Dargan vs the Brennan Bridge

lostexpectation

http://www.tribune.ie/news/home-news/article/2008/nov/23/move-to-rename-dundrum-luas-bridge-after-late-seam/

they want to name the dundrum luas bridge after seamus brennan, but keep trying to avoid acknowledging that bridge is already named after william dargan who was 19th century industrialist who brought rail to many parts of ireland.

so should they rename it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Dargan seemed to be a decent man

i think its the usual crass councillors.

mikemac

Surely they can find another unnamed bridge for Seamus Brennan?

Dargan was a railway pioneer in Ireland, it was good enough in 2004 and shouldn't be changed.

paulm17781

Did Seamus Brennan actually do anything worth having a bridge named after him, other than die quite young?

I know that sounds cruel but he didn't really do anything special did he?

godtabh

They tired to name it the Simon Perry bridge after a TCD lecture who had something to do with the early stages of the Luas

paulm17781

kearnsr wrote: »

They tired to name it the Simon Perry bridge after a TCD lecture who had something to do with the early stages of the Luas

Charlemont station has a plaque to someone, I think it's Simon Perry.

murphaph

It's not like we have a plethora of great engineering pioneers like Britain so you'd think poor William Dargan's namesake would be left alone. I think he earned it. If the people of Seamus' old constituency want to name something after him then pick something else. Maybe name the gap in the Luas after Brennan.

Tarabuses

murphaph wrote: »

It's not like we have a plethora of great engineering pioneers like Britain so you'd think poor William Dargan's namesake would be left alone. I think he earned it. If the people of Seamus' old constituency want to name something after him then pick something else. Maybe name the gap in the Luas after Brennan.

I am a constituent of Dublin South and have no desire to change the name of the bridge. Who is pushing for this and will there be any consultation?

Nostradamus

Tarabuses wrote: »

I am a constituent of Dublin South and have no desire to change the name of the bridge. Who is pushing for this and will there be any consultation?

A journailst I once spoke to me told me that Seamus Brennan was a senior ranking Freemason. I have no idea how much truth to this but you do have to wonder. Apparently the Dundrum area of the city is some Masonic epicenter. There is meant to be some Masonic shine or other is near the bridge. You have to wonder how much this renamaning of the bridge is being put forward by the secret handshake brigade is indeed a result the former Minister was indeed a Mason.

Either way the notion that Brennan is worthy of a memorial of this stature is beyond a joke. Let them name a half built one-off rural mansion in Galway after him.

SeanW

I'm with Murpaph. Perhaps the bit between St. Stephens Green and Abbey St. could be named "Brennan's Gap"

Typewriter

NO! NO!! NO!!! NO!!!:mad:

This id W. Dargan bridge and that it shall remain. Who give a s**t about 'poor old TD brennan', What has he ever done?

W. Dargan has done more for this contry than most people will ever know. He built the national musem, built most railways in ireland, paid for the great exibion to come to ireland, gave most of his money away to the needy, bought out landlords so the tenants could own there own land, his workers were the best paid worker in the land, built queens island in Belfast (formally Dargans island), built the Bray seaside walkway....etc I could go on and on.

He was asked numerous times by the queen of england if he would like to made a sir and replied (to her face) "I am an Irishman and I do my work for the people of Ireland I have no need for an English title."

brennan bridge my ass!

D.L.R.

Even if Brennan was more worthy of this honour than Dargan (which he isn't), what makes the govt think they can/should just go around renaming bridges/roads etc without good reason. Jaysus whats the point of a name if its not permanent?

Why don't we rename the James Joyce Bridge while we're at it. We could call it the Charles J. Haughey Memorial Bridge and then stick a toll on it.

dowlingm

I think we should take a leaf from San Francisco and attempt to rename the (undersized) Ringsend sewage works after Bertie. (People in SF tried to get one named after G.W. Bush)

DWCommuter

murphaph wrote: »

Maybe name the gap in the Luas after Brennan.

That honour would actually belong to Mary O'Rourke.

Judgement Day

Slightly off topic here but can somebody please explain to me why the Green Line should be connected to the Red Line? Surely by the same logic all bus services should meet at one point too?

Cool Mo D

So people can interchange between them. It's a fact that most people will not walk between the red and green lines, making it impractical for trips like Heuston-Sandyford.

And Dublin bus have managed to make nearly all the buses in the city meet at the same point - it's called O'Connell street. And although that hasn't worked out very well, there SHOULD be places where important bus routes meet each other to enable interchange - look at Paradise street interchange in Liverpool for an example.

lostexpectation

come on who voted for brennan?

Tarabuses

lostexpectation wrote: »

come on who voted for brennan?

Twice

paulm17781

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0810/breaking29.htm

Anyone know how we stop this happening? I think it's disgraceful renaming object / monuments after recently deceased cabinet members. Can Seamus not have something else named after him?

D.L.R.

paulm17781 wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0810/breaking29.htm

Anyone know how we stop this happening? I think it's disgraceful renaming object / monuments after recently deceased cabinet members. Can Seamus not have something else named after him?

Local Fianna Fail councillor Gerry Horkan needs to be sent a book on the life and work of William Dargan. There's no reason to make such half-witted suggestions other than plain ignorance.

Carawaystick

green_jesus wrote: »

NO! NO!! NO!!! NO!!!:mad:

This id W. Dargan bridge and that it shall remain. Who give a s**t about 'poor old TD brennan', What has he ever done?

