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OBAIRBulletin from the offic

e of PuBlic Works

Issue 23 : DecemBeR 2010

KIlKenny cOuRthOuse

sKellIg mIchAel

the hAughey PAPeRs

gAlwAy custOms hOuse

2

Images: kilkenny

courthouse,

Dr. conor kostick

with the topographia

hibernica, robin on

a Branch, skellig

michael

contents Welcome 3

Probation service 4

newmills Award 6

national museum storage 8

haughey Papers 10

optimising Power @ Work 12

skellig michael 14

kilkenny castle 16

furniture Division Award 18

news from farmleigh 19

library 21

kilkenny courthouse 22

Purchase to Pay 28

social club 30

solstice Draw 32

football 34

Drumshanbo DVo 36

Galway customs house 38

Buncrana 40

staff movement 44

welcOme

Welcome issue 23 of oBAir mAGAzine, the DecemBer 2010 eDition

You will have noticed, we are sure, that we have been

a little behind schedule with rolling out the obair

magazines of late but we have now secured approval

to continue with the publication so you will be pleased

to hear that we will catch up very quickly now.

We are considering publishing a “state Visit” special

for the June 2011 edition so we would particularly

like colleagues to contact us with their experiences

and involvement during the course of the visits. this

is particularly relevant, of course, to our heritage

services and event management sections that played

such an important role throughout the visits. We

would love to hear from you so please get in touch.

But onto this edition and another magazine full of

juicy details on some of the projects oPW has been

working on lately! the new kilkenny courthouse

is our cover photo and inside you will find an

interesting article by Gerard Bourke giving details

of this project.We also hear about life on skellig

michael from Bob harris, two new projects that

have come to fruition in Buncrana and Drumshanbo

and we learn about awards for newmills Wool and

flaxmills in letterkenny and for oPW furniture

Division. there’s also details of new storage

facilities for the national museum, a new premises

for the Probation service and a piece about the

lottery draw to attend the winter solstice event

at newgrange, one of the country’s most popular

cultural and historical showpieces. this, and more, in

your obair magazine!

We hope, as always, that you enjoy the magazine.

We are always looking for content so do feel free

to contact us with any news stories or, just as

importantly, social events that are happening in

your area. We would be delighted to give them

some coverage. Do bear in mind the “state visits”

for the next issue but we will be reverting back to

our normal format for the December 2011 issue and

onwards.

neil ryan

kevin kennedy

Anne o’sullivan

Obair editorial team

obair - December 2010 3

neW AccommoDAtion for the ProBAtion serVice At the hAYmArket, smithfielD, DuBlin.

this space was offered to oPW as a “grey box”, with

large holes in the floors, changes in floor levels,

poorly defined areas, inadequate fire escapes, etc.

With the help of michael Donnellan, the Director of

the Probation service, and his staff, a Brief was

formulated for new offices for his organisation. the

developers had ideas for other parts of the building

complex; a cookery school, cinemas (the lighthouse

cinema), a children’s theatre. ideas were very fluid

at the beginning. eventually the limits of the space

were agreed and the task became one of planning,

designing and detailing the elements within this

space.

the space was air-conditioned throughout; there

were no opening windows, only full-height double-

glazing; the building was described as having a “deep

plan”, way beyond the normal oPW requirements of

a 12-14 metre wide floor space. this meant that the

space did not lend itself to the multiplicity of small

cellular offices which had been the arrangement for

the Probation service in its previous building.

studies highlighted the advantages of an open

plan arrangement which would allow more light into

the building, allow for flexibility in work practices,

and open up views to Blackhall Place, the Bluecoat

school, and the Phoenix Park beyond.

During the detailed planning stage an extra 37

people were recruited to the Probation service, but

with the late omission of a large computer server

area and other i.t. requirements it was possible to

accommodate these additional people.

4

Images: (above)

Probation service

offices and canteen,.

(opposite page)

Probation services

foyer

PROBAtIOn seRvIce

the design now provides a large reception and

waiting area on the ground floor. the first floor

provides mainly interview, counselling, and conference

rooms. the second floor provides a south-facing

canteen overlooking the city. other functions on

this floor include the boardroom, i.t. training rooms

and supporting office space. the third, fourth and

fifth floors are open plan office areas for the most

part with some specialist areas. A roof garden and

basement car parking have also been provided.

Working closely with mr Paul molloy and mr. michael

molloy of oPW Property management, mr. conor clarke

and ms. Johanna o’sullivan of oPW m&e services and

mr. Philip kenny of oPW’s furniture Branch, a very

pleasant layout has now been created for the staff of

the Probation service.

Greg Devlin

senior Architect.


PROBAtIOn seRvIce

6

neWmills corn AnD flAX mills comPleX Wins inDustriAl heritAGe AWArD for Best museum.

minister of state Dr. martin mansergh tD visited the

newmills corn and flax mills complex in letterkenny,

county Donegal on friday 1st october to accept an

industrial heritage award for Best museum, won by the

mills in 2009. the mills were nominated for the award

by the industrial heritage Association of ireland (ihAi)

and the awards are sponsored by the esB.

Before the official ceremonies began, and the

presentation of the award took place, the minister

was taken on a walk through the mills and had an

opportunity to meet many of the oPW staff and local

representatives, as well as see the impressive mill,

one of the largest in the country, in operation.

in his acceptance speech, minister mansergh said:

“This Mill Complex is a fascinating example of an

economic activity, which once was commonplace

throughout rural Ireland, but is now sadly almost

unique. It is a joy to wander through, an experience

which evokes in the visitor a strong sense of

connection with a past, which is not merely a

sentimental experience, but one which I feel facilitates

an important bonding with an older agrarian society

and an identity which was forged over the last

hundreds of years. This place tells of a society, when

life was both hard and uncompromising, but also

contained a certain richness and which in its own way

was meaningful and rewarding. It must be interpreted

sensitively and in a faithful fashion, giving an insight

not only into the mechanics of the industry, but also

the very human and social aspects of this place.

With this in mind, the Heritage Service has set about

the task of making the restored mills accessible

to visitors, and in a fresh and interesting way, of

explaining the physical and social forces at work,

which went into the milling process. For all this work of

restoration and interpretation, Newmills deserves the

Industrial Heritage Award for Best Site/Museum, an

Award which we are very proud to accept and display

this evening”.

the minister went on to outline recent developments

at the mills and to announce details of the

appointment of a conservation architect to the site.

newmIlls AwARD

Images: (above)

minister is presented

with the award by

Brendan Delany.


newmIlls AwARD

“I am delighted to announce that the Office of Public

Works has this year purchased the mill owner’s

residence, bar/grocery store and out offices at the

Newmills Complex, thereby completing ownership of

the full site. I also wish to officially announce that

Ms Grainne Shaffrey, the distinguished Conservation

Architect, has been commissioned by the Office

to (a) undertake research relating to the history

and development of this property; (b) provide a

condition report on the building fabric, fixtures and

fittings; (c) prepare a detailed schedule of remedial

works incorporating work methods and, (d) provide

proposals for the presentation of the site. I look

forward to receiving this report next year and the

preparation of plans for the presentation of this

complex in its totality. In the interim period, I shall

place this Silver Dish Award in the cabinet in this

Visitor Centre, and leave room for the receipt of a

further award in due course at the completion of

works for the presentation and interpretation of the

entire site”.

kevin kennedy

Public Relations Department

Images: (Above)minister

mansergh with Paul

mcmahon, oPW; Brendan

Delaney, manager,

Archives and heritage

esB and fred hammond,

Vice President, industrial

heritage Association

of ireland. minister

with oPW staff David

Amour, site guide,

John orr, maintenance

officer, Packie Bradley,

craftsperson and Dermot

Burke, head of oPW

national monuments.

8

Images: (above) new

national museum

storage facility.

