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In pictures: Life in Dublin 100 years ago

Wrapped-up days at the beach, fat cat civil servants, and a visit from the British monarch… Sound familiar?

Oct 26th 2011, 7:35 PM 6,242 Views 16 Comments
Rathmines Road, Dublin, 1911
Rathmines Road, Dublin, 1911
Image: National Library of Ireland

A LOT OF things have changed in the last hundred years  – and some not so much.

A century ago, Dublin experienced a visit from the British monarch, and complaints about inflated government salaries.

But there was also a campaign to give women the vote, the unveiling of the Parnell Monument, and a register of the number of ‘insane’ in each county. (Waterford topped the list). Most surprising of all, it was a hot summer.

All these things are illustrated in a new book, Dublin 1911, edited by Catriona Crowe. We’ve got a selection of images from the work – so here’s our taster of life in the capital a century ago:

In pictures: Life in Dublin 100 years ago
1 / 15

  • Life in Dublin 1911

    Group of children at the beach, paddling in shallow water. Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.

  • Life in Dublin 1911

    What a Woman may be and yet not have the Vote (http://learnhistory.org.co.uk/cpp/suffagettes.htm)

  • Life in Dublin 1911

    Advertisement from the ‘Programme of Irish language procession; Clár móir-shiubhail na nGaedheal, 18 September 1910, Demonstration Committee, Gaelic League, Dublin. Courtesy of the Royal Irish Academy Library.

  • Life in Dublin 1911

    Programme of the Royal Progress on the occasion of the visit of King George V and Queen Mary in July 1911, the last royal visit before this year’s visit by Queen Elizabeth. Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.

  • Life in Dublin 1911

    Young girl and boy sitting on a bathing box in shallow water (1890-1910). Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.

  • Life in Dublin 1911

    Advertisement for ‘Albion Milk and Sulphur Soap’, Irish Society and Social Review(14 January 1911).

  • Life in Dublin 1911

    Chart taken from the sixty-first report of the Inspectors of Lunatics (Ireland), for the year ending 31st December 1911. Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.

  • Life in Dublin 1911

    Advertisement for ‘Fry’s Cocoa’, Irish Society and Social Review (23 December 1911).

  • Life in Dublin 1911

    Rathmines Road, Dublin. Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland. There were over 600 trams in Dublin at the time.

  • Life in Dublin 1911

    Advertisement for ‘Brasso’, Irish Society and Social Review (4 March 1911)

  • Life in Dublin 1911

    Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

  • Life in Dublin 1911

    ‘Modern seven wonders of the world’ cartoon. Sunday Independent, 19 March 1911. A pamphlet published this year compared the salaries of public servants in 1910 between Scotland and Ireland, which had similar populations: Government officials earning over £160 per year: Scotland, 944; Ireland, 4,397

  • Life in Dublin 1911

    Flower sellers on Sackville Street (O’Connell Street). Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.

  • Life in Dublin 1911

    Caricature of a woman in a large flowered hat (the ‘Merry Widow’). Courtesy of CardCow.com

  • Life in Dublin 1911

    Postcard: ‘1911: A Happy New Year’. Courtesy of Far Far Hill Vintage Scans (www.farfarhillblogspoto.com)
  • Group of children at the beach, paddling in shallow water. Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.
  • What a Woman may be and yet not have the Vote (http://learnhistory.org.co.uk/cpp/suffagettes.htm)
  • Advertisement from the ‘Programme of Irish language procession; Clár móir-shiubhail na nGaedheal, 18 September 1910, Demonstration Committee, Gaelic League, Dublin. Courtesy of the Royal Irish Academy Library.
  • Programme of the Royal Progress on the occasion of the visit of King George V and Queen Mary in July 1911, the last royal visit before this year’s visit by Queen Elizabeth. Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.
  • Young girl and boy sitting on a bathing box in shallow water (1890-1910). Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.
  • Advertisement for ‘Albion Milk and Sulphur Soap’, Irish Society and Social Review(14 January 1911).
  • Chart taken from the sixty-first report of the Inspectors of Lunatics (Ireland), for the year ending 31st December 1911. Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.
  • Advertisement for ‘Fry’s Cocoa’, Irish Society and Social Review (23 December 1911).
  • Rathmines Road, Dublin. Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland. There were over 600 trams in Dublin at the time.
  • Advertisement for ‘Brasso’, Irish Society and Social Review (4 March 1911)
  • Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland
  • ‘Modern seven wonders of the world’ cartoon. Sunday Independent, 19 March 1911. A pamphlet published this year compared the salaries of public servants in 1910 between Scotland and Ireland, which had similar populations: Government officials earning over £160 per year: Scotland, 944; Ireland, 4,397
  • Flower sellers on Sackville Street (O’Connell Street). Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.
  • Caricature of a woman in a large flowered hat (the ‘Merry Widow’). Courtesy of CardCow.com
  • Postcard: ‘1911: A Happy New Year’. Courtesy of Far Far Hill Vintage Scans (www.farfarhillblogspoto.com)

Dublin 1911 is available in all good bookshops or online from the Royal Irish Academy, where you can read a sample snippet.

Read: What was in the news in Dublin 100 years ago?>

About the author:

About the author
Michael Freeman
@michfreeman
michael@thejournal.ie

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