Save the Poolbeg chimneys-are these people blind?

stovelid

monkeyfudge wrote: »

I still haven't forgiven them for the 2 weeks of sleep I didn't get when they stuck those stupid bight flashing lights on the thing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtain

Tabnabs

hey, hey, hey! hands OFF the chimneys! :mad:

Setun

I think they're great tbh, and they'd be sorely missed on the photography forum.

Actually I was selling some photographs at a christmas fair last year, and some guy bought one of the chimneys because he said that when he's regularly travelling home from England on the ferry they're the first thing he sees that really makes him think "Ah! Nearly home!"

+1 to keeping them.

arybvtcw0eolkf

latenia wrote: »

I'd be interested to hear the opinion of someone who remembers before they were erected. Are you reading this Rashers?

Rashers is having his sauages at the moment, so he asked me to post this for him..



Grandpa Bacon took this from a banana boat arriving into Dublin port at the turn of the last century..



Photoshop is your friend :pac:

yermanoffthetv

monkeyfudge wrote: »

I think the architects need to lay off the old sci-fi.

Come on, you know you love it :P Its not as if its the Batersea power plant, or even esthetically pleasing for that matter. I just hope to god they dont replace them with a bland and souless skyline (like Custom House Quay) but I do think with a well thought out overview they could reinvent the inner city that and show Dublin as the modern progressive city it is. Knowing the DDDA though I wouldnt hold your breath :rolleyes:

loyatemu

i quite like em, but if they can't be put to any sort of new use (and I don't think they can) then let em go. You can't keep everything thats ever been built just for nostalgic purposes. They'd probably have to be demolished eventually for safety reasons anyway (any engineers know how long they might last?)

Dyr

yermanoffthetv wrote: »

but I do think with a well thought out overview they could reinvent the inner city that and show Dublin as the modern progressive city it is. Knowing the DDDA though I wouldnt hold your breath :rolleyes:

I dunno, they ruined O'Connnell Street to show what a modern progressive city dublin is so you might be in luck :pac:

humberklog

Bambi wrote: »

I dunno, they ruined O'Connnell Street to show what a modern progressive city dublin is so you might be in luck :pac:

I think O'Connell st. is looking better than it has in 40 years. Those London popular trees were way wrong for the street. The new design exentuates the space. Beautiful. It was god awful, dingy and dark for such a broad street.;

On how long the towers would last...I'm an engineer and at a guess I'd say they'd last near on forever. The concrete would be of such a grade to with withstand what the were built for that there would be very little erosion.

Make an adventure skills place out of it (absailing, sailins in bay, etc) and a science and industrial world museum out of the area. Ahh to dream.

Dyr

humberklog wrote: »

I think O'Connell st. is looking better than it has in 40 years. Those London popular trees were way wrong for the street. The new design exentuates the space. Beautiful. It was god awful, dingy and dark for such a broad street.;

So are you an architect or do you just want to be one? Its a street not a bleedin plaza as some poor tourists have found out after they walked into busses :pac:

it looks crap, the dopey black and white tiled footpath-road looks like a butchers floor...all they need to do is sprinkle some saw dust around to finish the effect. The old trees gave it a sense of heritage, unlike those legoworld shrubs that are there now. Not that they'll be allowed to grow long enough to reach any height.

lightening

Bambi wrote: »

So are you an architect or do you just want to be one?

He's an engineer, read his post.

It's just a matter of taste. Honestly, most people wouldn't really say the old O'Connell st. is better than the new improved one. The new pedestrian space (or perceived new space, looks like there is more) is a great addition. It just needs to be utilised now.

Wishbone Ash

Bambi wrote: »

So are you an architect or do you just want to be one? Its a street not a bleedin plaza

No need for the aggressive tone Bambi!

Humberklog is entitled to his/her opinion. The first two words of the post were "I think..".

Dyr

Fair call WA, the pacman smiley was meant to be on the end of the first sentence to take a bit of an edge off it, apologies all round.

It's still horrible though, looks like the street was designed just so it could cleaned down with a powerhose

arybvtcw0eolkf

I'd agree with Bambi.

Its a horrible, nasty street both day and night. From the Roma hanging around the lower end in the early morning, to the collection of dirtybags hanging around Quirkies at all times of day and night (all nationalities, including Irish) and to the anti-social eliment at the upper and middle in the evenings.

It makes me sad & mad to see our main thoroughfare turned into the mish-mash collection of badly designed shop fronts, to the downright dangerously designed pedestrian area at the spire, to the scumbags who are allowed roam free on it by the collection of under motivated guards busily texting away on their mobilphones at the GPO.

Its hard to think of one saving grace on O'Connell St.

Fratton Fred

Mairt wrote: »

Its hard to think of one saving grace on O'Connell St.

Beshoffs?

I used to have to visit an office up on Cathal Brugha Street and I hated walking up from the Luas, day or night. Even worse was walking there from Connolly. It could take ages trying to dodge the beggers, Romas and Metro sellers.

It could be a really nice street, but personally I think the people staying at the Gresham have a pretty awful first impression of Dublin.

