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Dublin Docklands Walk

Customs House
The current Customs House is a reconstruction of the original structure designed by James Gandon in 1781 and opened in 1791. It was burned down in 1921 by the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence. The Customs House was originally built for the purpose of collecting customs duties from ships plying the Liffey River which is across the street. It became the headquarters of local government when the port was moved downriver and is currently the home of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.


Liffey River
The image above gives a good perspective of the Liffey River with the Jeanie Johnston Tall Ship and Famine Museum, the Samuel Beckett Bridge and the Convention Center in the background.

Famine

Here's a haunting image entitled Famine by Rowan Gillespie on the banks of the Liffey. A million people were decimated and a couple million more emigrated to America during the Irish Potato Famine. Historian Cecil Woodham-Smith wrote in her book, The Great Hunger: Ireland 1845–1849, ".....no issue has provoked so much anger or so embittered relations between the two countries (England and Ireland) as the indisputable fact that huge quantities of food were exported from Ireland to England throughout the period when the people of Ireland were dying of starvation".
Jeanie Johnston Tall Ship 
The Jeanie Johnston Tall Ship and Famine Museum is a replica of the ship taken by Irish famine refugees. Over a million people left Ireland in the 1840s to avoid starvation and build a better life in North America. The original Jeanie Johnston made 16 trips across the Atlantic and safely delivered its passengers.

The Convention Center
The Convention Center of Dublin was designed by Irish American architect and Pritzker Prize awardee, Kevin Roche. It is a world class conference locale with a 55-meter high glass atrium offering commanding views of the city and mountains in the distance. It is the world's first carbon neutral convention venue.

Samuel Beckett Bridge
There's something lyrical about a Santiago Calatrava signature bridge. The successful combination of function and aesthetics forges a visual harmony that embraces its environment.

The Docklands Walk is an easy stroll along the North Quay starting from O'Connell Street. There are restaurants and cafés closer to Samuel Beckett Bridge for a refreshing break.

*****

Images by TravelswithCharie 


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