Street Art In The Smithfield Area Of Dublin

Street Art In The Smithfield Area Of Dublin, originally uploaded by infomatique.

Smithfield is an area on the northside of Dublin. Its focal point is a public square, formerly an open market, now officially called Smithfield Plaza, but known locally as Smithfield Square or Smithfield Market.

Notable landmarks include the Old Jameson Whiskey Distillery and the Observation Tower (now closed to the public).

Despite a recent extensive rejuvenated program under the HARP (Historic Area Rejuvenation Plan) the area is currently suffering unexpected decline in fortunes.

Historically, Smithfield was a suburb of Oxmantown and lay within the civil parish of St. Paul's. There is no general agreement on the extent of the area known as Smithfield, but it might be said to incorporate the area bounded by the River Liffey to the south, Bow Street to the east, Queen Street to the west, and North Brunswick street in the suburb of Grangegorman to the north.

On the first Sunday of every month there is a horse market in Smithfield and personally I would suggest that you keep well away from it. For example: around 11:30 am on the morning of the horse fair on 6 March 2011 shooting occurred as a result of a feud between two families. Three people were wounded. An explosive device was recovered and examined by Irish Army experts. Two men were arrested.

Even though the Horse Fair continues to attract serious and sustained criticism from a wide range of sources, including the police, the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) and the majority of newer residents, legal difficulties in closing down and/or moving the market, coupled with its centuries-old heritage, have left the city council and the horse fair organizers and supporters locked in an ongoing battle without any clear resolution ahead.