Dublin Fountains

Muahahaha

Interesting piece here about the fountain on Merrion Square

http://www.broadsheet.ie/2014/08/12/the-lady-vanishes/

In the comments someone mentions there are 10 fountains across the city, with something like only one operating. Perhaps the fact they're mainly switched off means I walk by them and barely notice them. That one pictured on Merrion Square hardly looks like a fountain these days. Anyone know where all the others are ? I know the Anna Livia is now down Croppies Acre near Hueston but don't think you could call it a fountain anymore, unless they installed running water ?

Aard

St Stephen's Green? And there is/used to be one in the median on Dame St.

We've never really had a history of fountains here. Maybe it's a climate thing.

c_murph

Aard wrote: »

We've never really had a history of fountains here. Maybe it's a climate thing.

I always thought it was more of a "turn it on for a half hour and 90% chance someone will pour soap into it" thing.

Probably costs too much to have to turn them off and filter out whatever detergent ends up in them every day...

Poxyshamrock

There's the one at the bottom of South King Street too.

miamee

There's one at the Royal Exchange on Lord Edward Street, I think. Let me see if I can dig out a photo.

ETA: here we go

The Duk

I've attached a pic!

Pretty sure there's an identical one to the Lord Edward one at the side of the ambassador on O'Connell Street.

A Disgrace

There’s one on James St too – there used to be a lot more than 10, but most are gone and as the above says, those remaining are turned off (which is a shame but doesn't surprise with the lack of civic pride in this city)

Does the disastrous failed fountain just up from the Gaiety count too?

stevedublin

On on the traffic island on Dame Street opposite bankers bar/Starbucks (near taxi rank).
It usually has washing liquid thrown into it when turned on and makes that part of Dame street a foam wonderland.
Also, the front of the Central Bank.

cgcsb

Possibly a climate thing. They're quite a common site in Italy, but very rare in most of Germany, Netherlands and Scandanavia. I agree they should be all turned on at least. There is quite dense CCTV coverage around most of the central ones, so no reason why detergent offenders can't be prosecuted.

Muahahaha

cgcsb wrote: »

Possibly a climate thing. They're quite a common site in Italy, but very rare in most of Germany, Netherlands and Scandanavia. I agree they should be all turned on at least. There is quite dense CCTV coverage around most of the central ones, so no reason why detergent offenders can't be prosecuted.

I think they're common in Italy because of the Rennaisance, back in those days there was tons of money for public art and some of the worlds finest sculptors to create them. I remember Madrid being similar to Rome in that regard, they too have tons of fountains and statues at random traffic junctions, the city is like an open art gallery in places.

I think their purpose here was to give people living in inner city tenements access to water as they had none in their homes.

Problem with detergent offenders is that they're likely not adults which gives the Gardai an even bigger headache to try to stop it when there is dam all they can really do. It's a shame really that we have these nice stone fountains and can't even turn them on, even for a few months in the summer. It means we can't have nice things