The Docklands Book
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority launched a new book entitled "The Dublin Docklands - An Urban Voyage" This beautifully produced hardback book was written by Turtle Bunbury. It provides an enlightening chronicle of some of the more memorable buildings, people and events associated with the Docklands area.
About the book:
Luke Kelly, Seán O'Casey, Captain Bligh and Bindon Blood Stoney are just some of the characters to emerge in this intriguing and entertaining historical tour, charting the rise of the Dublin Docklands from murky swamp to its present day towering skyline.
The story begins in the early 18th century when savvy Dublin merchants first enclosed the River Liffey within a series of sturdy stonewalls. Today, the reclaimed land behind these walls comprises the North Wall, East Wall, the South Lotts and a good deal of the parishes of Westland Row and City Quay. Ringsend and the Poolbeg peninsula simultaneously benefited from these mighty works. The location - on a major river with direct access to the Irish Sea and the oceans beyond - was of fundamental importance to the development of the Docklands during the wealthy years of Georgian Dublin. Considerable business was carried out along the handsome docks, quays, warehouses and - in time - railway tracks built alongside the walls. By the 20th century, the inner city docklands was home to the largest working class community in Ireland. However, the onset of mechanization inevitably reduced the need for manpower and by the 1950s, large numbers were unemployed and the area went into rapid decline.
In the 1980s, the seed of change was planted with the creation of the Custom House Docks Development Authority and the evolution of the International Financial Services Centre. Since 1997, developing and improving this 1,300 acre coastal cityscape has been the remit of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority. Although much is yet to come, the Dublin Docklands is already a blueprint for other cities around the world seeking to convert their run-down inner cities into slick, contemporary and internationally popular city centres. This beautifully produced hardback coffee table book provides an enlightening chronicle of some of the more memorable buildings, people and events associated with the area.
About the Author:
Turtle Bunbury is a best-selling author, travel writer and historian based in Ireland. His previous books include ‘The Irish Pub' (‘Superb' - Sunday Business Post), ‘Vanishing Ireland' (shortlisted for the Eason's Irish Published Book of the Year Award 2007) and ‘Living in Sri Lanka' (‘A sumptuous portrait of an unforgettable architectural landscape' - The Financial Times). His television credits include ‘John Henry Foley- Sculptor of the Empire', short-listed for the Best Documentary BIFF Award at the 2008 Magner's Irish Film Festival in Boston. He lives with his wife Ally and daughters Jemima and Bay in County Carlow. He is presently working on ‘Vanishing Ireland - Volume 2', once again in conjunction with photographer James Fennell.
www.turtlebunbury.com
Available to purchase at Easons Bookstores RRP €30 or log onto www.eason.ie or alternative you can buy a copy in the Docklands offices:
Custom House Quay
Docklands
Dublin 1
Ph 01 8183300