NUMBER 429

BENCHMARKS continued

As a combined force, and increasingly less confident of the presence of a 'mark, Benchmarker and M.C. scoured the exterior of the Church of Ireland on the North Strand in Dublin on two or three occasions with absolutely zilch result; it was not to be found. However it was then that M.C. came into his own, going back persistently until he eventually found it. And when he did it explained the earlier failures. It was a flatie, nestling away cosily in the corner of the entrance. Benchmarker has discontinued giving a reward for the benchmark hunter of the month - it's to make up for the deficit in the pension scheme - but feels some sort of an exception should be made on this occasion. A bottle of wine is in order and Benchmarker will enjoy consuming it tonight while raising a glass to toast M.C. Cheers!

Below: The 'mark at the Church of Ireland, North Strand Road.

 

Above: A view of the church. The 'mark is on the right side of the entrance.

NUMBER 428

BENCHMARKS continued

As M.C.'s great, late Spring safari approaches its finale, this penultimate one - a fine brickie - quickens the pulse, strengthens the sinews, summons up the blood ... etc, etc. It's on a gate pillar at Warrenpoint, Clontarf Road in Dublin.

Below: The 'mark at the entrance to Warrenpoint.

Above: Looking into Warrenpoint with the 'mark on the left side of the brick arch.

NUMBER 427

BENCHMARKS continued

Another one from M.C. It's on Saint Philip's Church, Temple Road, Dartry in Dublin. 

 

Below: The 'mark on Saint Philip's Church.

 

Above: A view of the church with the 'mark near the corner at bottom left.

NUMBER 426

BENCHMARKS continued

M.C. found this one on the base of the railings of the Royal Dublin society on Merrion Road in Dublin.

Below: The 'mark on Merrion Road.

 

 

Above: A fine view of the main building of the Royal Dublin Society with the 'mark on the base of the railings just in front of the potted plant.

NUMBER 425

BENCHMARKS continued

This one from M.C.'s late Spring safari is on the entrance step to the garden of a house on Upper Drumcondra Road near the junction with Ormond Road in Dublin City. 

Below: A 'mark on Upper Drumcondra Road.

Above: On Upper Drumcondra Road looking north, with the 'mark on the step at right.

NUMBER 424

BENCHMARKS continued

M.C. found this one on a fine building on North Wall Quay in Dublin. No other details are available. 

Below: The 'mark on North Wall Quay.

Above: On North Wall Quay looking towards the city centre with the 'mark at right.

NUMBER 423

BENCHMARKS continued

M.C. on his late Spring safari found this very unusual 'mark - it is at a good angle to the horizontal - on the north side of Milltown Road near to the junction with Sandford Road in Dublin. 

Below: The 'mark on Milltown Road.

Above: A view of Milltown Road with the 'mark about halfway up the wall and in line with the right edge of the shed behind.

NUMBER 422

BENCHMARKS continued

M.C.'s extremely long late Spring safari continues with this one on a milestone on the Howth Road at Killester in Dublin.

Below: The 'mark on the side of the milestone on the Howth Road.

 

Above: On the Howth Road looking east with the 'mark on the milestone at left.

NUMBER 421

BENCHMARKS continued

This one was spotted by M.C. on Grace Park Road in Dublin, near the junction with Church Avenue.

Below: The  'mark on Grace Park Road.

Above: Grace Park Road looking towards Church Avenue with the 'mark on the wall at the bottom of the vertical black line.

NUMBER 420

 BENCHMARKS continued

M.C. bagged this one, located on a structure called Ely's Arch, on Dodder Road in Dublin.

Below: The  'mark on Ely's Arch.

Above: A view of Ely's Arch with the 'mark just peeping out at extreme bottom, left. The need for a good wide-angle lens was never illustrated more starkly.

NUMBER 419

 BENCHMARKS continued

This one from the Olympus camera of M.C. is on the underside of the railway bridge on East Wall Road in Dublin.

Below: A 'mark on East Wall Road.

Above: Looking west, a fine view of the railway bridge over East Wall Road. The  'mark is located on the wall underneath at left, just before where it is stepped out.

NUMBER 418

BENCHMARKS continued

Another one from Clontarf Road in Dublin from M.C. It's near the junction with Saint Lawrence Road.

Below: A 'mark on Clontarf Road.

Above: On Clontarf Road looking towards the junction with Saint Lawrence Road, with the 'mark at right.

NUMBER 417

BENCHMARKS continued

This one from M.C. is on the Church of Saint John the Baptist on Clontarf Road in Dublin.

Below: The 'mark on the Church of Saint John the Baptist.

Above: A view of the church with the 'mark on the corner, nearest, at left.

NUMBER 416

BENCHMARKS continued

Along with a camera and a copies of the 25'' maps, an essential tool for any benchmark hunter is a machete or a garden shears. Fortunately M.C. didn't have to unleash his savage side in order to find this fine old 'mark which lurks behind a young cotoneaster (or is it a pyracantha?) on a wall of the Church of Ireland in Kilbride, Co Wicklow. 

