Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

9 spectacular Irish buildings that were never built

The designs range from a proposed raised railway along the Liffey, to a railway terminus in Blacksod Bay, Co. Mayo to an unbuilt design for St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork.

FOLLOWING ON FROM our piece last week on eight Irish buildings that vanished, disappeared or were demolished, today we are taking a look at nine impressive designs that never got to see the light of day.

The images are all from Archiseek.com, a website dedicated to Irish architecture, particularly historical buildings that either never were or that have now vanished.

From a proposed  raised railway along the southern Liffey Quays, Dublin, to a railway terminus in Blacksod Bay, Co. Mayo to an unbuilt design for St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork, we can but only daydream as to what these buildings might have been like.

Paul Clerkin founder of Archiseek.com takes us one step closer to the structures that never were, through competitions lost, unrealised commissions or unappreciated designs.

So, here are nine spectacular Irish buildings that were never built:

Unbuilt Ireland
1 / 9
  • Unbuilt Ireland

    1856 – Design for Wellington Testimonial, Phoenix Park, Dublin. “Of all the public monuments raised in honor of the Duke of Wellington, that of the citizens of Dublin is, if not the most graceful, at least the most colossal and magnificent. It stands on very elevated ground in the Phoenix Park and consists of an unadorned Obelisk, resting on a pedestal 56 feet square and 24 feet high, which is accessible by a pyramidal flight of steps, making a total height of 205 feet. The pedestal is intended to be ornamented with bas-relief medallions, representing the chief battles won by His Grace, and an insulated pedestal on the east side, is intended also to support an equestrian statue of the Hero of Waterloo. For those embellishments, the requisite funds are as yet wanting. The sides of the Obelisk are inscribed with the names of the several victories gained by the Duke. The whole monument is of cut granite, and was raised at an expense of about £20,000.″ (Image: Archiseek.com)
  • Unbuilt Ireland

    1862 – Unbuilt design for St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork. The design was published in The Building News, 11 October 1872. In February 1863, William Burges was declared the winner. The Cathedral accounts records show the payment of the winning prize was £100 but the design greatly exceeded the stipulated cost, which really annoyed people at the time. (Image: Archiseek.com)
  • Unbuilt Ireland

    1769 – Design for the Royal Exchange, Dublin, now City Hall, was executed by Irish Architect Francis Sandys for an architecture competition to design the building. There were approximately 61 entries from architects in Ireland and England. Thomas Cooley won the competition and James Gandon was runner-up. Cooley’s design was built and can be visited today. (Image: Archiseek.com)
  • Unbuilt Ireland

    1814 – Design for a drum and dome on completed General Post Office on Sackville (now O’Connell) Street. (Image: Archiseek.com)
  • Unbuilt Ireland

    1915 – Railway Terminus, Blacksod Bay, Co. Mayo. An unbuilt proposal for a large railway terminus to serve as a transatlantic liner terminal that would have seen Liverpool ousted not just as the transatlantic departure point for British passenger traffic, but for Scandinavia too. As one commentator put it: “Make Ireland the highroad of traffic between Canada and the United Kingdom and between the Eastern and Western Worlds". With the provision of rail ferries from Holyhead, it was predicted that Londoners would leave Euston Station and not have to set foot outside their carriages until Mayo. From The Building News, 13 October 1915: “The construction of the building is intended to be carried out in reinforced concrete. The main feature is the concourse, which forms as a waiting-place between the platforms and the harbour." The architects are Messrs. E. B. Hoare and M. Wheeler, FF.R.I.B.A., of Portman Street, Portman Square. W. (Image: Archiseek.com)
  • Unbuilt Ireland

    1787c – Unbuilt elevation design for west front of Irish Houses of Parliament in Dublin. (Image: Archiseek.com)
  • Unbuilt Ireland

    A proposal for a Roman Catholic University of Ireland in Clonliffe. First published in the Dublin Builder, 1 April 1863. (Image: Archiseek.com)
  • Unbuilt Ireland

    1883 – Science and Art Museum, Kildare Street, Dublin. An illustration for the competition to design a museum for the Royal Dublin Society on Kildare St by Ernest C. Lee. The winning design was produced by T.N. Deane & Son and published in The Building News, 5 October, 1883. (Image: Archiseek.com)
  • Unbuilt Ireland

    1837 – Proposed Railway Colonnade, Dublin. This illustration was originally included in the report: “Plans of the Several Lines of Railway in Ireland. Laid Out Under the Direction of the Commissioners. Part I: Through the South and South Western District, by Charles Vignoles. Part II: Through the North and North Western Districts by John MacNeill, 1837. Presented to Both Houses of Parliament by Command of Her Majesty”. Charles Vignoles is remembered for his work with the Dublin to Kingstown Railway, and for his work during the period 1836 to 1838, when he served as engineer to the royal commission on railways in Ireland. Most of the railways surveyed and planned during this time were completed by William Dargan, but some of the proposals were not followed up, as they were too ambitious for Ireland at the time. This scheme was designed to link the different railway termini through the city by building a raised railway along the southern Liffey Quays. (Image: Archiseek.com)

Read: 8 Irish buildings that vanished, disappeared or were demolished >

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
34 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Nialllateshow
    Favourite Nialllateshow
    Report
    Nov 16th 2011, 7:21 PM

    Not another one !

