Phoenix Park Gates

Pat Dunne

I been passing the Phoenix Park in recent weeks and I noted that the Gates still had not been reinstated by the OPW and that the galvanised gates were still in place.

So I decided to look into what is actually happening with the reinstatement process and to my amazement I found that the OPW has only awarded the contract to refurb and reinstate the Gates in January of this year, a full 17 months after the Gate were initially removed.

I actually find it very hard to believe that a contract for refurb and reinstallation was not put in place along with the planning and dismantling of the Gates prior to the Papal visit. But hey it the OPW we’re talking about here!

So given the current circumstances, it is now high unlikely that the OPW meet their own target of the end of this year, for completion of the project. Which by any stretch of the imagination should have lasted perhaps 12/18 months or so. However, fair play to the OPW they’ve have managed to drag a good 3 and a half years out of this one.
http://phoenixpark.ie/park-gates/

rockatansky

Thanks for the update on that Pat. Every time I drove past the new gates I'd go on a 5 minutes rant about them that my poor wife would have to put up.

I assumed that the current gates were permanent and I thought someone in the OPW or Council just threw up any old crap that were the cheapest. They look terrible.

Will be good to get the originals back, whenever you that is.

StoptheClocks

I often wonder why they don't widen or make the ashtown gate oneway. I guess its because the gates are listed.

Pat Dunne

StoptheClocks wrote: »

I often wonder why they don't widen or make the ashtown gate oneway. I guess its because the gates are listed.

Interesting you should as this. A number I years ago I requested Fingal CC to improve the overall junction at the Ashtown Gate, as it appears Road Users are uncertain as to who has the right of way, leading to a number of accidents.
I was then involved in the most amazing bit of bureaucratic pass the parcel. Fingal say it wasn’t their responsibility. Dublin City Council which is responsible for Blackhorse Avenue, didn’t want to know and the OPW trotted out the excuse that unless the two Local Authorities became involved a multiagency initiative, their hands were tied.
Sir Humphrey, would be proud

StoptheClocks

That's the problem. Too many people don't know who has right of way or the cars that don't have right of way be aggressive and block the junction. I live on off the castleknock road and every morning I need follow the road around to get onto the N3. Every morning I get stuck there with the junction blocked.

Caranica

It's a ridiculous junction. Is it the only non signal controlled entrance/exit of the Park?

ozmo

I think reason was the bill to reinstate them was nearly a Million euros- more than the popes visit its self. Should never have been taken down.

Think it took about 10 years to get the front rounded toped pillars back last popes visit..

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/phoenix-park-gates-to-be-refurbished-at-cost-of-820k-981572.html

Pat Dunne

I believe this the third time that Gates have been removed at the Phoenix Park for Catholic religious event. In 2018 and 1979 for the Papal visits, also the Eucharistic Congress of 1932.
Legend has it that the Gates, ironically enough at Park Gate Street were removed and placed in careful storage to be reinstated at a later time. So following the Congress, Park Officials went to retrieve the gates. Somehow they either couldn’t remember where the “carefully stored them” or somehow they had got “lost”!

To this day the gates have never been reinstated.

ozmo

To me it looks like they took an angle grinder to it at the wall. Just chopped off (image below) - but the article says it was done with “Conservation practice and skills have improved dramatically since the gates were last removed in 1979 "

From IT:

"The oldest gates removed were at Islandbridge and Chapelizod entrances on the south side of the park, both of which date from 1833. At the park’s west end, the Castleknock gate (1834) was removed as were the Ashtown and Cabra gates on the north side, both installed in 1835. The newest gates taken down were at the North Circular Road entrance and at Blackhorse Avenue opposite Grangegorman Military Cemetery, which were installed in 1906."

The OPW said the historic gates were removed for “health and safety reasons" (think of the Children...)

The gates had previously been removed and reinstalled for the Eucharistic Congress in 1932 and again in 1979 for the visit of Pope John Paul II.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/phoenix-park-devoid-of-historic-gates-a-year-on-from-pope-s-visit-1.3977000