Anyway, back on topic, bring em down I say. The chimneys are an eyesore and i fail to see how people can get so attached to something so ugly. This reminds me of the battle to keep the tricorn in Portsmouth because it was a fine example of using vast amount of concrete to build an ugly building, or something like that. In the end, the City council had a party to mark its demolition. http://www.retrowow.co.uk/architecture/60s/tricorn/reflections.html

axer

Well if the city councillors don't knock them down I know a certain group of people that will be up to the job of knocking the two towers quickly...no questions asked

Wishbone Ash

Fratton Fred wrote: »

i fail to see how people can get so attached to something so ugly

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! I love all that industrial stuff. What next - pull down all the buildings in Guinness?

Rashers

latenia wrote: »

Meh, I guess people are ruled more by sentimentality than a sense of aesthetics. A JCB at the crack of dawn might have to be employed here :pac: I'd be interested to hear the opinion of someone who remembers before they were erected. Are you reading this Rashers?

If it's about Dublin I'm never too far away.

Yes I remember as a kid being taken by my Da for that long walk down to where the chimneys are now. Always loved it.

I enjoyed the view across the bay from Bull Island (we just called it Dollymount) where you could look along the bay without anything spoiling the uninterrupted view.

Then came Dublin's own twin towers.

Hated the sight of them at first, but somehow they sort of 'grew on me', unlike many other structure that mar the Dublin skyline.

People have said pull down Hawkins House too/or instead of. I'd agree with that totally. And not just because Hawkins House replaced my Sunday afternoon entertainment in the good ol' Theatre Royal.

Bottom line. I like them for a lot of the reasons already put forward. But if some morning I woke up and they were gone I wouldn't shed any tears.

lostexpectation

i love industrial stuff too, i love that they kept the harland and wolf cranes, but ya can go up on them and they are somewhat unique, the chimneys arn't

lostexpectation

they are banning to make the station an exhibition centre when its defunct arn't they

humberklog

The chimneys could be used as big slingshot (or 'gat'). Two big lenghts of bungey chord tied to both stack, drawn back to Dollyer, attach an undisirable infiltrator to it and launch them back across the bay to the southside. It could be a trade off. I can see Joe Duffy and Bono being regular exchanges.


A PS on O'Connell st. Before it was rejuvanated there was 6 lanes of mixed unrestricted traffic. Now there is 4 of restricted traffic. O'Connell street is now back to the people as opposed to 18wheelers and fripping 'too big for their boots'(and day light) trees.

arybvtcw0eolkf

humberklog wrote: »

The chimneys could be used as big slingshot (or 'gat'). Two big lenghts of bungey chord tied to both stack, drawn back to Dollyer, attach an undisirable infiltrator to it and launch them back across the bay to the southside Lagos.

Pepe LeFrits

I hope they get rid of them.

Wishbone Ash

Not a great pic but taken from Clontarf shortly after construction was completed (mid 1970s?).

Dyr

I think its a damn good picture

Gaspode

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Not a great pic but taken from Clontarf shortly after construction was completed (mid 1970s?).

Was it only mid 70s? I cant remember a time when they werent there and I'm a child of the 60s. (sounds better than 'owlfella'!)

Wishbone Ash

deswalsh wrote: »

Was it only mid 70s? I cant remember a time when they werent there and I'm a child of the 60s. (sounds better than 'owlfella'!)

A friend of the brother is a steeplejack who worked on them and according to him (my brother), they went up in 1976. I'll have to research a bit more.

(PS - the brother also claims that they are 600ft high. Hard to believe that they are 50% higher than the spire!)

Wishbone Ash

From esb.ie

Poolbeg is more than just a power plant. It is the people who have put together their attitudes, knowledge and skills to build, operate and maintain this important national asset.

It is the chimneys that are a famous part of the Dublin City skyline, and have been used as back drops to some of Dublin's most well known films, pop videos and paintings..

It is the generating station that has provided the ESB and the Irish economy with efficient, flexible and secure electricity for nearly 30 years.

Not very informative but the 30 years bit seems about right as that part of the website may be a few years out of date.

Wishbone Ash

From my own copy of Dublin be Proud by Pat Liddy (1988).

The first stage of Poolbeg was commissioned in 1971 with the main power supplied by two Swiss made 120 megawatt oil fuelled turbines. Despite the relative economy of scale compared to giant American and European installations, Poolbeg earned a place among the top five stations in the world for efficiency and availability.

By 1979, a second chimney and a 270 megawatt French built turbine were added. Constructed extra high to keep the smoke clear of the city, the 680 feet stacks are known to Dubliners as the 'candy sticks'.

It takes the maintenance men over an hour to climb their weary way to the top.

1984/1985 saw the complex conversion to natural gas allowing the turbines to have the dual capability of switching between oil and gas. Operating by gas is cleaner and although it produces dense plumes from the chimneys these emmissions are apparently nothing more harmful than plain water vapour.

Built apparently on the site of the old Pigeon House station coal yard and partly on reclaimed land, Poolbeg was designed and engineered by the ESB's own Projects and Civil Works departments.

Gaspode

Cheers Wishbone, I learn something new every day!
Obviously I wasnt as observant as I should have been as a kid.

studiorat

Wow! I'd forgotten there was only one of them at one stage. The Lollipop sticks! No they're staying.