(opposite page)

oPW and national

museum staff at

the facility.

collections resource centre for the nAtionAl museum of irelAnD.

the selection of the motorola / celestica building in

swords, co. Dublin as space for part of the national

museum of ireland followed from an extensive search

for suitable buildings by the late mr. David Byers,

commissioner in oPW.

the requirements of the museum included the

following: a highly serviced space in terms of level

of environmental control; ease of access for large

elements of storage; good lighting; the possibility for

sub-division for different types of storage; ease of

movement for different types of material within a very

large space; laboratories, conservation areas and

other specialist areas.

the building was originally designed (circa 1985) by

Brian o’halloran & Associates, architects for motorola,

an American high-tech manufacturing company. the

ownership of the building then changed and another

manufacturing company, celestica, extended the

building in a linear form to approximately one and

a half times its original size. in terms of scale the

building is wider and longer than croke Park.

the structure of this relatively new building is a

shallow steel portal frame system, set out in modules

spanning 18 metres by 6 metres. in planning terms

the functions were arranged in three zones; the

offices, reception, dining areas, etc, were arranged

in the first zone on the west side of the building;

the production area, approximately 54 metres deep

by 198 metres long, was arranged in the centre of

the building; loading bays, delivery, plant and service

rooms etc were arranged in the third zone on the east

side of the building. the museum usage retains this

arrangement with the centre zone now being used for

storage of one form or another.

nAtIOnAl

museum stORAge


the major design approach for oPW in this project

was one of conservation. conservation is normally

thought of in terms of much older buildings, but

here the task was to conserve, protect and maintain

mechanical and electrical services while having a

minimal intervention with the fabric of the building. the

budget for the project also had a major influence on

the design approach.

frank reilly and Brian kearns of oPW’s m&e section

did an excellent job in co-ordinating proposals for

services with outside consultants and contractors

while the project generally was managed by

Architectural services. A close relationship was

maintained with all interested parties during the

course of the project and this lead to a rapid

completion of the contract.

mr. nick o’Donoghue and ms. cathleen morrison of

Property management section in oPW provided very

valuable assistance at all stages of the project, and

bearing in mind the complex nature of the project, it

would appear that the national museum of ireland are

very happy with the outcome.

Greg Devlin,

senior Architect

nAtIOnAl

museum stORAge

10

Images courtesy

of elaine kennedy

Photography

Images: (above)

members of the

haughey family,

including maureen,

the widow of the late

former taoiseach, in

the Blasket centre

Archive.

(opposite page)

minister martin

mansergh perusing

the papers with

maureen haughey.

hAughey PAPeRs

10

PresentAtion of the hAuGheY PAPers to the GreAt BlAsket Visitor centre.

on friday 22 october, 2010, three generations of the

haughey family, including maureen haughey, widow

of the former taoiseach, her daughter eimear and

sons ciarán, conor and seán, were present in ionad

an Bhlascaoid mhóir for the formal presentation of

7 boxes of charles haughey’s files pertaining to

his island, inis icileáin in the Blasket Archipelago of

the coast of co. kerry, to the office of Public Works.

minister for state with responsibility for the oPW, mr.

martin mansergh, t.D, accepted the papers on behalf

of the state.

inis icileáin was purchased by mr. haughey from the

last residents of the island, the Ó Dálaigh family, and

he proceeded to build a summer residence on it. this

residence is still regularly used by mr. haughey’s family.

inis icileáin has an important place in the historical,

cultural & environmental life of the Blasket Archipelago.

some important early christian ruins are in evidence,

along with the old homestead which was inhabited

by a succession of families until abandoned by the Ó

Dálaigh family in the early 1900s. the inis is frequently

referred to in Blasket literature, and it hosts

important colonies of seals and various sea-birds. it

also has a species of moth which is totally unique to it.

the 7 boxes contained documents regarding many

aspects of inis icileáin. mr. haughey apparently had a


hAughey PAPeRs


deep interest in the history of the inis, and also in its

flora and fauna. the papers also include documents

on such diverse subjects as Geological formations,

moths, the lighthouse keepers on tiaracht, the Dingle

regatta & poetry, and a great many press clippings

from the 1960s to the current century.

thanks must be given to the haughey family for

providing the office of Public Works with these

documents. this collection of papers are an important

addition to the centre’s archive and exhibition. they

are an almost complete historical record of inis

icileáin, and also include much information on the

Blasket Archipelago in general. students of history,

Archaeology, zoology, irish, & many other disciplines

have already accessed the papers, and the archive of

ionad an Bhlascaoid is the ideal place to hold them.

Dáithí de mórdha

OPw, Ionad an Bhlascaoid

Dún chaoin

Images: (above)

minister mansergh

with chairman clare

mcGrath, tony smyth,

sarah ní ruairc,

Jim o’sullivan and

conor clarke.

12

lAunch of oPtimisinG PoWer @ Work – PhAse 2

on the 2nd november 2010, Dr. martin mansergh, t.D

officially launched the new phase of optimising Power

@ Work (the oPW’s state-wide staff energy awareness

campaign) in the convention centre Dublin. over 200

delegates, consisting mainly of representatives from

energy teams involved in the campaign, but also from

both the wider public service and some private sector

organisations, attended the event. the official launch

was combined with an awards ceremony. the awards

were presented to energy teams from buildings

throughout the country in recognition of outstanding

achievements in energy conservation in the first phase

of the initiative, which commenced in 2008. Presenting

the prizes to the winners in each category was the

oPW chairman, ms. clare mcGrath who also provided

the opening address.

the minister’s speech outlined how the Government’s

target for energy saving in the public sector is

33% from 2009 to 2020. the target for the private

sector is 20%. he stated that there was no room for

complacency in the public sector if these savings are

to be achieved. he outlined that it was the experience

of the oPW that a properly managed energy

conservation programme is self-financing and that the

results are evident in the utility bills.

following the minister’s speech, oPW chief m&e

engineer, Jim o’sullivan, gave a presentation on

“implementing a staff energy Awareness campaign”.

this was aimed at representatives from other Public

and Private sector organisations who were attending

the event. it provided practical advice on starting

and running a successful staff energy awareness

campaign, based on the many years of experience

gained by the oPW in this area.

conor clarke, who heads the energy conservation

unit in the mechanical and electrical section, gave a

OPtImIsIng

POweR @ wORK


presentation on the background to optimising Power

@ Work and outlined the successes of the first two

years since commencement. he stated that the first

phase of optimising Power @ Work has achieved

average savings of approximately 12% in energy

savings. he went on to explain that the new phase

is about building on what has been achieved to date

and making more savings. the target for Phase 2 is

an average 20% per annum saving by 2012 across all

buildings in the campaign.

Achieving this goal will certainly put the oPW portfolio

of buildings in a unique position in terms of energy

savings. from our experience to date it is regarded

that this is an ambitious but achievable target. in

terms of money this programme is intended to save

approximately €4.2 million per annum. the annual

expenditure on the programme, the cost of providing

a service to achieve this, is approximately €800,000 so

the return on investment is significant.

Assisting in the presentation of the awards was

sarah ní ruairc (engineer, energy conservation unit).

Awards were presented to a number of high achieving

energy teams under various categories and types of

buildings. some of the exceptional performers were:

Government offices in letterkenny, a simple naturally

ventilated building, savings of 24% were achieved; the

Garda national immigration Bureau/ Department of

Justice, equality & law reform, Burgh Quay, which is

a fully air conditioned office block, achieved savings

of 33%; the initiative in the regional Veterinary

laboratories in Athlone resulted in savings of 34% and

among our stock of historic Buildings an impressive

19% was achieved by immA in the royal hospital

kilmainham.

marie morris, nora ryan and maria kelly ably provided

administrative support in the organisation and smooth

running of this very successful event.

conor clarke

mechanical and engineering services

OPtImIsIng

POweR @ wORK

14

mY Week: BoB hArris

On an island with no running water or electricity, the

simple pleasures matter: so I save my batteries for tim

thurston on sundays

I am a rock

for five months of every year, i live on the island of

skellig michael, 13km off the kerry coast. i’ve been the

head guide here for 23 years. i have five colleagues,

and there are usually three of us here.

the island is a unesco World heritage site. high on its

eastern peak, some 600ft above the sea, is a set of

stone terraces where monks lived in the 7th century.

