The Heart of The Liberties, Dublin 8

Harry Warren writes:

The Liberties area around the Coombe in Dublin is always worth a stroll, apart from it being a vibrant area in the heart of Dublin there are multiple items of cultural and historical interest to be enjoyed. Just off the busy shopping area of Meath St, there are two intersecting streets, Reginald St and Gray St.

The charming red brick houses in this part of the Coombe were built by the Dublin Artisan Dwellings Company in 1880-1882, chaired by the Victorian philanthropist, Sir Edward Cecil Guinness. Originally many of the houses were rented by the employees of the nearby Guinness brewery.

At the junction of Reginald Street and Gray Street there is a fine ornate structure with a statue of the sacred heart of Jesus at its centre. Perhaps surprisingly in these days of advancing secularisation, there are still many religious statues dotted around Dublin, particularly Marian statues, but this one is a statue of Jesus and it bears closer examination.

The statue is centred on beautiful wrought iron work set on an octagonal limestone base. In my over active imagination it always reminds me of a miniature Victorian band stand. I have heard it referred to as the Fountain, the Catholic Emancipation Monument or simply the Sacred Heart statue. Now a religious shrine it was originally a water fountain.

The fountain was commissioned in 1897 by the Earl of Meath, Reginald Brabazon to commemorate the visit of Queen Victoria to Ireland. The fountain was one of a large number celebrating Queen Victoria that were erected in Ireland and other British colonies of the time to a standardised design by Glasgow manufacturers Walter Macfarlane & Co. Manufactured at the Saracen Foundry, Possilpark, Glasgow, Scotland. There is a similar Victorian fountain at the bottom of Marine Road, Dun Laoire, but I personally prefer this one in the heart of the Liberties.

The water supply at the time was of poor quality so the fountain was installed to provide a source of clean water for the surrounding houses. Queen Victoria’s fountain did not last too long and as the words of the song “Dublin in the Rare auld Times” reminds us, there was a rebel streak in the Liberties. “A rogue and child of Mary, from the rebel Liberties,”.

During the War of Independence, there were skirmishes in the area and the fountain and canopy were severely damaged. There was an eagle originally mounted on the roof of the canopy but it was shot off by the Black and Tans and it is now replaced by a cross.

The copper canopy was once again damaged in the late twentieth century by a lorry. The current version of the shrine was restored to commemorate the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1979.

A plinth on the statue notes: –

“Erected by the parishioners of St. Catherine’s to the glory and honour of God and in commemoration of the Centenary of the Emancipation, 1929″

“Restored to mark the visit of Pope John Paul II to the Liberties 29th Sept. 1979″

So, the next time you are in the Liberties it is well worth diverting for a few minutes to enjoy this piece of street furniture. Proudly well maintained and kept in excellent order by local residents.’

Pics by Harry Warren’