Camden Street (Irish: Sráid Camden)[1] is a street in Dublin 2. It links Ranelagh/Rathmines (Dublin 6) to the southern city centre of Dublin. It is divided into Camden Street Upper (southern end) and Camden Street Lower (northern end).
 Camden Street | |
  | |
| Native name | Sráid Port Caoimhin or Sráid Camden (Irish) |
|---|---|
| Namesake | Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden |
| Length | 450 m (1,480 ft) |
| Width | 17 metres (56 ft) |
| Location | Dublin, Ireland |
| Postal code | D02 |
| Coordinates | 53°20′02″N 6°15′55″W / 53.333915°N 6.265208°W |
| north end | Cuffe Street |
| south end | Harrington Street, Harcourt Road, Richmond Street South |
| Construction | |
| Completion | 1778 |
| Other | |
| Known for | restaurants and nightclubs |
History
editThe name is likely derived from the 1st Earl Camden (1714-94).[2] The fact that the street name first appears on maps in 1778 would rule it out as originating from his son, the 1st Marquess Camden (1759-1840), who became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, as the 2nd Earl Camden, in 1795.[3][4] An attempt to connect the name to Saint Kevin (Old Irish Cóemgen) is regarded as spurious.[5]
A prominent company located on Upper Camden St for over a century was Earley and Company (1861–1975). They were ecclesiastical furnishings and stained glass manufacturers and retailers. The firm was one of the largest and most prestigious ecclesiastical decorators both in Ireland and Great Britain.[6][7]
Architecture
editAn intact Edwardian shop interior existed at number 39, Carvill's Off Licence until the early 21st century. The Bleeding Horse pub is also a notable building, with a public house sitting on the site since 1648. It is mentioned in the work of Sean O'Casey, and both James Clarence Mangan and Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu were patrons.[4]
There were two cinemas on the street: The Camden Cinema and the Theatre De Luxe. The Camden Cinema was located at 55 Upper Camden St., where the headquarters of Concern Worldwide is now located. It closed around 1912. The Theatre De Luxe was opened in 1912 by Maurice Elliman, a Jew who escaped the pogroms in Eastern Europe. The first building was designed by Frederick Hayes, MRIAI, and built by George Squire & Co. It was enlarged and rebuilt in 1920.[8] The exterior was remodelled in Art deco style in 1934. It closed in 1975.[9] The building is now a hotel, Hotel De Luxe, and a night-club.
References
edit- ^ "Sráid Camden / Camden Street". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
The Irish form on the old signage, 'Port Chaoimhghin [Chaoimhín]', was first proposed by the Irish scholar Seosamh Laoide in Post-sheanchas I (1905). However, the identification of Camden Street with the historical streetname Kevin's Port (1673, 1708, 1714, etc.) is mistaken
- ^ . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 100.
- ^ M'Cready, C. T. (1987). Dublin street names dated and explained. Blackrock, Co. Dublin: Carraig. p. 18. ISBN 1-85068-005-1. OCLC 263974843.
- ^ a b Clerkin, Paul (2001). Dublin street names. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. p. 24. ISBN 0-7171-3204-8. OCLC 48467800.
- ^ "Dublin's street names". 14 February 2013.
- ^ "Earley and Company". National Irish Visual Arts Library. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- ^ "Earley and Company". Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951. University of Glasgow. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- ^ Irish Times, 4 September 1920
- ^ Ni Chonghaile, Mairéad (2001). Camden & Wexford St - A study of the past, A vision for the future. Dublin: Dublin Civic Trust. pp. 25–26.