Apart from ourselves, it’s home now only to tens of

thousands of nesting seabirds.

there is no normal week on skellig, but there is a

certain rhythm to the days, one that changes through

the seasons. At times, the island is cut off. over the

past 10 days, three separate centres of low pressure

have developed out in the Atlantic, lashing the island

with gales.

so accurate calculation is important: fresh supplies

and drinking water are brought out by supply boat,

scheduled for mondays and fridays.

Deserted island

on fridays we change over. many years ago, i bullied the

others into believing that the arrival of fresh doughnuts

should be part of this ritual. once, i was given fresh

doughnuts and a copy of Psychology today. i still don’t

know if i was meant to see significance in this peculiar

combination. the newspaper also comes on fridays. for

some reason, we survey with particular interest the

weather chart and holiday ads.

if the sea becomes too rough, no landing is possible.

if the wind rises too high, no helicopter will come near

the peaks. everyone has to adopt an island personality

to deal with each other’s quirks of character. People

who stay generally love it here; it satisfies some

requirement of their lives.

When people arrive on fridays, their bright mainland

clothes dazzle. this doesn’t last long. sea-area

forecasts from Valentia radio soon punctuate the day.

there is no running water or electricity on the island,

and other details take on an essential and permanent

value: fresh milk for tea, for example.

sKellIg mIchAel

Images: skellig

michael oratory and

aerial views.

the hermitage

i live in a small hut with a big window looking over the ocean. the gas

cooker warms the place quickly in the morning, as do the gas lamps at

night. i save my radio batteries to listen to ireland’s soccer matches, but

mostly for sunday mornings and tim thurston’s Gloria. last sunday the

gannets passing outside danced through the intricacies of a chorale by

Bach, fighting the updraughts of strong winds attacking the rock. After days

of isolation, the effect of this music, piped out of a little box and through

earphones, is powerful.


Plainchant would probably be more appropriate. no-

one knows what the chants of the monks sounded

like in the 7th century, but something of them lingers.

high above me, a small dry-stone terrace juts out over

the sea on which men lived a life of prayer, adopting

an attitude that entered into their building. the daily

rhythms they worked can still be understood in the

little maze of the white and grey monastery lifted up

to the sky overhead.

these monks moved to the rhythm of the ocean, of the

oncoming weather, of the bird flight that surrounded

them. they heard the sea pound the rock underfoot,

as i do today. the rainwater shivered upon the edges

of each stone of the cells as it does now, falling in

the sequences of an elaborate water clock. A mile to

the east, gannets explore the cliffs of our sister rock,

the little skellig. there are some 50,000 of them, and

they swing out continually in departure and return,

following a pendulum that marks a fundamental key

of time here. People sense this, one way or another,

upon arrival on the island.

surprise visitor

this week we enter the dark time on the skelligs. the

colourful birds — puffins, razorbills, guillemots and

kittiwakes — are gone. the sun has moved past the

equinox, past the feast of st michael, past the pilgrims’

visit to the rock. Day visitors still come in october, but

this week our only pilgrims have fallen from the skies:

ten snow buntings suddenly appeared, their bright

forms darting ahead of me as i walked down to the

landing.

then today, i noticed the red glow of a robin — ghostly

in the rain, and only the second i’ve encountered here

in 23 years — outside the window on the lighthouse

road wall.

Bob Harris is a caretaker and guide on Skellig Michael

• this piece first appeared in the sunday times in

october 2010

• images courtesy of con Brogan, DoeclG.

16

KIlKenny cAstle

tree DAY 2010 thursDAY, 7 octoBer 2010

“Bliain na Beithe”

“Year of the Birch “

on thursday the 7th of october 2010, over 600 local

primary school children celebrated national tree Day with

the Guides and Gardeners of kilkenny castle and Park.

in existence since 1997, national tree Day is supported

by the Department of education and science and for

2010, the national tree council of ireland chose to

celebrate one of our most common native trees, the

Birch tree.

the children first met with the Guides who gave them

their worksheets and explained how they would find

the answers by following a trail of clues ‘hidden’

amongst the trees in the Park. however, before

heading off on their adventure, they spent some time

with the Gardeners, who showed them how leaves

and barks could help them identify trees and how to

recognise the different fungi that can grow on them.

this talk concluded with one of their favourite parts it

seems, a demonstration on how to make their very own

besom or witch’s broom, using a piece of Ash for the

handle and thin branches from one of the castle’s very

own Birch trees for the bristles!

this was followed by hours of fun hunting for hints and

exploring the 52 acres of parkland, while at the same

time completing the Birch tree trail and discovering

other trees of the castle Park.

Images: national

tree Day at kilkenny

castle.

obair - December 2010

KIlKenny cAstle

Along the way, they learned many things and amongst

them, that in lapland and sweden the sap of the Birch

tree is sometimes used as a substitute for sugar, and

that the average mature Birch tree can produce one

million seeds per year!

All at kilkenny castle hope that this experience will

help the national tree council in its efforts “to foster

a tree and wood culture” amongst all of us. in the

meantime, we do know that with the sun on their side,

children, teachers and organisers alike made the most

of the day and we expect that the seeds planted on

our first national tree Day will grow and prove to be

just as popular in years to come...

lesley mangan & maëlle champenois,

Kilkenny castle.

18

FuRnItuRe

DIvIsIOn AwARD

furniture DiVision Wins Green PuBlic sector Procurement AWArD.

the office of Public Works furniture Division won the

Green Public sector Procurement Award based on

their submission, which indicated an awareness of a

need to increase the use of sustainable materials in

furniture production.

over a ten-year period the oPW specifications have

changed dramatically.

the specifying of sustainable materials and methods

at all stages of production and delivery

was introduced. At first, preference was granted

to manufacturers that conformed to various

environmental standards. After a number of years

these standards were made compulsory, in order for

tenders be considered. this, in the end, resulted in

the furniture provided by oPW, under their call-off

contract, being manufactured and assembled using

materials that are fully traceable and recyclable.

robert Guihen,

Furniture Division

Images: (above)

minister John

Gormley presents

the award to robert

Guihen, furniture

Division.


An imPortAnt meDieVAl mAnuscriPt

An important medieval manuscript, previously ‘lost’

to modern scholarship has been rediscovered at

the Benjamin iveagh library, farmleigh by Dr. conor

kostick. the manuscript is a copy of topographia

hibernica (topography of ireland) dating from 1280. it

is an account of the landscape and people of ireland,

written by medieval clergyman and chronicler Gerald

of Wales (Giraldus cambrensis) around 1188, soon

after the norman invasion of ireland. it was the most

extensive and most influential work on ireland in the

middle Ages and its direct influence endured into

the early modern period, being continually used as a

source for historians into the tudor period.

in spite of being an important source for early

historians topographia hibernica is a quirky and

colourful book full of blatant inaccuracies, tall

stories and very unflattering descriptions of irish

people. for example, he describes the irish as ‘wild

and inhospitable’ going on to claim that ‘they live

on beasts only and live like beasts …’ he makes a

number outrageous claims such as that kingfishers

in ireland don’t putrefy after death, but can be used

to place between clothes to keep away moths and

impart a pleasant perfume. Another outlandish

story he tells concerns a priest, who in 1182 met two

wolves who could speak, and who explained that in

osraige, every seven years, a man and a woman were

compelled to wear the form of a wolf. When the seven

years are up, the couple return to human form, and

another couple take their place. he also gives some

more accurate descriptions of ireland, for example,

Gerald writes that there was so much rain that even

in summer you would rarely see three consecutive

days of really fine weather.

