I took these three photos on way into work this morning, February 18th, 2016; one looks back towards the docks; the second looks towards the iconic Poolbeg chimneys, now listed for preservation, due I suspect to them featuring in a lot of videos and films about the city; while the third looking south towards Blackrock and Dun Laoghaire, with the rising sun beginning to assert position in the morning, winter sky: it’s a lovely, bright, cold but dry morning, unlike most mornings this year so far, which have been wet , windy and weary.
I have three choices in travelling from Rialto to Blackrock by car during rush-hour. The first, and out of rush-hour the easiest, is down the South Circular Road and out the N11 as far as Mount Merrion Avenue, into Blackrock but try getting down the South Circular in anything less than forty minutes during rush-hour; the second, and usually best around mid-morning, is to cut across to N11 through Crumlin, Rathmines and Ranelagh; while unbelievably, the quickest, between 7.45-9.30am, is to cross to North side of the Liffey, come down the North Quays, join the South Quays via Samuel Beckett Bridge and out the Strand Road. The last of these routes is also by far the prettiest, and whatever the weather, or time of the year, the stretch along the seafront between Irishtown and Merrion Gates is simply great for the mind, body and soul. There are two car parks along the route and it’s easy to pull in for a few minutes and take a breather and allow the image sink in. Some people will be out walking or jogging and a few other sightseers also pull into the car parks; in general it is quiet and a great tonic for starting any day.
