Gardiner Street
Gardiner Street (Irish: Sráid Ghairdinéir) is in Dublin, Ireland and stretches from the River Liffey at its southern end via Mountjoy Square to Dorset Street at its northern end. The Georgian Custom House terminates the vista at the southern end, and the street is divided into Upper, Middle and Lower sections.
Lower Gardiner Street South leads from Mountjoy Square to the fine stone Georgian Custom House overlooking the river Liffey. Several youth hostels are on this part of the street. The DART line crosses near the intersection with Beresford Place behind the Custom House; this end is only a few minutes walk from Connolly station, and around the corner from Lower Gardiner Street is the Luas red line stop at Busáras. There is heavy road traffic on Lower Gardiner Street, as it is also part of Dublin City Council's Inner Orbital Route and in the absence of adequate mitigation measures, pedestrian provision is not what it should be (despite being overlooked by the headquarters of the Department of the Environment which are in the Custom House).
Middle and Upper Gardiner Street are separated from the lower street by the west side of Mountjoy Square, a Dublin Georgian square noted for its cultural and historic connections. On Upper Gardiner Street is located Saint Francis Xavier Church, a notable stone Classical building dating from 1829 and with a connection to the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins. Gardiner Street has another notable poetic connection by way of featuring in Patrick Kavanagh's poem "Memory of My Father".
Commenced in 1792 and finished around 1820, Gardiner Street was developed by Luke Gardiner as part of his grand vision which was to see a crescent built where the Mater Hospital now stands. Georgian terraces remain at the lower end approaching the Custom House, at Mountjoy Square and in surrounding streets.
Historic former residents
Playwright, producer and actor Dion Boucicault (1820–1890) lived in number 47 Lower Gardiner Street. Boucicault was involved with over 150 plays, and is best known for The Shaughraun, other works include: “Napolean’s Old Guard”, “A Legend of the Devil’s Dyke”, “London Assurance”, and “The Colleen Bawn”. His mother was a relative of the first Arthur Guinness. Both Seán O'Casey (see also Mountjoy Square) and John Millington Synge acknowledged him as being a major influence on their dramatic works.
Number 41 Gardiner Street Upper was home of Joe McGuinness, elected as a Sinn Féin TD for Longford South to the first Dáil in 1918 while in Lewes Gaol, under the slogan of “Vote him in to get him out”. During the Easter Rising in 1916 McGuinness was also involved in commandeering the Four Courts for the volunteers.
See also
External links
- A live webcam overlooking the junction of Lower Gardiner Street and Talbot Street
- Official website of Saint Francis Xavier's Church
- Patrick Kavanagh, Memory of My Father
Coordinates: 53°21′17″N 6°15′25″W / 53.35472°N 6.25694°W