news FROm

FARmleIgh

Images: Dr. conor

kostick with the

topographia

hibernica,

20

Dr. conor kostick is an award winning children’s writer

and is best known among younger readers for his

‘Avatar chronicles’ trilogy of books. he was appointed

as the farmleigh Writer-in-residence in summer

2010. knowing that he also taught medieval history at

trinity college Dublin, i made him aware of the copy

of topographia hibernica which is held at farmleigh

as part of the Benjamin iveagh library. Although

the farmleigh copy had been seen by a number of

scholars, Dr. kostick was the first to conduct more in

depth research which led him to conclude that he had

discovered a hitherto ‘lost’ copy of the manuscript

which had not been consulted by modern scholars.

the only mention he found was in a 2009 PhD thesis

by sumithra J. David, which referred to a ‘missing’ copy

of the topographia hibernica.

so how did the manuscript come to farmleigh? A

november 1969 entry in the library’s acquisition register

records that the topographia hibernica was purchased

as part of a number of items from sothebys of london

by Benjamin Guinness, third earl of iveagh. fortunately

its provenance was clear as it contained a Phillipps

middle hill stamp. Phillipps was an obsessive book

collector and amassed a library with over 40,000 books

and 60,000 manuscripts. interestingly, in his will he

stipulated that no catholics, especially his despised

son-in-law, should be permitted to view them. After

Phillips died in 1872, his collection was sold off and

various parts of it came to auction throughout the

twentieth century, with topographia hibernica eventually

being purchased anonymously by Benjamin Guinness

for his private collection thus no longer traceable by or

available to scholars.

there are only 39 known copies of the topographia

hibernica. each copy was meticulously copied by a

scribe onto velum, a precious and very expensive

material made from calf skin. As the manuscript is

copied, slight amendments are made with elements

being added in and omitted by the scribe. it will take

proper and in-depth study to see exactly what the

farmleigh manuscript has to offer; how it differs

from the other manuscripts and where it fits in to

the established schema; but it is earlier than most

of the surviving manuscripts. leading scholar on

the works of Gerald of Wales, Professor robert

Bartlett, Professor of medievel history at st. Andrews

university, has described the discovery as ‘very

exciting news’.

on foot of Dr. kostick’s exciting discovery he was

awarded a research fellowship from marsh’s library in

2011 to carry out further research into the manuscript.

the farmleigh copy of topographia hibernica is

currently being digitized by the Dublin institute for

Advanced studies irish script on screen project

and will soon appear on their website. An exhibition

and lecture on the subject of the farmleigh copy of

topographia hibernica is scheduled for summer 2012.

Images: (above)

minister with lord

iveagh, Archbishop

neill and muriel

mccarthy; (opposite

page) minister with

chairman clare

mcGrath, lord

iveagh, Archbishop

neill and muriel

mccarthy.


the BenJAmin iVeAGh liBrArY

the Benjamin iveagh library was amassed by the third

earl of iveagh, Benjamin Guinness (1932-1992) and

housed at farmleigh. he was a very keen bibliophile

and an astute collector of rare books, manuscripts

and bindings. the collection amounts to over 5,000

items and includes many highly collectible items

including first editions of ulysses and Gulliver’s

travels, an irish Primer that may have belonged to

Queen elizabeth i and the letter that Daniel o’connell

lIBRARy

Images: (above)

minister signing

guest book

with chairman

clare mcGrath,

muriel mccarthy,

Archbishop neill and

lord iveagh

wrote to his wife to tell her of the passing of the

catholic emancipation Bill in 1829. the entire collection

was recently donated to marsh’s library but it will

continue to be held at farmleigh in the care of the

oPW.

Julia cummins

Farmleigh librarian

22

kilkennY courthouse eXtension AnD renoVAtion

oPW’s client, the courts service, have hailed the

recently finished courthouse in kilkenny as being

“exceptionally well received by staff, public, press and

practitioners alike”, and it is being called “one of the

most impressive public spaces in the city”.

kilkenny city retains more of its medieval character

than any other irish city. the courthouse site has been

occupied for at least 800 years, guarding a border

between two important historical settlements - the

early christian settlement to the north, and the Anglo-

norman hightown to the south. the first builders here

led the development of kilkenny’s typically european

narrow burgage plots, which stretch between the city’s

two medieval highways of the river nore to the east

and high street to the west.

the earliest recorded building on the courthouse

site is Grace’s castle, built in 1210 – some of its fabric

may in fact still be in situ, incorporated into later

developments. the crown bought the castle in 1566,

renting it to kilkenny corporation for use as a gaol. in

1752 and 1792 further works added a courthouse and

another gaol to the complex, hiding whatever remained

of the castle. in 1824, the kilkenny architect William

robertson was commissioned to add a classical

façade to unify the buildings above the two gaols. he

also created the grand entrance hall behind. A notable

later addition was the 1920’s council chamber, with its

distinctive timber-lined ceiling, which now serves as an

excellent Jury room. more recent alterations however

were quite insensitive, and had to be unbuilt as part of

the project. no original courtroom fittings had survived.

in 2006, the site was vested from the local Authority

KIlKenny

cOuRthOuse

Images: (above)

William robertson’s

façade unifying

buildings above the

old gaols


to the courts service. the site was archaeologically resolved in 2008 as part

of the project, yielding extensive finds, many unique

in kilkenny. About 30 burials were found, probably

mostly of prisoners, and possibly at least one from

medieval times. Because the site falls to the river

nore and so is very damp, the archaeologists found

many very well preserved items such as a child’s toy,

wooden spindles, even shingles of wooden mediaeval

roofs about which little had been known. the rare “wet”

archaeology also revealed seed and pollen samples

which allowed the history of vegetation and food on

the site to be traced back over a thousand years.

the design team began a process of analysis at

different scales. A careful investigation of existing

fabric detail, of its many strata and accretions was

initiated, in tandem with urban strategies to achieve

clearer contextual links between the courthouse and

medieval rothe house and kilkenny castle. on site,

a policy of minimal intervention was adopted. the

gaols below the courthouse were stabilised, awaiting

a suitable future use. the Parliament street façade

and forecourt were cleaned and refurbished, restored

to their classical austerity. mass concrete partitions

were removed from robertson’s great hall, and flags

Images: (clockwise from the top) 1. the new public entrance presents itself as open and approachable, while also projecting a gravitas appropriate to the

administration of Justice as a solemn act. the design aims to inspire confidence without being intimidating, to be transparent and yet solid. 2. the old east

façade revealed itself as an important vertical plane to be shared by the new and existing buildings. A pale wash now unites its exposed materials from

various eras, celebrating the continuity of building. this wall can be read as an unfurled chart of the building’s evolution, from its medieval base to the 21st

century roof. 3. kilkenny limestone floor to the principal circulation route unites old and new buildings at the main courtroom and concourse level. 4. new sound

lobbies to existing courtrooms as modern interventions in 19th century public concourse.

24

Images: (from

left to right) 1.

the architectural

resolution deploys

a dramatic new

four-storey atrium to

fuse the existing and

new court buildings

into a legible whole.

