Archives for “Art & culture” tag

Children can be overlooked when it comes to culture – an injustice against which this marvelous institution has been crusading since it opened in 1995. The Ark is all about providing the most excellent elements of professional theatre, music, writing and arts to our youngest, most thirstily imaginative citizens. They do a great job and run a full and varied programme of diverting and educative events throughout the year.

The last time I had the pleasure of looking around here, the theatre space was decorated from floor to ceiling in the most colourful kids’ creations. The room was a tropical garden of verdant felt, blossoming pink cardboard cups, shiny foil pools and bouncing pipe-cleaner creepers. It was a symphony of interesting sound and sensation – a show before anyone even took to the stage. And it’s totally built for littler people too – a Lilliput to a near-6ft grown-up. Check the website for upcoming events, which can be booked online or in person.

Throughout July and August a highlight will be Roll Up! Roll up! – a guided exhibition and circus skills experience that will take over four floors of the venue.

Different things have brought me to Adelaide Road over the years but it was only when I started writing for Spotted by Locals that I realized there was something striking about this street.

Here’s my quick guide:

1) Ignore the modern office buildings and the speeding traffic!

2) Look out for the synagogue that first opened in the 1890s and was once home to a thriving Jewish community in Dublin. It closed at the end of 20th century, now it houses offices

3) Eye and Ear Hospital – they don’t build opulent-looking hospitals like this any more – it looks older than it is. It was actually built in the early part of the 20th century

4) St Finian’s Lutheran Church – this was once home to an obscure sect called the Catholic Apostolic Church. It’s now home to Dublin’s Lutheran community.

5) Presbyterian churches should be plain and ordinary to match the temperament of Presbyterians themselves but this church on Adelaide Road dating from the 1840s looks like the elaborate entrance to a Greek temple.

6)Take a stroll down nearby Harcourt Terrace to have a look at the sort of houses we all wish we could afford to live in.

7) Keep a look out as well for the 1920′s kiosk at the Leeson Street end. It has Dublin’s coat of arms on it.

PS. “The Silver Swan” by Benjamin Black is a crime novel set in 1950s Dublin. In it there is a seedy description of Adelaide Road with dark things going on behind closed doors.

I admit that some people might not be too excited about this tip but I think it’s nice to point out some interesting but lesser-known buildings in Dublin. Certainly when you walk past this building on Kildare Street, it doesn’t stand out compared to the obvious splendour of Leinster House, the National Library or the National Museum.

But the Department of Industry and commerce Government building is a rare example of Art Deco architecture in Dublin. The building’s design was the result of a competition in the 1930′s and nicely mixes Art Deco with some Celtic themes. I suppose the idea was to demonstrate the strength of a new state by linking it to its mythical origins. The head popping out of the top of the building represents Éire (Ireland)) and the plaque above the doorway apparently shows the Celtic ‘sun-god’ Lugh launching airplanes into the air – it’s probably the sort of imagery that I don’t think you could get away with today.

Visitors can’t enter the building but if you have a moment, stop, crane your neck a bit and have a look at something different on one of Dublin’s most important streets.

Dublin’s churches do not really stand out compared to other European cities. Don’t expect to find any Baroque masterpieces here – instead, you will find many Catholic churches built in the 19th century and some earlier Protestant ones.

One of the most imposing is St.Augustine and John on Thomas Street in The Liberties area of the city. Work commenced in the 1860s but for various reasons it was not completed until 1890s. One of its architects was Edward Welby Pugin, whose father was at the vanguard of the Gothic Revival movement in the 19th century.

The church’s spire is one of the few that dominates Dublin’s skyline and its huge interior suggests that it should be something more than a parish church. But that’s what just it is – a church in the heart of one Dublin’s oldest areas that just happens to be an architectural masterpiece (in my opinion!)

As you approach it from a distance, it looks like some weird extra-terrestrial structure. It is officially called the Aviva Stadium but I hope enough people stick with tradition and keep on calling it Lansdowne Road.

You might be wondering why a 50.000 seater stadium was built in a residential area in the leafy environs of Dublin 4 but a stadium has actually been here since 1872 – here are some pictures of the old structure in the 1960s.

It has served as the home of Irish rugby for a long time and for football since the 1980s. However, as attached as people were to the old stadium, it was small, poky, not suited for modern sporting events and also a bit ugly. So the decision was made to demolish and rebuild it completely. The stadium was finished a couple of years ago and the result is a spectacular addition to Dublin’s skyline. Despite its huge size, its design and appearance blend in surprisingly well with the surrounding area. Matches have started again so distraught south Dublin rugby fans will no longer have to make the traumatic trip to Croke Park on the northside for matches.

Interesting tours of the stadium are available by booking in advance (email tours@avivastadium.ie) giving you a chance to see things like the therapy pools in the changing rooms and to find out how the stadium is apparently very environmentally friendly!