Urban Flora and Fauna Hunt 23rd Oct 2014

Urban Flora and Fauna Hunt

Natural History Museum 2pm 23rd Oct 2014



The weather favoured us, a fine autumnal afternoon in Dublin. The point of departure was the affectionately know ‘Dead Zoo’ or Natural History Museum by Frederick Clarendon on Merrion St. The location, housing stuffed specimens ranging from beetles to badgers, was apt for our mission, to detect urban flora and fauna on route to the LAB in Foley St.

A crowd of about 20 gathered noting first the wealth of leaf motif detail on Frederick Clarendon’s building. Merrion St and Merrion Square host a good range of trees, ash and sycamore shedding their leaves as we leave the Museum grounds.

Of course the park is home to an expected selection of deciduous trees but we are on the hunt for the lesser spotted so we gave it a nod and moved on.

As we walk on north bound we spot a shamrock motif repeating itself on the wrought iron railings and lampposts, maybe something to do with our proximity to Leinster House.  Buddleia, fern and dandelion sprouting at the base of the occasional lamp post, railing or step act as a nice foil to the well groomed formality of Merrion Square.

Domestic railings  (as opposed to institutional railings) poised on lion’s claws form grand surrounds to the rows of townhouses. Rounding Clare St towards Kildare St we act on Rickie’s suggestion that we check out some feral stonework on the Alliance Francais building.  En route we note carved garlands of fictitious fruits adorning the façade of the Lincoln’s Inn on Lincoln place.  Twists of steel suggest a young leaf on a well-crafted wrought iron cellar grill to our left. People are starting to look up and down now.

We arrive at Alliance Francaise in all its Byzantine splendor (designed by Thomas Newemham Dean and Benjamin Woodward). We are not disappointed. The premises, the former Kildare Street Lords Club and one time bastion of the Ascendency, reposes on the corner of Nassau and Kikdare St. Pillars are topped with exquisitely carved acanthus leaves and tailed with a menagerie of mischievous animals encircling their bases. This is the work of stone mason brothers John and James O'Shea.

Highlights include musical shrews and billiard playing monkeys. It is rumored that the stonemasons’ services were dispensed with because irreverence and irony were not on the club’s menu. A crouching and now headless devil figure gives for a last ironic nod to the building’s past.

We proceed on down Nassau St as various people discussed the merits of cutting through Trinity to take in its grounds and landscaping but also in search of some more hidden gems. We clock another abundantly adorned stone doorway on the corner of Nassau St and

For starters Denise draws our attention to ‘Invasion’, a show by Lois Weinberge at the Douglas Hyde Gallery on Trinity’s grounds. 45 leathery bracket mushrooms cling tenaciously to the spartan walls of the smaller gallery. They will be there until 3rd December.

We cross Fellow’s Square on our way to another Newemham Dean and Woodward building. The Museum Building is laden with opulent stone carved decorative motifs by the masons John and James O'Shea who again surpass themselves. The carvings are in keeping with their interest in the activities of animals and depict scenes from Aesop’s Fables and imagery relating to Darwin's Theory of Evolution. This is also home to the skeleton of a Red Deer. Its towering form greets you as you enter the building. Other treats include a giant ammonite fossil casually leaning against the base of the sweeping stone stairway.

Time is pressing on, there is still a herb garden in the grounds of Trinity at the rear of the Science Gallery before we see what offerings the Liffey and its environs have for us. 

Despite this we take a minute out to savour a small quiet Rose Garden and are rewarded with a fungus, which we couldn’t identify, growing at the base of a cherry tree. There is also a type of wishing tree here votivelly strewn with reddish pink ribbons. People speculated that it was decked out for cancer awareness day.

Moving on we reach the herb garden where the herbs were identified with English and Latin markers. Some, perhaps overcautious, signage warned that the plants are poisonous, but there are plenty of kitchen garden staples there such as Rosemary and Thyme. A growing apothecary for both the scholarly and culinary minded.

One of our company finds a small, recently nibbled crab apple, squirrels perhaps? We pour out onto Pearse St and head down Lombard St. We pass a dog walker and her small dog clad in pink gingham. A coincidental but battered sign reminds us of the consequences of not cleaning up dog poo.

A pair of clay pigeons are perched symmetrically on 2 window ledges and then we hit the City Quay. Sean O’ Casey Bridge is undergoing renovation so we follow the keys down towards Talbot Memorial Bridge taking in the seaweed clad tidal zone of the Liffey and some surprisingly lichen clad trees.

Moss grows between the landscaped cobbles near the junction of moss St. A cordyline in a front garden is flanked by buddleia overhanging a neighbouring wall. Time to head over the bridge, taking in the lion and unicorn heraldry on the Custom House as we go.

North Side, nearly back now. Weeds are beating laurels in a growth battle outside the AIB International Centre. I had never quiet taken in the colourful, styalised leaf motifs across the road on Michael Scott’s Busarus roof top overhangs. 

Amiens St brings us to Talbot St. where a new second hand shop stocks a menagerie of brass. A camel catches our eye.  We cant leave the urban setting without siting and recording at least one pigeon. Its getting bracing now we welcome our warm return to the LAB on Foley St.



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