Dock work was treated as casual labour in Dublin Port right up to the 1970s. As such, men would gather at the docks each day in the hope that they would be called to work by the foreman in a daily address known as 'The Read'. Foremen from different…

I was born on the South side of Dublin. My family moved to Sheriff St. on the North side when I was four years old. I attended St. Laurence O’Toole’s Girls’ Primary School until age 13. I began working in the kitchen of the Brown Thomas store and,…

The Great Provider Oh how I long to be with that man, digging for cockles on Sandymount Strand, He brought me everywhere on the cross bar of his bike, and explained everything in detail about the values of life. He was warm and gentle and also…

The statue of Réalt na Mara (Our Lady, Star of the Sea) was erected from subscriptions from dockers, others working around Dublin Port, and a range of companies. It was sculpted by Cecil King and unveiled and blessed on 24 September 1972. Realt…

This poem looks back at what working life was like for one of the thousands of casual labourers who worked at the Dublin docks in the mid-twentieth century. The foreman, or Stevedore, allocated work to men daily. Those labourers would often be left…

This poem addresses Anna Livia, a carved keystone figure. Keystone heads were carved by Edward Smyth in the late eighteenth century. Anna Livia keystone heads grace Dublin's Custom House and the warehouse at 30- 32 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay.Anna…