The Supreme Court, The Court of Appeal, The High Court and the Dublin Circuit Court. This building was also heavily involved in the fighting during The Easter Rising. Later in 1922 it was taken over by the IRA who were protesting against the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Part of the building ended up being blown up.
The Four Courts.
Past The Four Courts I came to two attractive bridges: the James Joyce Bridge and the Rory O'More Bridge. There are lots and lots of bridges across the River Liffey.
The James Joyce Bridge.
The Rory O'More Bridge.
The Rory O'More Bridge.
On the other side of the river I could see the Guinness brewery.
Guinness brewery.
Lovely day for a Guinness.
On the side I was walking on I came to the National Museum of Ireland which is housed in the old Collins Barracks Building. These barracks were built in 1702, and extended in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. They are called after Michael Collins.
Collins Barracks now the National Museum of Ireland.
I then reached a small park, Croppies Memorial Park, with a strange statue in it. The statue was labelled as Anna Livia, which meant nothing to me, but I later discovered she's a character in 'Finnegan's Wake' by James Joyce and personifies The River Liffey. When I looked her up, A.I. told me she's affectionately known as the floozie in the jacuzzi - not another one!!!
Anna Livia Statue.
Croppies Memorial Park.
Slightly further on I came to The Criminal Courts and just past that I was finally at the entrance to Phoenix Park.
The Criminal Courts.
Phoenix Park is huge and I didn't really do it justice, because I was running out of time and energy, especially since I intended to walk back home rather than take the bus which runs through the park. There lots more to see here and if I ever return to Dublin I'd devote a whole day to just looking around here.
Phoenix Park.
Phoenix Park encloses 707 hectares of recreational space. It has monuments, a zoo, the residence of the president of Ireland, the residence of the American ambassador to Ireland and a herd of wild fallow deer.
Naturally I found lots of beautiful colourful flowers and trees.
Rose beds.
Flower beds.
Pampas grass and flowers.
Flower beds.
Flower beds.
Autumnal tree
I found a very serene looking pond, surrounded by gorgeous lush greenery.
Pond.
Pond.
I passed a bandstand hidden in a deep hollow and a busy little tearoom that many people seemed to be enjoying.
Bandstand.
Tearooms.
I found some of the many monuments in the park, though there's still plenty left to discover next time. I found 'Embraced Loop' Ireland's first national monument to remember those who have died of HIV AIDS. I also saw a monument to Seán Heuston, one of the sixteen men executed at Kilmainham Gaol for their leadership role in the 1916 Easter Rising. Plus I encountered the sixty-two metre high Wellington Monument, built to commemorate the victories of Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, who was apparently born in Ireland.
Embraced Loop.
Embraced Loop.
Seán Heuston monument.
The Wellington Monument.
The Wellington Monument.
However what l wanted to see most of all, was the wild fallow deer to make up for not being able to photograph any in Woburn. I eventually found several wild deer next to The Wellington Monument. They seemed fairly tame.
The buck stops here.
Wild fallow deer.
Wild fallow deer.
Wild fallow deer
Wild fallow deer.
Wild fallow deer.
Wild fallow deer.
Happy having seen my deer, I left the park and started walking back on the other side of the river. I noticed that there were some very strong fortified walls on the north side of the river. They actually looked like castle walls. There were lots of swans sitting on the mudflats in the river.
Walls.
Swans.
I passed right next to the Guinness brewery and didn't even stop for a pint.
Guinness.
Guinness.
I photographed the four courts and Collins Barracks from the other side of the river and The Church of Saint Paul's which I had been too close to to photograph earlier.
Four Courts.
Collins Barracks.
St Paul's Church.
St. Paul's Church.
I passed Heuston Station and realised it was called after the man I had seen in the statue earlier who had been executed at Kilmainham Gaol.
Heuston Station.
I also passed The Church of the Immaculate Conception and O'Donovan Rossa Bridge.
The Church of the Immaculate Conception.
The river.
O'Donovan Rossa Bridge.
