NUMBER 31

BENCHMARKS continued

The wall surrounding the Phoenix Park is about 6 miles in length and this may be the one and only benchmark it contains; time may tell. It is located on the Chapelizod Road about 250 yards from the Islandbridge Gate.

Above: Chapelizod Road looking east; the 'mark is on the base of the wall at near-left, while nearby Benchmarker's trusty steed stands in need of company.

NUMBERS 27, 28, 29 & 30

BENCHMARKS continued

Another little known Dublin burial ground - Grangegorman Military Cemetery is where these four are found. Anyone who doesn't know the exact location and planning a visit could be misguided by its name. It is in fact situated about a mile away from the Grangegorman area of Dublin. A helpful website gives this information “It is situated on Blackhorse Ave, off Navan Rd, facing the wall of the Phoenix Park, and just up the road from McKee Barracks.” So, have you got it now? The website adds more information “ This cemetery opened in 1786. In it are buried men who served in the British Forces and their wives and families. After 1923 only servicemen and their next of kin could be buried there.” (However another website gives the date of its opening as 1876.) Many of the servicemen who died when the mail boat The Leinster was torpedoed and sunk in Dublin Bay just a month before the end of World War One are buried here.

These two are on the base of the wall pillar at the south east corner.

Above: Blackhorse Avenue looking north. The 'marks can be seen on the base of the wall pillar at bottom right.

This pair are on the base of the wall pillar at the south west corner.

Above: Blackhorse Avenue looking south. The 'marks are at the base of the pillar at left. The pavement is now set at a level that partly conceals them.

NUMBER 26

BENCHMARKS continued

If cemeteries are your thing then cast a cold eye on this one - located on top of a granite block situated on the North-West corner of the gate lodge of Goldenbridge Cemetery at Inchicore in Dublin - and pass by through the archway and into the burial ground. It's well worth a look. According to the Glasnevin Trust website “Inspired by the Cemetery of Pere Lachaise in Paris and founded by the Dublin Cemeteries Board, it comprises 2 acres of beautiful grounds including a classic temple and an adjoining canal. This distinctive cemetery has a host of different memorials” with the first burial taking place in 1828.

The classic temple is currently being restored and Benchmarker plans to return to view the finished result.

Above: The mark is located on top of the granite block at the left corner of the house. The cemetery is through the archway.

UPDATE 25

BENCHMARKS continued

With 25 benchmarks now posted it is worthwhile to look at the state of play.

The present tally is : -

DUBLIN - 020
DONEGAL - 004
LOUTH - 001
KERRY - YET TO SCORE

NUMBER 25

BENCHMARKS continued

"Sarah, oh, oh, Sarah,

You must forgive me

My unworthiness."

On the east side of Sarah Bridge a.k.a. Islandbridge in Dublin, this is another 'upside down' example. Perhaps the blocks were taken apart to carry out repairs sometime in the past and then later put back the wrong way up.

Above: Sarah Bridge looking east. The 'mark can be seen through the bars of the railings.

NUMBER 24

BENCHMARKS continued

On a sunny Saturday spring morn' while killing time before the appointed hour for an assignation on nearby Grafton Street, Benchmarked reconnoitred the environs of the ancient Bank of Ireland building at College Green. Strolling into the pretty little cul de sac of Foster Place South with its stone setts and pavement tables it was as if one had been transported to the Left Bank in Gay Paree. But only temporarily. Because soon it became apparent that the night before the bons vivants had been in there too, leaving behind everywhere their calling-card - the stench of urine - which added a certain unwelcome je ne sais quoi to the ambience. (Look it up, J.W., it's a good one!) Retreating quickly to the fresher air of College Green, this frail little waif was spotted on the base of one of the columns of the bank building, surrounded by the detritus of the night before. The years have not been kind, and like the sound-operator of yore, it seems destined to fade away to zero before long.

Above: The Bank of Ireland building on College Green with Foster Place South to the left. The 'mark is on the base of the column on the right.