2. Board-marked

concrete colonnade

screening circulation

from the new atrium

of kilkenny limestone substituted for the insitu slabs

that had marred its floor. the old east façade revealed

itself as an important vertical plane to be shared by

the new and existing buildings. A pale wash now unites

its exposed materials from various eras, celebrating

the continuity of building. this wall can be read as

an unfurled chart of the building’s evolution, from its

medieval base to the 21st century roof.

retaining historical features however “ordinary” and

removing anything inappropriate has opened up the

narrative of the building to fresh interpretations. no

attempt was made to completely reinstate any earlier

manifestation, but rather to present the building as a

balanced accretion of architectural changes over time.

these balanced accretions can be thought of as layers

of history, building fabric and archaeology, over which

our contemporary layer is being added. the modern

extension itself has been conceived as a layering of

spaces – open, semi-enclosed or enclosed – each

space in turn defined by colonnades, transparent

planes, translucent walls, or solid stone. the addition

of this building fronting onto Bateman Quay fulfils the

client’s extra accommodation requirements.

the new building is very conscious of its lead-role in

the wider urban context, as visualised in the area’s

masterplan, and of its potential to “seed” future

development in the Bateman Quay area. it establishes

appropriate scales, building lines and materials for

new neighbours to emulate. the new building makes

civic gestures - the new public entrance is located

to terminate the main axis of the masterplan, and

creates a visual link with kilkenny castle. it steps out

from the line of the historic exercise yards wall to

signal a presence from Parliament st. the choice of

a curving copper roof over the new large courtroom

follows the irish custom of using copper roofs to

signify important civic buildings, (as for example

Gandon’s copper dome does on the four courts).

the architectural resolution of the complex brief deploys

a dramatic four-storey atrium to fuse the existing and

new buildings into a legible whole. this universally


Images: (above) oak-lined refurbished courtrooms in the existing building – no original

features had survived. 2. the former local authority council chamber is re-used as a jury

room

accessible atrium now acts as the main public entrance

and as a public orientation space; its suspended ghostly

sculpture embodies the idea of centuries of justice

deriving from the people themselves. on a tight site,

courtroom accommodation has doubled from two to four

courtrooms, with all services discretely integrated into

the new and existing fabric. the new building aims to be

perhaps less intimidating than the existing, while also

projecting a gravitas appropriate to the administration of

Justice as a solemn act.

through 800 years of evolution, this building has

had many guises, and has been in public use for

500 years. this oPW renovation will be its latest

incarnation, and should ensure that the courthouse

can remain in the heart of kilkenny and continue to be

used by everyone.

Gerard Bourke

Architectural services

26

Images: (above) 1.

the great hall by

robertson restored.

no attempt was

made to completely

reinstate any earlier

manifestation, but

rather to present

the building as a

balanced accretion

of architectural

changes over time.

2. the figures float

in the layered

spaces of the atrium

PROject teAm lIst:

Design team:

OPw Architectural services:

Gerard Bourke, Design team leader and Project

Architect,

saskia o’connor, Architect,

emer o’cathaoir, Architect

michael haugh, Assistant Principal Architect,

conservation Architect:

Bluett & o’Donoghue Architects - michael o’Boyle,

Architect

structural engineers:

thomas Garland & Partners - kevin rudden, liam

hearne, David fitzpatrick, terry maher

services consultants:

Pmc Partnership - eugene Phillips, simon carolan

Quantity surveyors:

seamus monahan & Partners - chris Gogarty, Des

kieran, James linnane

Archaeologists:

Arch-tech ltd - stephen Johnson, maedbh saunderson

commissioned Artist: caroline schofield

main contractor – michael mcnamara construction ltd

Photographer: Donal murray

subcontractors list

Façade restoration: cornerstone ltd

Fitted Furniture: Forbes contracts

mechanical Installation: murphy & Kelly ltd

electrical Installation: Kirby electrical ltd

Project facts

size 4,000 sq m

value €12.4 m

Duration 24 months

location Parliament st/Bateman’s Quay,

kilkenny


Images: (above) 1. the soft hemp string columns resonate with the hard concrete columns

behind 2. the unravelling hemp strings give the figures a fragility and vulnerability

“lAYers 800 YeArs”

commissioned Artist: caroline schofield

Photographer: ross costigan

oPW Architectural services and oPW Art management

composed a thoughtful brief for an artwork that would

compliment and resonate with the architectural space.

the theme we sought was layers. the old building

is made up of layers of manmade interventions; the

ground beneath the new building is made of layers of

soil and human detritus, the new building is a series

of layered spaces. the sculpture was commissioned to

form a focal point for the entrance zone and to be a

link between the external public realm and the public

atrium with its various vantage points.

the commission was won by textile artist caroline

schofield, who says she considered “the heritage of

this historic building – the physical building with its

soaring atrium space as well as the human endeavour

associated with it over the centuries”. she says “the

archaeological works had uncovered human bones and

a spindle there, so its past has included a wide range

of human activities from crafts to the civic activities of

the courts, which were held there for 200 years.”

ms. schofield calls her sculpture layers 800 Years:

“it is a group of twelve life-size human heads, floating

above the atrium space, made of fleece with hemp

strings trailing from the busts. the heads have

no features but do have a backbone. this group

represents the power of the people working together

to create a just and fair society”. caroline feels that

“the unravelling hemp strings give the figures a

fragility and vulnerability”.

Gerard Bourke

Architectural services

28

introDuction of A neW PurchAsinG sYstem in the o.P.W.

the introduction of a new purchasing system began

in the oPW in summer of 2010. this system, called

Purchase to Pay (P2P), allows for the electronic

processing and payment of invoices and facilitates

accrual accounting. it replaces the current ordering,

invoicing and payment process.

three sections were selected for the pilot programme,

i.t., trim Drainage and Accounts Branch. these sections

were selected to test some variations of purchasing

supplies and services that the oPW acquire on a daily

basis. As you can imagine, a purchasing system for

the entire oPW has to be able to cope with a vast

array of purchases, from buying stationery to hiring

consultants to large building works.

PuRchAse

tO PAy

Yes

Purchase to Pay Work�ow

Requisitioner

Requisitioner

Authoriser No

No

Yes

Authoriser

Accounts Branch

Accounts Branch

Purchase Order Approved?

PO returned to Requisitioner for

Amendments

PO returned to Requisitioner for

Amendments

Supplier noti�ed of Purchase Order

Good recieved?

GRN Goods

Register Invoice

Invoice Matched?

Payment

Email to Approver with Payment

Details

Purchase Order Created

the P2P system works as follows

1. A Purchase order is entered giving a unique

purchase order number to that order

2. this is emailed automatically to an Authoriser who

can approve or reject it

3. if approved, the Purchase order can be printed

and sent or emailed to the supplier

4. When the goods or service is received, a Goods

received note is entered

5. the invoice is registered in Accounts Branch and

scanned on to the system.

6. the system performs a three-way check between

the Purchase order, the Goods received note and

the invoice. if the three match, the invoice is paid

and an email issues to the approver to inform

them the payment is made.


Purchase to Pay provides a number of benefits for

staff and for the Office;

• the handwritten or database itP is no longer

required.

• real time information is easily available on

purchases, commitments and liabilities

• All transactions relating to a purchase can be

tracked on the system as they happen through the

enquiry screens;

• there is a full audit trail of all transactions made.

• risk of duplicate payments is greatly reduced as

payment is made on a unique Purchase order

number;

• staff are informed at the start of the process

if the supplier does not possess a valid tax

clearance certificate (tcc);

• calculations of tax are carried out automatically by

the system.

the Purchase to Pay system can also deal with

situations where there are differences between the

Purchase order and the Goods received note and the

invoice.

Beginning in January 2011 Purchase to Pay will be

rolled out to all sections in the oPW. mif section will be

holding a series of information meetings and training

sessions for each division in the office.

this is not a difficult system to use and it provides very

useful, easy to access information for staff in addition

to being able to provide the office as a whole with a

clear picture of our financial commitments and liabilities.