Back home after a rest, I took Peter out on a tour of Temple Bar. We took lots of photos in front of the pubs.
Peter with our hotel.
Temple Bar.
Temple Bar.
Pub.
Pub with live music.
Peter in Temple Bar.
Peter outside the famous Temple Bar Pub.
Peter in Temple Bar.
Me in Temple Bar.
Temple Bar Trading Company.
The Quays Bar.
The Auld Dubliner.
After a good look around, We ate in O'Shea's Restaurant which looked like it might be a bit cheaper than the other restaurants. It wasn't really, because it charged service charge, so it was actually a similar price to the others. Peter had fish and chips. I had chicken in pepper sauce. The food was very good and it was a very pleasant evening.
Peter in O'Shea's.
Me in O'Shea's with my Guinness.
Us in O'Shea's.
Next day we were leaving Dublin and flying back to Hong Kong. I wasn't looking forward to the flight as it takes so long. When we checked out of our hotel, I asked the receptionist if I could leave my bag there and come back for it in ten minutes, so I could push Peter to the Dublin Express bus stop without it. He said: "Let me come with you and take your bag for you." And he did. How kind was that!! I asked him which part of Ireland he was from and he said: "Turkey." which made me laugh. I told him we used to work there many moons ago.
We had a little bit of a misunderstanding with the Dublin Express bus driver who seemed to think we wanted to take the wheelchair inside the bus, but once I collapsed it and put it in the luggage he was ok with it. He even helped us with everything when we got off.
We got good passenger assistance at the airport and when we checked in for the flight, we asked if we could get our wheelchair at the door of the plane in Doha, so we'd have it for our eight hour stopover there. They told us that would be fine.
We are silver members with Qatar so we were able to use the free airport lounge. It was very good.
Airport lounge.
Airport.
To our horror on the plane, we were stuck in the middle of four seats with a stranger on each side. Peter had an upset tummy and I go to the toilet constantly. I made the stranger next to me let me out six times on an eight hour flight. I bet he wanted to kill me.
In Doha I told the flight attendants that we were to get our own wheelchair at the door of the plane. They said: "What wheelchair? We know nothing about it." The wheelchair could not be found and we were told we'd have to go to the airport transfer desk to sort it out. The guy who was taking us said: "Go through security first then go to the transfer desk", then he disappeared and someone else took us through security. When we had passed through, I said: "We need to go to the transfer desk." He said: "You can't, it's on the other side of security." We were furious. From this point we were taken just about everywhere imaginable, each one more pointless than the one before. Eventually we were taken to another transfer desk and the girl said: "If you want us to get your wheelchair, you'll need to sit here for two hours."
This is when Peter uttered the immortal words: "Call yourself a six star airways. Your not as good as Ryan Air. They had our wheelchair at the plane door waiting for us."
We didn't want to sit there pointlessly for two hours, so we asked to be taken to the silver lounge and made them guarantee that the wheelchair would go all the way through to Hong Kong. They promised us it would, but by this stage we didn't believe them.
We were both in a really bad mood and exhausted by this stage. We still had around six hours before our final plane. Personally I couldn't even sleep at all.
When it was finally time to board our final plane, I handed over our boarding passes and was told: "Oh you've both got a free upgrade to business class." Obviously they felt bad about the wheelchair situation.
So instead of eight hours cramped in economy, squashed, fed up and half dead, we got seats that reclined into a bed, free pyjamas, a huge steak for dinner for me, (Peter preferred a toasted sandwich, followed by ice-cream) the offer of free champagne (I opted for white wine and Peter had beer.) and most importantly several hours of much needed sleep.
Peter on the plane. I had eaten mine before I even thought of photographing it.
We arrived in Hong Kong and were reunited with the wheelchair we thought had been lost and our luggage. When I told my friend Jason about our free upgrade, he said: "Try and lose your wheelchair on your next flight, too." Who knows? Maybe we will.
This featured blog entry was written by irenevt from the blog Trip to Europe 2025..
Read comments or Subscribe