    86
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute neuromancer
    Favourite neuromancer
    Report
    Nov 16th 2011, 8:19 PM

    Facebook wastes enough of my time.

    No one wants another social networking site.

    It looks like Facebook already.

    42
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Wujashtop
    Favourite Wujashtop
    Report
    Nov 16th 2011, 8:08 PM

    What a waste of resources

    35
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Chan Lynch
    Favourite Chan Lynch
    Report
    Nov 16th 2011, 11:13 PM

    Awful name.

    21
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sean McNally
    Favourite Sean McNally
    Report
    Nov 16th 2011, 9:37 PM

    A social network site aimed at older fold would be a winner. Oh no, wait, we prefer just to be in the same room as the person to whom we’re speaking. How old fashioned.

    17
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sean McNally
    Favourite Sean McNally
    Report
    Nov 16th 2011, 9:38 PM

    Sean, you meant older FOLK, didn’t you? Now just drink your Horlicks and go to bed.

    25
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sean McNally
    Favourite Sean McNally
    Report
    Nov 16th 2011, 10:16 PM

    So, Sean, what are you doing on Twitter?

    8
    See 2 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Adrian De Cleir
    Favourite Adrian De Cleir
    Report
    Nov 16th 2011, 10:45 PM

    Let me pass you the werthers originals there Sean

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sean McNally
    Favourite Sean McNally
    Report
    Nov 16th 2011, 10:55 PM

    Thank you, Adrian. Ask nurse to turn off the light.

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Joseph O Reilly
    Favourite Joseph O Reilly
    Report
    Nov 16th 2011, 7:28 PM

    I giv u the new google plus

    15
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Titus d
    Favourite Titus d
    Report
    Nov 16th 2011, 11:52 PM

    Microsofts “ideas” department’s next challenge is to take on the Super Nintendo

    15
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ricky Smith
    Favourite Ricky Smith
    Report
    Nov 16th 2011, 9:40 PM

    I’m not working there so its not defeatist talk but really? This will flop. Facebook does so many things better than anything they’ll come up with. Just leave it alone and try some other market.

    11
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Stephens Jones
    Favourite Stephens Jones
    Report
    Nov 16th 2011, 11:11 PM

    google will usually produce (buy) better apps than microsoft, and they’re still not even in the race…
    Now wheres the sign in with google here? Doh…

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ian C
    Favourite Ian C
    Report
    Nov 17th 2011, 8:12 AM

    Facebook is a marketers wet dream. When those telephone directory size surveys land on your mat, offering the free carriage clock and fountain pen, do you fill them in? No! They go straight in the bin!

    Yet people willingly sign over all their personal data (including the fact they flip their pillow to the cold side) in a heartbeat to social networks.

    I stopped using Facebook about 3 years ago. Given their handling of privacy and constant T&C amendments and new feature bungles. I use Diaspora, Twitter and G+, but I limit the data I provide them and think before I post. If Socl can get right what Facebook gets wrong (taking Microsoft’s stake in the company to account) then they could be on to a winner.

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Shane Hamrick
    Favourite Shane Hamrick
    Report
    Nov 17th 2011, 7:44 AM

    In the words of The Miz on WWE Really. Microsoft feels left out they try to after another corp because they got beat before they let the world know about Bing.com. Really come on.

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Melvin
    Favourite Melvin
    Report
    Nov 17th 2011, 2:44 PM

    http://www.unthink.com is worth a look

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute David Jackson
    Favourite David Jackson
    Report
    Nov 17th 2011, 10:30 AM

    Microsoft really needs to just stick to enterprise software, on the consumer end they have no new ideas, they never had. They just copy everything badly, thats fine, the problem is that they do it about 4 years too late and waste cash. Look at the Zune player, Sliver-light and possibly Windows Mobile to name but a few.

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute damian
    Favourite damian
    Report
    Nov 18th 2011, 11:16 AM

    I had a first-generation zune and it was a quality device… A lot better than the iPod in fact. Pity it didn’t sell better than it did, but it had no chance against apple.

    Windows Mobile also looks good from any time that I have played with it….

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
JournalTv
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:00
 
1x
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
      News in 60 seconds