We will be emailing each person involved with creating

or authorising itPs in order to get you set up on P2P

and then will be arranging training dates for each

section. once your section has received training there is

always assistance available from both mif section and

Accounts Branch for any queries that arise.

there is more information available on the intranet

under mif section. We look forward to meeting you all

over the next twelve months!

suzanne reeves

kevin kelly

mIF section

trim social club was formed in february 2010 to

organise social events for oPW staff. highlights of

the first year included the Great ireland run and the

christmas parties in December.

one of the first tasks of the social club was to link-

up with the Great ireland run to encourage staff

to participate in the event. on the 18th April 46 oPW

staff members ran/jogged/walked the course in

the Phoenix Park raising €8,351 for special olympics

ireland.

the social club organised the first oPW staff

christmas Party in trim on the 9th December. Despite

the terrible weather almost a 100 determined souls

packed into the trim castle hotel. After a hearty meal,

music was supplied by flinch. Dancing continued into

the early hours of friday morning. A great night was

had by all.

on christmas eve it was the turn of the kids to enjoy

some festive fun. thanks to the efforts of a dedicated

committee the christmas spirit was very much in

evidence around trim hQ. Almost 90 kids attended the

second kids christmas Party. A special word of thanks

to Jim ryan nPs, who stepped into the role of santa

at short notice. By all accounts the kids went home

happy and contented.

trim social club hopes to continue to build on the

successes of these events in 2011. A new committee

was put in place at the AGm in march. in April oPW

staff took part in the 2011 Great ireland run in aid of

the irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. During the year we

hope to organise enjoyable social events to capture

staff interest and participation, a monthly newsletter

to include events and staff occasions and an intranet

page. All staff are encouraged to join in the fun and

make it a year to remember!

tom lee

Personnel & Development services

30

sOcIAl cluB

Images: Great run

Participants (above).

sOcIAl cluB


Images: top two images - trim Xmas party, bottom two images -

trim children’s party

PhoeniX PArk stAff sociAl AssociAtion

the Phoenix Park staff social Association was

founded almost 35 years ago by a small group of Park

staff. the role of the Park social is to organise events

like annual staff nights out, and nights out over the

years include Greyhound racing, shows in the olympia,

casino nights in the harcourt hotel, evenings of irish

music and dance, and even weekends away. A social

evening for retired members is also organised every

December where staff past and present can get

together for a good night out.

the Phoenix Park has seen many retirements over

the years and the last year has seen two retirements.

A special night out is organised, and a sculptured

deer on a polished timber plaque is presented to the

retiree on behalf of the staff of the Phoenix Park.

An annual Phoenix Park commemorative mass in

memory of all deceased, retired, and serving members

of staff is held every november.

today the staff social has over 60 members

Pat Blair

national historic Properties,

Phoenix Park.

neWGrAnGe Winter solstice DrAW

the annual Winter solstice sun show at newgrange

is a world famous event. five thousand years ago

the neolithic builders of the monument ingeniously

engineered their monument so that sunlight could

enter the vaulted chamber at dawn at the Winter

solstice. on clear solstice mornings, the chamber at

the end of the passage is fully illuminated and bathed

in a wonderful golden glow.

it is all made possible by some truly ingenious stone

Age engineering --a small opening above the entrance

known as the ‘roof box’ allows the sun’s rays to

be concentrated and shine along the passageway.

Professor michael o’kelly rediscovered this

phenomenon at newgrange during his excavations of

the site. on December 21st, 1967, he was the first person

in millennia to see the light of the rising sun illuminate

the inner chamber of the 5,000-year-old tomb.

he noted that “the effect is very dramatic as the direct

light of the sun brightens and casts a glow of light all

over the chamber. i can see parts of the roof and a

reflected light shines right back into the back of the

end chamber”.

Almost fifty years later, the Winter solstice at

newgrange has become a huge, international event

attracting attention from all over the world.

sunrise on the shortest days of the year begins

at 8.58am and the light shines into the chamber for

19 minutes. the office of Public Works opens the

monument for the dawn from December 18th until

December 23rd inclusive and general admission on

those mornings is free of charge.

there were 25,349 applications from the public to

be inside the chamber at newgrange during Winter

solstice 2010.

All access to the chamber is decided by lottery but

of course a large crowd always gathers to stand

on the outside of the monument to mark the event.

32

sOlstIce DRAw

Images: (above)

Diving in

sOlstIce DRAw


Image: Picture courtesy of Alan Betson, irish times

there is always a festive and anticipatory atmosphere

regardless of the weather.

most of the application forms to be in the chamber for

dawn are filled out by visitors after they have visited

the site and before they leave the Visitor centre. many

people from overseas apply by e-mail.

the draw for places at newgrange for the solstice

takes place at the end of september. children

from three local schools, Donore ns, slane ns and

knockcommon ns., choose the winning applicants

supervised by Gardaí from slane and Duleek.

fifty names are drawn, and each person drawn is

invited, along with a guest, to attend on a specific

morning. there are ten lottery winners and their

guests in the chamber on each of the mornings.

some additional names are also drawn and placed

on a reserve list. the reserve list is there in case

someone whose name is drawn for the initial list is

not contactable or else finds it impossible to travel to

newgrange on the date they have been assigned.

many of the solstice lottery winners travel great

distances to return to be part of the big occasion.

everyone understands that there is no guarantee

that there will be sunlight in the chamber on any of

the mornings, so travelling to newgrange for solstice

dawn is a great act of faith. Despite the fact that we

don’t always have clear skies, visitors always say that

it was still worth their while to be there. newgrange

has been impressing celebrants for thousands of

years and remains a profoundly moving experience for

many of the visitors lucky enough to have their names

drawn in the lottery.

Although we don’t know just how our ancient

ancestors felt about their solstice days and their

amazing monument, being at newgrange on December

21st remains a very special event at very special place.

clare tuffy

Brú na Bóinne

success for the Brú nA BÓinne footBAll teAm!

the Brú na Bóinne u 14s football team won Division 5

and their summer league recently.

the Brú na Bóinne team is made up of players from

st. mary’s (the pitch across the road from the Visitor

centre) and slane.

A presentation took place in the Brú na Bóinne

centre and trophies were presented by Joe sheridan,

seneschalstown, a member of the meath team.

congrats to all the players involved.

many thanks to all at the centre, on behalf of everyone

on the team, for looking after us so well - as usual.

34

FOOtBAll

Images: (above) the team

with their winning trophy

and plaque, officials.

FOOtBAll


Images: (above) team and supporters

images courtesy of

ros kavanagh

36

neW District VeterinArY office for the DePt. of AGriculture, fisheries & fooD:

A site was acquired in 2004 at Derryhallagh,

Drumshanbo, co leitrim for the provision of a new

local District Veterinary office for the Department

of Agriculture fisheries and food. Previously,

administration of business for the agricultural

community in the area had been conducted from the

DAff office in sligo and it was judged appropriate

that a more local service to the immediate area would

be provided in order to provide a more customer -

focussed approach and to alleviate the necessity for

farmers to travel far to access Departmental services

for their business needs.

Work commenced on the site on 27 August 2007

and was completed in early may 2009. the building

was occupied subsequently during June 2009 by

Department staff and will gradually be built to

full occupation as staff are transferred to it from

older local Departmental offices which are being

progressively rationalised.

the accommodation comprises a modern two storey

building with an area of 2,674 sq. metres - which

provides capacity for up to 110 staff - and car parking

for 50 vehicles.

the building is designed and built with sustainable

principles in mind. to this end, it employs leading edge

design and technology in respect of heat recovery

and ventilation, enjoys a well-insulated structure

and is constructed with a view to minimising running

costs. the design also places a significant emphasis

on passive environmental measures such as natural

ventilation from a stack system on the roof and

excellent use of natural lighting through floor to

ceiling windows. intelligent lighting systems calculate

the amount of natural light coming in and adjust the

electric light levels automatically, ensuring that energy

bills for are minimised.

