A Glance Backward – Ye Old Citie
A Glance Backward – Ye Old Citie
31 Aug 1901The Poddle River – It’s Historic Association
The following description of the Poddle is taken from an old History of Dublin:—”The great water course which cleanses the Liberties and the old parts of the city is called the Poddle. This is a stream of considerable magnitude, which rises near the Dublin Mountains, and is augmented by several land drains from the ground near Tallaght Hill. After communicating with the Dodder, it enters the Liberties at Pimlico, where it divides, one branch passing through the Upper and Lower Comb, and the other through Black Pitts, near the end of Fumbaling lane, and so through Three-Stone alley, and meeting the first, under the cross-poddle. The united stream runs under Patrick street, Ross lane, Bride street. and one side of Ship street, through the Lower Castle Yard, where it once formed the moat of the fortress, and passing under Dame Street, and between Crampton court and Sycamore alley it empties itself into the Liffey, under the old Custom House yard, now Wellington quay.
This water in some parts of the Liberties is not covered in, but, runs through the streets, from which it is only divided by a parapet wall, and is used for the purpose of manufacturing; from thence, however, it is arched over, and forms an immense sewer, carrying off the filth in its current, and purifying the streets under which it passes.
“It occasionally, however, bursts from its caverns, and immediately the vicinity to a considerable extent, particularly Patrick street. Ship street, the Castle Yard, and Dame street, where it has been sometimes necessary to use boats till the flood subsided. This subterraneous river has thus been the occasion of much mischief, and many Acts and regulations have been made to restrain it.*
In the year 1814, a boy fell into the current from an arch which they were erecting over it in the Castle. Yard. He was carried by the stream under Dame street to the Liifey, and was taken up just as he had emerged from the subterraneous passage into the river. Two Mills were recently turned by this current in Little Ship street, and Ross lane, but they were removed in 1796 by Act of Parliament.”
Inasmuch as the present main drainage system of: Dublin embraces this district, and the admirable reconstruction work is almost completed, it will be of interest to many readers that I give an Act of Parliament, passed in the eighth year of the reign of Henry VII. for cleansing the water-course: – “At the supplication of tile dean and chapiter of the cathedral church of St. Patrick, Dub
lin, inasmuch as he said church and college is of the foundation of our sovereign lord the King, and the said church and close is situated and standeth in a low valley, notwithstanding by the grave consideration and diligent provision of the said dean and chapiter, fearing the violence of the waters and floods, to their great charge and cost for the safeguard of said church and close, have made divers issues and gowts (gowt: go-out, a drain or gateway bridge over a watercourse) for the free avoidance of such sudden floods, also there was of old time, and now there are two rivers or passages of waters, one upon every side of St. Patrick’s street called the Poddell, through which all such waters had a lawful course, and large passage without any impediment, until now of late that the said rivers and poddells be filled and stopped, as well by the inhabitants of houses inhabiting upon the said Poddels in estopping or casting of stoppance out of their houses, as doing of beasts, as by tanners making ditches or damns to water their skinnies, insomuch as they have estopped both parts of the Poddell, that the water may not have its lawful free course and passage, so that within a few years and late -days the said church and college have been surrounded with great superfluities and abundance of waters, to he great hurt and damage of the said dean and chapiter and college: -the premisses considered, it is enacted, established, and adjudged by authority of this present Parliament.
“That every, man which doth dwell, or inhabit, or hath a house or shop upon the said Poddell , upon every part thereof, shall cleanse and scour the said precinct of his tenement or inheritance to the said channel, as it was of old time, within two months of this present Act past, upon pain of twenty shillings, to be levied by the proctor of the cathedral of t. Patrick aforesaid, for the time being, without any.other authority, or impediment , and hence forth upon the said pain in like manner to be levied by the proctor of the cathedral of St. estoppe nor disturb the course nor free passage of said water.”
In a research of this kind it is usual to hunt up the oldest inhabitant. He is Mr. Thomas O’Cahill, of Little Ship street, under the houses of which the Poddle used to run. Mr. O’Cahill ii well over eighty, and Mrs. O’Cahill once upon a time, while digging a hole to let her ducks have a puddle, nearly got a ducking herself,’ as the ground caved in and she nearly went with it He has been “often in it himself,” and “was a patriot at ten years old.” ‘”Lots used to fall in at the Coombe.”
Mr. O’Cahill well remembers Major Sirr and his funeral at St. Werburgh’s. The Major at times badly broke the Sabbath Day by “kicking’ loose coals into his cellar'” and “though not showing the “mark” this interesting old inhabitant ” lay for three days after getting the blow of a stick from one of the Major’s men.” A relation died some time since at 107 years .age.
W. GREGORY HODSON.