This is not a very good photo really but a piece of nostalgia. It was taken by one of those photographers with the polaroid cameras that had just come out. The photographers were on the bridge and took photos of you as you went across. Then you had to go down to a little office with a ticket and pick out your picture. I wonder if they still do that but I doubt it. As this one was taken with a Polaroid type camera I got the picture right away.
Anyway this was taken when I was 16, I know because it is written on the back of the photo. You can see Nelson's Pillar in the background which was the local rendezvous spot, as was outside the ESB offices.
I was working in either Clerys or The Gresham at that time. It was taken in 1962 and I think it was August.
I would hate to be 16 again but I wouldn't mind being 35.
O'Connell Bridge was built in 1794. Isn't that amazing.
O'Connell bridge is supposedly unique in Europe because its the only bridge which is as wide as it is long.
Did yiz know that?
11 comments:
Didn't know that about O Connell Bridge..but I do now. Very interesting photo with the historic detail ..(not you Jim)..of Nelsons Pillar!!!!
Interesting!
How many times have people had their photos taken going across this bridge! There must have been thousands of unclaimed photos in that shop in Talbot St. This has made me very nostalgic, and I am definitely going to get my photos together soon, trouble is it takes so long, by the time you look through them and muse over them, then try to sort them... Mam has loads of photos but we never seem to get to the end of them, by the time we mull over them, remember and laugh and talk about them. there must be little gems in everyones houses, but one of these days.....
The photo shop i used to go to was beside Cullens shop and beside Cullens was the Green rooster restaurant and beside that was the palmbeach where you got a great knickerbocker glory, just as you crossed over the bridge to go up oconnell street, you had to go downstairs to collect your photo, it was great at the time to be getting your photo taken in town otherwise we would have no photos of been in town, i think everyone had their photo taken at some stage. Great days.
We have some pictures of my dad crossing the bridge when he was quite young, with the inevitable ciggie in his hand. Also a couple of me and my pal Gemma crossing the bridge after work on the way to catch the 79 bus. Those photographers have been out there for at least 7o years. Feels like only yesterday. The older you get, the faster time goes.
just a little note on o'connell bridge, the origanal o'connell bridge is in st stephens green and is still called that today the bridge crossing the liffy was called carlisle bridge after the lord lieutenant of ireland 5th earl of carlisle it was built by james gandon (one of the foremost architect's of our time's he also built the coustom house)it was renamed o'connell bridge in 1882 after danial o'connell whos statute was ericted in that same year the also renamed the street from sackville st to o'connell st at the same time and before this it was known as drougheda st after henry moore the earl of drougheda...this is where we get henry st and moore st.
You're quite the historian Brendan, very interesting, very interesting indeed!
Very interesting footnotes Brendan. I didn't know all that. Yes Phyllis I remember going down those stairs to look up the photos and order them if they were good. Are those photogaphers still there? I would be surpised if they are. All of the postwar generation and before must have been shot by them , usually coming home from the pictures or something like that.
I see the Pillar in the photo it was before 8/3/1966
I remember sackville St being mentioned in the 1916 Easter Rising......Dad would have been proud of the historical accuracy there Brendan!
I went into work the next morning after the IRA. blew nelsons Pillar up, the IRA did a clean job and not a window was broke with the blast, then the army came in to finish the job and clean up the stump that was left, they broke all the windows in the GPO and did more damage, it was so funny and the joke of the Month.
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