OLD P&T TELEFON KIOSK [PHOTOGRAPHED IN ENNISKERRY ALMOST TEN YEARS AGO]

I well remember the old P&T telephone kiosks in Ireland as they never worked when you needed them often because they were badly maintained or because the coins collected in the coin-box were infrequently removed by Post office staff. Of course the Post Office [or Telecom Eireann at a later date] always maintained that the problems were due to vandalism. However, once some competition arrived on the scene the service improved  but this happened at the time the switch over to mobiles was well under way.

One source claims that “Dublin’s first telephone kiosk was installed in May of 1925, next to the Henry Grattan statue on College Green.” According to another source  “The first “Telefon” box was installed in 1925 and and until recently it could be found on Dawson Street, Dublin.” When I last checked the kiosk in Dawson Street  I could not find it. I assume that it has been removed because of the the LUAS Tram line construction project that is ongoing. I really do hope that it is returned to its original location.

If you are interested in old Phone Kiosks you should visit http://www.the-telephone-box.co.uk/kiosks/k1-mk-234/

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OLDEST PHONE KIOSK - DAWSON STREET

I have been advised that this is a K1 or a close copy of a K1
The first standard public telephone kiosk introduced by the United Kingdom Post Office was produced in concrete in 1920 and was designated K1 (Kiosk No.1). This design was not of the same family as the familiar red telephone boxes. Very few remarkable examples remain. One shining example is located in Trinity market in Kingston-upon-Hull where it is still in use today.

THE VILLAGE OF ENNISKERRY ALMOST TEN YEARS AGO [A BLAST FROM THE PAST - JUNE 2007]

Enniskerry is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. It had a population of 1,811 at the 2011 census.

Photographed using the original Canon 5D. 30 June 2007. I really liked the 5D but I had terrible dust problems, which can be seen of these old photographs if you look hard enough. At a later date I switched to using a Canon 1DsMk3 which I still have but do not frequently use [mainly because of weight].

The village is situated on the Glencullen River in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains to the east of the island, just 5 minutes south of the Dublin border and some 24 km (15 mi) south of Dublin city centre. The R117 road, colloquially known as "The Twenty-One Bends" connects the town to the main N11 road to Dublin. The 185 Dublin Bus route connects the village hourly to Bray, the nearest large town. The 44 Dublin Bus route connects the village with Dublin City Centre.

The Protestant population of the village attended church in the grounds of the Powerscourt Demesne until 1859. Mervyn Wingfield, 7th Viscount Powerscourt built a new church, Saint Patrick's, in the village which was completed two years later, in 1861. This coincided with an extensive renovation programme that also established the Italian gardens at Powerscourt. The Viscount Powerscourt claimed the old church following the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland by the Irish Church Act 1869. The consequences were that only those with a right to be buried next to the old church within the Demesne could claim these rights thereafter.

Powerscourt Estate, comprising a large house and gardens today occupying 47 acres (190,000 m2), is located near the town and is a popular visitor attraction. The extensive formal gardens form the grounds of an 18th-century Palladian house, designed by Richard Cassels, which was destroyed by fire in 1974, and lay as a shell until extensive restorations were carried out in 1996. Powerscourt Waterfall in the grounds of the estate, at 121 metres, is the highest waterfall in Ireland.

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