W. Dargan has done more for this contry than most people will ever know. He built the national musem, built most railways in ireland, paid for the great exibion to come to ireland, gave most of his money away to the needy, bought out landlords so the tenants could own there own land, his workers were the best paid worker in the land, built queens island in Belfast (formally Dargans island), built the Bray seaside walkway....etc I could go on and on.

He was asked numerous times by the queen of england if he would like to made a sir and replied (to her face) "I am an Irishman and I do my work for the people of Ireland I have no need for an English title."

brennan bridge my ass!

if even a third of this is true, Dargan has had a dissrvice done to his memory by only getting a bridge named after him.

murphaph

Carawaystick wrote: »

if even a third of this is true, Dargan has had a dissrvice done to his memory by only getting a bridge named after him.

2 bridges

lostexpectation

ah well thats in the north

http://flickr.com/photos/gerryward/3025654909/

murphaph

true but in Dargan's time it was all the one country and he built as much up there as down here.

IIMII

Still is one country, and in fairness I think the bridge in Dundrum is a much more complentary than than the one in Belfast

I have nothing against Seamus Brennan, but come on.

If you want a meaningful name of sorts, stick with Dargan. I can't think of any other tbh. Stephen Roche? If you are going to tout the name sure maybe put it out for sponsorship to the Dundrum town centre.

I think they should have named the Pier D walkway in Dublin airport after Seamus Brennan

murphaph

IIMII wrote: »

Still is one country

lol, tell that to the retailers of Dundalk!

tenandtracer

Dargan and people like this deserve the honour of having bridges named after them. Politicians receive enough adulation (and sometimes even extra bits of cash) in their living moments. Unless politicians completely change the way we live (for the better) then they do not need their memories publicly honoured.

HonalD

kearnsr wrote: »

They tired to name it the Simon Perry bridge after a TCD lecture who had something to do with the early stages of the Luas

Just for noting, Professor Simon Perry (RIP) former Dean of Engineering in Trinity College Dublin was one of the first people to suggest Light Rail for Dublin. He held the first Light Rail Symposium in TCD before the original DTI Report was started and I think Manchester Metrolink was only being planned at that stage. Anyone who had the pleasure to meet him would consider that he was a gentleman, eccentric (a proper Professor) and dedicated to the education of engineers.

Having said that, Dargan all the way!

IIMII

tenandtracer wrote: »

Dargan and people like this deserve the honour of having bridges named after them. Politicians receive enough adulation

How about Seán Lemass? Veteran of 1916, member of the IRA unit run by Collin's which wiped out the Cairo gang, and a former Fianna Fáil Taoiseach. He was elected as TD for the Dundrum/Churchtown area in 1924 for Sinn Féin and later as a member of FF became Taoiseach. He's got a much more impressive CV than Brennan

Judgement Day

IIMII wrote: »

How about Seán Lemass? Veteran of 1916, member of the IRA unit run by Collin's which wiped out the Cairo gang, and a former Fianna Fáil Taoiseach. He was elected as TD for the Dundrum/Churchtown area in 1924 for Sinn Féin and later as a member of FF became Taoiseach. He's got a much more impressive CV than Brennan

Yes, why not name the bridge after Seán Lemass he was after all Tánaiste in the Fianna Fail Government that closed the Harcourt Street line in 1958! Nice one!:D

IIMII

I twigged that, but thought I'd throw it out anyway. He may even have a blown a few railway bridges up in his time too! Even with all of that, he's still probably a more eligable candidate than Brennan

goingnowhere

HonalD wrote: »

Just for noting, Professor Simon Perry (RIP) former Dean of Engineering in Trinity College Dublin was one of the first people to suggest Light Rail for Dublin. He held the first Light Rail Symposium in TCD before the original DTI Report was started and I think Manchester Metrolink was only being planned at that stage. Anyone who had the pleasure to meet him would consider that he was a gentleman, eccentric (a proper Professor) and dedicated to the education of engineers.

Had the pleasure of being lectured by the guy several years back, if the bridge was to be named after someone who really made a difference to the Luas project he would be top of the list, but then again engineers are rarely well known.

Mr Dargan on the other hand rightly deserves to have the fantastic bridge in Dundrum named after him, at least if he was here now could appreciate the achievement it is

Tarabuses

I have canvassed the opinion of the councillors in the Dundrum area and the 3 who have replied so far are 100% against the renaming.

paulm17781

Tarabuses wrote: »

I have canvassed the opinion of the councillors in the Dundrum area and the 3 who have replied so far are 100% against the renaming.

Well done, I wish I'd done as much... It's good to hear though, hopefully it stays that way.

lostexpectation

this issue has been in the papers a number of times, the councillor won't let it drop.


does lemass not have anything named after him were his statue

Prof_V

goingnowhere wrote: »

Had the pleasure of being lectured by the guy several years back, if the bridge was to be named after someone who really made a difference to the Luas project he would be top of the list, but then again engineers are rarely well known.

Just to note that the Charlemont bridge is indeed dedicated to Simon Perry (report of the ceremony at http://www.tcd.ie/Alumni/news/ezine/trinity05.php#civil, and there's a picture of the plaque in my attachment).

(For what it's worth, I'd second everything that's been said about Simon here. I was lectured by him as an undergraduate and went on to work with him when I ran his departmental library for three years while a postgrad.)

DWCommuter

Ah name it after whoever. It'll be demolished in 2059 anyway.