Below: The 'mark on the Church of Ireland, Kilbride, Co Wicklow.

Above: A view of the church with the 'mark somewhere behind the shrubbery below the window.

NUMBER 415

BENCHMARKS continued

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.

M.C. recorded this one on Dublin's O'Connell Street. It's at the base of the statue of the temperance priest, Father Mathew, by sculptress Mary Redmond. According to Nora J Ryder’s article in the Capuchin Annual (1932) the male model for the Father Mathew statue took the concept of getting plastered a little too far, was dismissed for drunkenness and was later convicted for vandalising her work.

 

Below: The 'mark at the base of the Father Mathew statue.

Above: A view of Upper O'Connell Street with the 'mark at the base of the statue.

NUMBER 414

BENCHMARKS continued

While on his late Spring safari, M.C. needed to be attuned to the ineluctable modality of the visual to decipher this one. In other words it can hardly be seen being much the worse for wear. Its location is on Grotto Avenue, Booterstown, Co Dublin.

 

Below: The 'mark on Grotto Avenue. Barely visible, it is at centre near the the end of the small ledge.

Above: Looking into Grotto Avenue with the 'mark at right.

NUMBER 413

BENCHMARKS continued

Still in Dublin 4, M.C. found this one in Church Lane. It has seen better days but - like the Irish soccer team - still endures .

Below: The 'mark on Church Lane.

Above: On Church Lane looking towards Kiely's with the 'mark near the bottom of the corner at right.

NUMBER 412

BENCHMARKS continued

Another brickie from M.C. in Dublin 4. This one is on the archway to the path that leads from Lansdowne Station towards Railway Cottages. Interestingly, the 25'' maps show that there was once a spur of the railway that ran from Lansdowne Station to the grounds of the Royal Dublin Society.

Below: The 'mark on the route out of Lansdowne Station towards Railway Cottages.

Above: On Lansdowne Station looking towards Railway Cottages with the 'mark on the right of the archway at bottom.

NUMBER 411

BENCHMARKS continued

M.C. found this fine brickie, wreathed in hogweed, on the pathway that runs alongside the River Dodder between Donnybrook and Clonskeagh in Dublin.

Below: The 'mark on the north side pathway of the Dodder.

Above: The path on the north side of the Dodder. The 'mark is behind the hogweed on the brickwork surrounding the doorway in mid-frame.

NUMBER 410

BENCHMARKS continued

Look behind ya!

M.C. had only to swivel through 180º to find this one on the section of old stone wall that abuts the library on Angelsea Road in Dublin.

Below: A 'mark on Anglesea Road.

Above: A view on Angelsea Road with the library to the left and the 'mark near the centre of the higher section of the stone wall, on the particular stone that is of a lighter shade than its peers.

NUMBER 409

BENCHMARKS continued

M.C. is the benchmark hunter you can rely on; if he was a loaf of bread he would be your favourite family pan (to be eaten with butter and jam, and a nice pot of tea). His late Spring safari continues with this one on Anglesea Road, Ballsbridge in Dublin.

Below: The 'mark on Anglesea Road.

Above: On Anglesea Road looking across the Dodder to the apartments that now stand on the Johnson. Mooney and O'Brien site. The 'mark is at the bottom of the wall near the centre.

NUMBER 408

BENCHMARKS continued

Back to M.C.'s late Spring safari and this one on Windsor Road, Ranelagh in Dublin City.

Below: The 'mark on Windsor Road.

Above: Looking into Windsor Road with Moyne Road to the left, and the 'mark on the brickwork at the end of the garden-wall rail.

NUMBER 407

BENCHMARKS continued

When M.C. met N.C.

On a late Spring day, as M.C. tripped lightly along the ledge of the great ravine that is Home Farm Road in Dublin City, he was espied by a former colleague and asked to account for his movements. The result? Another convert to the great cause.

Below: The 'mark at 33 Home Farm Road on the corner, nearest, of the gate step.

 

 

Above: Home Farm Road looking east with the 'mark at bottom left.

NUMBER 406

BENCHMARKS continued

This final one from M.C. was recorded on his iPhone 4 during his early spring safari. It's on Saint Paul's Church on Silchester Road, Glenageary, Co Dublin.

Below: The 'mark on Saint Paul's Church; a real classic!

 

Above: A view of Saint Paul's Church with the 'mark to the right of the near most corner facing. A full view of the church would have been welcome. Benchmarker has spoken to M.C, in this regard and in future he promises to use the fine wide-angle attachment that came with his lovely Olympus camera. Time will tell.

NUMBER 405

BENCHMARKS continued

Where the rivers have no name, M.C. found this one. It's on the bridge over the small stream that flows gently through Shanganagh, Co Dublin. That stream appears to originate somewhere in the uplands of West County Dublin and, picking up many tributaries on the way, flows down through Carricksmines, Loughlinstown and Shanganagh - but not Kilkenny and Kildare - before entering the sea at Hackettstown. It must have a name but the maps don't record it.

Below: The 'mark on Shanganagh Bridge.

 

Above: Shanganagh Bridge with the 'mark on the middle of the wall.