Above: While moving back for a wide shot, street cleaning staff from the City Council arrived and proceeded to lift the litter and hose-down the pavement. The 'mark is on the base of the column to the right of the cleaning vehicle behind the bicycles.

NUMBER 23

BENCHMARKS continued

Benchmarker was a little bit unsure whether this was a true benchmark or just an accidental conjunction of indentations on the surface of the stone on the wall of Saint Lawrence's Church, Chapelizod in Dublin. (I suppose it could happen if for example an infinite number of monkeys with an infinite number of chisels and hammers were set to work on an infinite number of granite blocks in a parallel universe far, far away.) Because the gate was locked closed, it was impossible to get near for a close examination. But viewed using a telephoto lens it did seem to be the real deal. So, it goes in!

Above: Saint Lawrence's Church, Chapelizod, Dublin. The mark is on the base of the pillar to the left of the sign.

NUMBER 22

BENCHMARKS continued

This one is situated on the base of a pillar near the entrance to the eponymous church on Whitefriar Street in Dublin.

Above: Whitefriar Street looking south. The 'mark is on the base of the pillar at left.

NUMBER 21

BENCHMARKS continued

'And did James Bracken in ancient days

Walk on Amiens Street's pavements grey?'

(That question is answered in the affirmative in Section 2 of http://brackenjosephine.blogspot.com/)

Benchmarker, in his quest to record 1,001 benchmarks, never sleeps. This one was spotted - on the Gallic sounding Amiens Street - from within the number 748 airport bus as it sped through the city like a rocket sled on rails. Though daubed over with black paint, it still endures.

Above: Amiens Street looking north. The 'mark is on the base of the pillar at left.

NUMBER 20

BENCHMARKS continued

'A tenement, a dirty street

Walked and worn by shoeless feet ...'

This one is located on the Iveagh Buildings, Patrick Street in Dublin. Someone has highlighted the cuts using white paint or chalk.

Above: Patrick Street looking south. The 'mark is to the left of the blue door.

NUMBERS 18 & 19

BENCHMARKS continued 

These two are located on a pillar at the western end of the Gallic sounding Montpelier Hill just a stone's throw away from that enclave of Dublin 8 that is situated north of the Liffey. They are even closer to the ancestral home of one of Ireland's premier broadcasters. (No! Not Gaybo. But here's a clue : - his father used to be the elephant keeper in Dublin Zoo.) And just 'round the corner from there is the ancestral home of the best sound-operator to grace the studios of the RTE Radio Centre, the colleague formerly designated as M.C.

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Above: This one has been circled in paint at some time, leading Benchmarker to conclude that another benchmarker is on the hunt out there.

Above: Strictly speaking this one may not be a true benchmark, but with Benchmarker committed to recording 1,001, he accepts all the help he can get. And so, it goes in!

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Above: Showing both 'marks on the pillar.

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Above: Looking east into Montpelier Hill. The 'marks are on the wall-pillar on the left.

NUMBER 17

BENCHMARKS continued

N.B. To view each of this pair it is necessary to move the task-bar from left to right; the result of an experiment that was soon abandoned. 

"Down along the cove
I spy my little bundle of joy."

Plump, stately and located on the base of a gatepost overlooking the tiny beach at Sandycove in County Dublin, the lonely sea and the sky infused with the tang of salt, envelops this one. While it appears that the gateway here is long redundant, nevertheless the gate posts have not been disturbed. Long may it continue.

The 'mark is on the base of the pillar, on the roadway side. In the background is Sandycove Beach; the former home of Michael Scott; and the Martello Tower which houses the James Joyce Museum. Just a stone's throw away, but just out of view, is the famous Forty Foot Bathing Place.
Wonder did James Joyce make any reference to the 'mark in any of his works? He is said to have boasted that if Dublin ever disappeared, it could be reconstructed by referring to the information contained in his bukes. Benchmarker is a bit more modest - not to mention charmingly self-deprecating - but feels what's published here on his website would be far more useful.