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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.
obair - December 2010 5
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.
obair - December 2010 7
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
obair - December 2010 9
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
obair - December 2010 11
hAughey PAPeRs
obair - December 2010 11
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
obair - December 2010 13
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.
obair - December 2010 15
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.
obair - December 2010 19
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.
obair - December 2010 21
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
obair - December 2010 23
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
obair - December 2010 25
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
obair - December 2010 27
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.
obair - December 2010 29
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
obair - December 2010 31
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
obair - December 2010 33
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.
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
obair - December 2010 37
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
obair - December 2010 39
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
obair - December 2010 41
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
obair - December 2010 43
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
obair - December 2010 45
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
designed by
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by
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