It’s been an uneventful day. There was not a repeat of last weekend’s anti-lockdown protest here in Dublin, and the one that did take place in Cork was apparently peaceful. There have been reports that another large protest is being planned for St. Patrick’s Day.
For my afternoon walk, I cross the Liffey then westward until I reach Croppies Acre Park, which I had passed by last weekend. The park is located on the north bank of the River Liffey across from the St. James Distillery (where Guinness is brewed) and to the south of the Collins Barracks (formerly the Royal Barracks). The location of the park is traditionally believed to have been used as a mass grave for rebel casualties of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 who were known as Croppies due to their short-cropped hair. The park had been closed for several years over the last decade due to “anti-social behaviour” and drug use, until the Dublin City Council took it over and made some improvements. Instead of benches, there are rounded stones spaced out along the outer edges of the park. I notice a fair amount of trash around the stone where I sit for awhile listening to a podcast and enjoying some sunlight. There are also numerous flat concrete squares throughout the park’s grassy field where some people sit in a sort of picnic style; I’m not sure if that is their intended use or they are part of the overall memorial design of the park. There are several people out in the park but it’s not crowded. Young children are skating or pushing their scooters around the paved walkways.
A view of the Croppies Acre Park (with former barracks turned museum in the background):
A panoramic showing my long shadow as the afternoon sun begins to set:
A memorial to the rebels of 1798:
Some other snapshots along my walk…
St. Paul’s Church dating back to the early 1800s:
The Grattan Bridge:
The front of a branding/design agency:
Crossing back over to Temple Bar:
Map for reference:
Until next time….