Although a traditional heating source has been

employed, provision has been made in the building

for the addition of solar panels to provide space and

DRumshAnBO DvO


water heating if required. the building is therefore ideally placed

to adapt to future changes in the energy supply market. however,

even now, the building uses intelligent systems to re-circulate

warm air and stores heat within the concrete and stone mass so

that energy costs are kept as low as possible.

the ground floor is clad in natural stone and most of the upper

level is covered in timber. therefore, although the overall design

concept is very modern, the various natural elements & textures

give the building a warm feel.

the internal walls are plastered to create a smooth concrete

finish, giving a strongly distinctive aspect to some of the work

and circulation spaces. this is mixed with a significant amount of

honeyed natural wood on floors, doors and stairs. the overall

effect is quite warm, belying the somewhat industrial look of the

concrete. interestingly, even the concrete elements of the building

are sourced with the environment in mind, containing approx

50% (GGBs Ground Granulated Blast furnace slag), a cement

replacement without the high carbon footprint of traditional cement.

An entrance courtyard provides a transition into the building to

the front. A second courtyard functions as a lightwell, providing

natural light ingress to some of the internal spaces.

the building was highly commended at the 10th Annual oPus

Architecture and construction Awards, held in Dublin in november 2009.

DRumshAnBO DvOthe oPus Awards are the single irish award that combine

architectural excellence and construction. the project

was also short-listed for an award in the irish concrete

society Awards for 2009.

frank shalvey,

Project management services

DesIgn teAm:

• Architect:

klaus unger, Assistant Principal Architect,

Architectural services 2. oPW, 52 st stephen’s

Green Dublin 2.

sean moylan, Architect, oPW, 52 st. stephen’s

Green Dublin 2.

marta Deka, Graduate Architect, oPW, 52 st.

stephen’s Green Dublin 2.

• mechanical & electrical engineers

Jim o’ sullivan, chief engineer, mechanical &

electrical services. oPW, 52 st. stephen’s Green,

Dublin 2

frank reilly, engineer Grade 1, oPW hQ trim, co meath

• Quantity surveyor

mulcahy mcDonagh & Partners sligo ltd. Water

lane, rockwood, sligo.

• structural engineer

tim mcDonnell, office of Public Works 17-19 hatch

street, Dublin 2.

PROject mAnAgement seRvIces:

• Brian Allen Po, Project management services, trim.

Project management services, oPW, Dublin &

claremorris: michael cooney; Pascal tobin; colette

Davis; Audrey Jennings; frank shalvey; Áine

de Búrca; Padraig campbell.

cOntRActOR DetAIls

• main contractor:

tracey Brothers ltd. Drumlyon house house,

Drumlyon, enniskillen, co fermanagh.

• Principal sub contractors:

electrical: Precision electric (ireland) ltd.

mechanical: Johan collins mechanical services ltd.

lift: kone ireland ltd.

Images: Galway

customs house

internal images

38

custom house, GAlWAY

the custom house Galway is a state owned office

facility overseen and managed by the Galway regional

office and presently houses a number of Government

Departments – cso, DsP, AhG and sections of the

Department of education and science.

in 2009, the relocation of the revenue office from the

custom house in Galway opened a unique opportunity

to provide regular public access to Galway’s most

significant archaeological landmark, the hall of the

red earl at the custom house. formally opened on

friday 7th may 2010 by John Gormley, tD, then minister

of environment, heritage & local Government, 2010

Dúchas na Gaillimhe – Galway civic trust has been

welcoming visitors from all corners of the globe. it

is indeed very encouraging to note that the 2012

edition of the lonely Planet Guide lists the hall of

the red earl as top choice of sights for visitors

to Galway, further evidence of the success of this

groundbreaking initiative.

since opening, in march, 2010, more than twenty two

thousand visitors have been welcomed to the hall.

the visitors’ book shows that people from Africa,

north and south America, Asia, Australia, 21 european

countries, india, new zealand and tasmania have

visited the site. this confirms a world-wide interest

in visiting heritage sites in ireland and the resultant

important contribution to the local economy.

the historical importance of the hall stems from its

association with the establishment of the town of

Galway, in the 13th century, by the Anglo-norman de

Burgo family. in 1230 richard de Burgo was repelled

by the native o’connor and o’flaherty clans when he

gAlwAy

custOms hOuse


tried to take a significant crossing point on the river

corrib. two years later he returned and managed to

seize the location, including an associated dún or fort,

upon which he built a castle. this castle was, in turn,

taken from him a year later by felim o’connor.

in 1235 richard de Burgo returned with substantial

forces to crush o’connor and take control of the

settlement and castle. control of the river crossing

and the fact that, being surrounded by water on 3

sides, the area conquered could easily be defended.

the potential for sea-trade gave the location

an important strategic advantage. this norman

settlement developed over time into the city of Galway.

All that remains of this 13th century castle is the Great

hall. it is the oldest building to be excavated within

the medieval wall of Galway.

the de Burgo hall was in use until the 15th or 16th

century when it became the ruin we see on the 1651

map of Galway. the building was used as a banqueting

hall and as a place for this powerful family to collect

taxes and dues, and to dispense justice. After 1651

the hall fell into ruin and sometime in the 1700s the old

county courthouse was built on the site. Justice was

again exercised here until about 1822.

from 1822 it appears that the office of the revenue

(customs) leased the courthouse for use as a

revenue warehouse for spirits and tobacco. the

building, then known as the custom house, existed

until 1940 when it was demolished and the new custom

house, which we see today, was built.

in 1997, oPW undertook a major refurbishment and

extension to the custom house with a condition of the

planning permission that an archaeological excavation

be carried out on the site. During the excavation the

archaeologists uncovered remains of the hall, which

in some parts was just 2/3 inches below street level,

thus the remains of the original de Burgo Great hall

was discovered. the oPW architects redesigned the

extension to accommodate the changed circumstances.

the extension, a 2-story building above the

archaeological display housed behind glass, commands

a powerful presence in courthouse lane, now known

as Druid lane due to the presence of the renowned

Druid theatre in the lane. Visitors are welcomed and

guided by members of Dúchas na Gaillimhe – Galway

civic trust staff, and a ramp on two sides of the

site permits visitors to view the excavation closely.

storyboards act as an aid to interpretation as do

displays of replicas of some objects discovered during

the excavation.

the hall is open monday to friday from 9.30 to 16.45

and on saturdays from 10.30 to 13.30 from may to

september. Admission is free

thomas fannon

galway District Office

gAlwAy

custOms hOuse

40

Images: (above)

Buncrana Garda

station, (opposite

page) external view

BuncRAnA

neW GArDA sÍochÁnA heADQuArters AnD DecentrAliseD office AnD locAl office for the DePt. of sociAl Protection At BuncrAnA, co DoneGAl.

A site of approx. 2.25 acres was acquired in 2005 in

Buncrana to facilitate the provision of a decentralised

office and new local office for the Dept. of social

Protection. With the later acquisition of a small

additional portion of adjoining land (0.334 acres),

which became available for purchase, the combined

site area facilitated the construction of a new Garda

station as part of the same overall project, ensuring

that the site was developed consistently and creating

a campus of high quality civic buildings and a strong

focus for Government staff in the town.

relocation of key elements of the Department of

social Protection’s work to Buncrana were proposed

as a part of the Government’s Decentralised

Programme. Aspects of the DsP business, which had

previously been conducted from the Department’s

headquarters at Arus mhic Diarmuida in Dublin, were

therefore transferred to Buncrana and required the

provision of new accommodation. the opportunity


BuncRAnA

was also taken at the same time to centralise

administration of the existing local DsP provision in

the town which had previously operated from two

separate buildings in Buncrana that were deemed

to be inadequate in the medium to long term and

contrary to the best delivery of a modern service.

the third element of the project concerned the Garda

station. the former station, located at st. orans

road, Buncrana, was for several years the subject

of much criticism due to the fact that it was old, very

cramped and basically unfit for purpose. Pending the

construction of the new station, An Garda siochána

had been housed in the former clubman factory

premises locally, which was leased and adapted for

that temporary purpose.

