The south-side of Dublin is often associated with the rich and snobby, though we believe it is a holdover from the past. As our mews was on the South side and both our work locations were in the south, we tended to spend most of our time there and became more familiar with this area of town.

Ballsbridge is the area that we lived in, and unbeknownst to us when we found the place, was evidently “the place to live” and one of the wealthiest places in Dublin. It is the home to many fine old Georgian houses, many of which have been turned into embassies. Referred to as “leafy Ballsbridge,” it has its share of old shade trees lining the streets. While these are lovely in the summer, it becomes quite a mess in the fall when all of those big leaves seem to fall all at once, then get rained on and turn into a slippery, sodden mess! Most of the housing is of the Georgian “row houses” - brick buildings a block long and usually 3 or 4 stories in height. The picture here is along Wellington Road. For the most part, these buildings are unadorned, except for the brightly colored front doors and decorative fan lights above the door.

Another landmark along the south-side is the Grand Canal. The canal connects to rivers to the west for transportation (not used commercially any more) and empties into the Liffey near its mouth to Dublin Bay. The canal is narrow and shallow and wends it way through several neighborhoods. We’ve seen people fishing in it, but guess the most likely item caught is rubbish. The view here shows one of the many locks which allow boats to maneuver the gradual drop as it flows to the sea. In the summer there are a few party boats that work the canal, providing a floating venue for parties. All of the locks are manually operated, simply by pushing on the white end of the long wooden bar.

Herbert Park is a lovely large neighborhood park between Ballsbrige and Donnybrook. It has huge shade trees of cheery, chestnut and sycamore. With several pitches, it is a weekend favorite with the soccer players and hurlers alike. Occasionally we even saw a few Americans playing baseball. On any given day there will be hundreds of people walking through the park, taking their dogs for a walk or their kids to feed the ducks. As the park was only a block from our place, we were able to enjoy it frequently, even if only to walk through on our way to the shops or library. Like all of the enclosed parks in Dublin, Herbert park is only open from dawn (Dublin-time!) to dusk. And being so far north, the closing times of the park varied a lot during the year. In the middle of winter, we could only visit the park on weekends as it would close before we got home from work. But during the summer, you can make up for that by taking a late stroll through the park until half-nine (Dublin speak for 9:30). You will know when you need to be heading for home as you will hear the park ranger ringing his bell as he makes his way through the park, locking each of the gates. Don’t get locked in, or it is a spiky climb over the fence!

Each of the neighborhoods within the Dublin area have their own set of small shops to support the local residents. Baggot Street Lower was our shopping area and had most of what we needed on a daily basis. At its heart is the picturesque Royal Hospital, surrounded by restaurants, news agents, a food market, pharmacies, butcher, off-license, video store, hardware store, cleaners, clothiers, and of course, pubs. What I missed in the picture is the constant traffic and the usual double-parked cars. Parking is of course at a premium, so one parks wherever one can find a place, even if it is not a parking place. Most of this section of the road is marked with a double-yellow line, indicating no parking. But rumor has it that the lines are just there to allow the drivers to line up with the kerb! This was taken on a Sunday morning before most of the shops were open.

One of the things we realized after we lived here for a while was that Ballsbridge was named after the bridge that was built by a Mr. Ball! The picture here is of Ball’s bridge, spanning the Dodder River on the Merrion Road. I thought the bicycle tossed onto the light standard was a particularly Dublin-esque sight. Although bicycles are a primary means of transportation for a good number of Dublin’s population, a bike left unattended for too long tends to become vandalized in one way or another.

Although we lived within a kilometer or so of the Irish Sea, we never did try swimming in it, although we were witness to others who do so. It was a bit cold for our taste, and according to many of the locals, the area immediately around Dublin is not exactly the most hygienic (we understand further south near Killiney is much preferred). But it didn’t seem to stop these hearty folks swimming near Blackrock, with a view to Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Dun Leary, would you guess!). It was a warm day by Dublin standards (around 70 degrees F), but not that warm.

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