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ROADMAP Michael McDermott WHAT A TEELING THREE CA
STLES BURNING Social historian Donal Fallon has been in the trenches documenting Dublin for a while now, originally through the Come Here to Me blog before he transitioned to his Three Castles Burning podcast. Now he’s teamed up with New Island to expand his takes to print through the prism of 12 city streets. Using the pithy epigraph from William Curry’s Ancient and Modern Dublin written in 1820, that “‘This city,’ says the tourist, ‘presents the most extraordinary contrast of poverty and magnificence to be in Europe.’” Fallon charts how Henrietta Street was once considered the most fashionable and exclusive street in the city before ‘barefooted, ragged urchins’ romped, giving way to a Tenement museum there now. Elsewhere, we discover how Engine Alley in the Liberties was once Indian Alley, “local lore has it that pronunciation played a role in the metamorphosis; imagine the local children in a game of ‘cowboys and injuns,’” while Ship Street is more about sheep than ships. It’s a truly fascinating dive into the foundations of our city with loads of ‘Did you know?’ moments to crack open down the local. Three Castles Burning: A History of Dublin in Twelve Streets, is out now via New Island, €15.95. Artist, photographer and mag pal, Brian Teeling has just released The Drift///Parallax, a triptych of publications based on the stars Arcturus, Rigel and Vega. Blending image and text to consider “constructs of masculinity and how they intersect with sexualities, queer working-class identity, and remnants of memory enlarged into cosmic scale,” Teeling touches upon nature, the urban landscape and the personal in an intimate and reflective gaze. “Hauntology, psychogeography, depression, the presence of absence in portraiture, astronomy and personal archives” also inform the series. The Drift///Parallax, limited edition of 120, is available from the Library Project, €40. brianteeling.com HOME TRUTHS Alan Dunne’s graphic short story and illustrated short film, Home Truths, based around Covid-19 and its impact on residents at The Croft and Hollybrook Lodge nursing homes in Inchicore, has been shortlisted for the World Illustration Awards. “Over a number of Zoom sessions, I engaged with the residents who reflected on their life experiences as they faced the winter months, with poignant stories brimming with humour, tragedy, and hope. I edited these accounts into a narrative and illustrated the characters and their stories in pen and ink,” says Dunne. They ended up being projected on to City Hall last year as part of Winter Lights. The overall winners will be announced on November 1. theaoi.com/wia alandunne.ie WETLANDS… The sod was turned last month on Dodder Valley Park Wetland which aims to create an ecosystem for increased wildlife and biodiversity in the park. It is part of five wetlands planned as part of the Dublin Urban Rivers LIFE (DURL) Project. dublinriverlife.ie 8