Work commenced on the site on 2 January 2008 and

was completed in late 2009.

staff from the DsP commenced moving to their new

buildings in mid november 2009 and all units were

relocated by early 2010. An Garda siochána moved

from their temporary home in the clubman premises to

their new building before the end of December 2009.

the Department of social Protection Decentralised

office is a modern building comprising three floors

over an underground car park with a total building

area of 6,030 sqm. the building accommodates

approx. 110 decentralised staff and in line with

decentralised norms has a capacity for future

expansion of up to 10%. there is car parking capacity

for 150 cars over two levels and an additional 25

spaces for members of the public at ground level.

the DsP’s local office is built over two floors with

an office area of 1,483 sq.m. and can accommodate up

to 40 staff, as well as providing a generous public

area where callers can discuss their requirements

with staff in a high quality environment that provides

privacy and adequate space for their needs. the

local office also accommodates the rsA Driving test

centre, which comprises a public waiting area and

interview room totalling 67 sq.m. A link is provided

between the decentralised and local office buildings,

which enjoy a shared canteen facility that has a

capacity for up to 40 staff.

the buildings consist of a reinforced concrete structure

and frame, with external block walls clad with both

stone, zinc and plastered with a stone render.

the effect of the internal wall décor and woodwork

finish, comprised of various natural elements and

textures, embellishes the character of the DsP

buildings, which is of high quality and specification

throughout. in addition, a particular feature of

interest is the mixture of floor finishes that includes

solid oak flooring, linoleum and revgres graphite

natural tiles which overall generate a warm feeling

and bright appearance.

the Garda District headquarters is built to a high

standard incorporating the most up-to-date facilities

required for modern day policing needs. the building

extends over three floors totalling 1,849 sqm, with an

additional 1,052 sqm basement car park that provides

spaces for 32 vehicles and ancillary services. like the

nearby DsP building, the Garda facility also consists

42

of a reinforced concrete structure frame, block walls,

stone and zinc cladding with the balance rendered in

traditional plaster. in keeping with a modern station

facility, the building has neat decorative internal wall

and woodwork finishes, which enhances the distinct

character throughout and facilitates easy future

maintenance.

the overall design concept and layout of the external

red brick finish allied to the granite slab of the

entrance area is of particular note. this provides a

strong focus on the main entrance and creates an

emphasis on the public space immediately to the front

of the building. the forecourt of all three buildings is

similarly treated in a creative design and layout of the

solid granite road kerbs, granite sets and 50mm thick

granite paving slabs which are laid at different levels

and fit their different needs for public access.

Padraig campbell

Project management services


PROject teAm lIst:

Design team:

Architect:

michael haugh, Assistant Principal Architect,

Architectural services 2. oPW, 52 st stephen’s Green

Dublin 2.

Brendan cormican, senior Architect, oPW, 52 st.

stephen’s Green Dublin 2.

eamon Doran, Doran cray ltd.

Jennifer Power, Architect.

mechanical & electrical engineers

Jim o’ sullivan, chief engineer, mechanical & electrical

services. oPW, 52 st. stephen’s Green, Dublin 2

Declan holmes, engineer Grade 1, oPW hQ trim,

co meath.

James hayde, engineer Grade 2, oPW hQ trim,

co meath

Quantity surveyor

Aidan Quinn oPW 4/5 harcourt road, Dublin 2

richard mossop, D.l. martin Partners. 9 mount street

cresent, Dublin 2.

Quintin Brooks, D.l. martin Partners. 9 mount street

cresent, Dublin 2.

civil & structural engineering services

John Gallagher, oPW hQ, trim, co meath

nicholas o’Dwyer consulting engineers. unit e4,

nutgrove office Park, nutgrove Avenue, Dublin 2.

OPw

Project management services:

Brian Allen Po, Project management services, trim.

Project management services, oPW, Dublin &

claremorris: michael cooney; Gary Grant; suzanne

mitchell; frank shalvey; Áine de Búrca; Padraig

campbell.

• Property management services:

Anthony collins; stephanie o’hora

• Furniture Branch:

robert Guihen, office of Public Works, furniture

Branch, mountshannon rd, Dublin 8

contractor Details

main contractor:

michael mcnamara & company, fairgreen road, lough

Atalia road, Galway.

Principal sub contractors:

electrical: tim kelly electrical contractors ltd.

mechanical: James likely ltd.

mechanical: m/s mcneill manus ltd.

thos. mcmanamon mechanical services

lift: schindler ltd.

44

Dervla rose engineer Grade iii career Break 6/8/2010

Peter Wyse Jackson Director of Botanic Gardens career Break 1/9/2010

eric mallon services officer commenced 12/7/2010

Joe farrell Principal officer Promoted to Director 21/12/2010

cristina Armstrong Botanical Assistant resigned 31/7/2010

Annette smyth clerical officer resigned 23/9/2010

kathleen Walsh telephonist resigned 24/12/2010

liam Browne District inspector retired 3/7/2010

Des Byrne senior Architect retired 1/8/2010

tommy o’shaughnessy Assistant Principal officer retired 4/9/2010

eileen maher employee Asssitance officer retired 18/9/2010

claire o’connor clerical officer retired 19/10/2010

Geoffrey michael Assistant Park superintendant retired 25/10/2010

Brian coyle maintenance co-ordinator retired 29/10/2010

Declan hodge Architectural Assistant retired 29/10/2010

Gerard mulligan Architectural Assistant retired 12/11/2010

John Golden District inspector retired 15/11/2010

Andrew cooke Architectural Assistant retired 25/11/2010

maeve magennis Architectural Assistant retired 26/11/2010

Padraig o’cronin engineer Grade i retired 26/11/2010

Valerie ingram librarian retired 30/11/2010

Patricia friel Park superintendant retired 2/12/2010

Denis hawkins Warehouse manager retired 3/12/2010

stAff moVement (JulY – DecemBer 2010)

stAFFIng


stAFFIng

Paddy Wilson Assistant chief technical officer retired 10/12/2010

Brian Dunleavy services officer retired 17/10/2010

John mcGuirk services officer retired 17/12/2010

stephen kane senior Architect retired 26/12/2010

enda mulvihill Principal officer retired 29/12/2010

Paddy fitzpatrick maintenance co-ordinator retired 31/12/2010

seamus cosgrove senior clerk of Works retired 31/12/2010

howard fox Botanist Grade iii return from cB 6/9/2010

robert fingleton executive officer transfer in 16/8/2010

Grainne harnan staff officer transfer in 4/10/2010

leonora o’raw executive officer transfer in 11/10/2010

Veronica Donegan clerical officer transfer in 20/10/2010

Anthony ruddy clerical officer transfer in 6/12/2010

ita cully higher executive officer transfer in 13/12/2010

nirvana flanagan librarian transfer in 13/12/2010

Deirbhle tomas executive officer transfer in 13/12/2010

ray mcevoy higher executive officer transfer in 13/12/2010

Brendan mulvey higher executive officer transfer in 20/12/2010

suzanne mills executive officer transfer out 2/8/2010

Valerie corcoran higher executive officer transfer out 4/9/2010

John carroll executive officer transfer out 8/10/2010

celia madsen executive officer transfer out 13/12/2010

We also remember our friend and colleague Garret clarke who sadly died in november 2010

PuBlIsheD By

OFFIce OF PuBlIc wORKs, 51 st.stePhen’s gReen, DuBlIn 2, IRelAnD

tel: 353 0 647 6000 / emAIl: In

[email protected] / www.OPw.Ie

designed by

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