It was only in the last few months that I found out anything
about the history of Smithfield in Dublin.
Living right on the River Liffey in
Dublin 8 means I have everything at my fingertips in this city. Christ Church
Cathedral and the Four Courts are just up the road, the Brazen Head, Ireland's
oldest pub is my local, Thomas Street and the Liberties are where I do all my
shopping, but just a stone's throw away is the historic area of Smithfield, just
on the other side of the river. It is quite rare that I venture to the North
Side of the river. Sometimes it seems that the River Liffey is more than just a
physical divide in Dublin, it is a psychological divide as well. Traditionally
the North Side has been the poorer side of the river and it still suffers from
this reputation. As a south sider I am guilty of grimacing when people mention
the North Side. Of course it is always done in a jokey way, but even so it is
absolutely true that Smithfield, closer to my apartment than almost any other
area of Dublin, and more accessible than even the closest major streets to me
(the closest major streets on the South side are all an uphill walk whereas
Smithfield is on a slight downhill incline from me hahaha)and yet it is one part of
Dublin that I had barely explored.
Recently though I took a few ghost tours in
Dublin and one of them, the Northside Ghost Walk took us through Smithfield and
traced quite a bit of the area's history. Originally Smithfield Square, which
is the focal point of Smithfield, was open pasture area where people could come
and communally graze their animals. In the 1600s the open pasture area was
cobbled over and laid out as a marketplace, and up until very recently once a
month on a Sundays, Dublin's famous horse market would be held in the square,
just as a reminder of times gone by and of the ever present and still living
history of Smithfield.
There are a few important sites in Smithfield, for
example the world famous Jameson Whiskey Distillery stands there, as does
Dublin's Fruit and Vegetable Market. The Lighthouse Cinema which is Dublin's
most prominent independent cinema also holds pride of place on Smithfield
Square. The most interesting things we heard on the Northside Ghost Walk though
were of a chap who used to frequent the area called 'Scaldbrother', I won't
give the story away but he was most certainly one of Dublin's more colourful
characters.
The second thing that was fascinating is that there are a whole
series of underground tunnels running underneath Smithfield and much of the
North Side of the River. Unfortunately the ancient tunnels are not in great
condition anymore and have never been properly explored. There are still a
couple of entrances to them open though. The one I know about involves jumping
in to the River Liffey and crawling through one of the many holes that lead up
to the undeground of the Northside from the River Liffey. Not nice at all!
However, I guess for those who are really passionate about the history of
Smithfield, it might be worth it!
