The Three Castles of Dublin. Photo Credit: Four Courts Press Heraldic Dublin – The Three Castles of Dublin: An Eclectic History of Dublin through the Evolution of the City’s Coat of Arms
by Michael English
(Four Courts Press for Dublin City Council, €29.95)
Peter Hegarty
In their daily rounds, Dubliners encounter rather restrained versions of a coat of arms which in the past has depicted the heads of villains suspended from battlements, and above the three castles, glowing fires that symbolised the purity of the city the castles protected.
The three castles emblem dates back to 1230. Its origins are obscure, although English makes the convincing argument that the coat of arms represents Dublin Castle – a symbol of permanence and security – repeated three times, the repetition reflecting the medieval belief in the mystical connections of the number three.
The coat of arms has decorated everything from sewer covers and cigarette packets to the Lord Mayor’s coach, a beautifully ornamented vehicle dating back to the late 18th Century, when coach-building employed thousands in Dublin.
Favourites
Michael English has selected and written entries on his favourites from the buildings, objects and documents on which the coat of arms has appeared down the centuries. A graphic designer by profession, he has a natural eye for form and detail and takes an infectious interest in objects such as Dublin’s early street-lights and in buildings – such as the Kiosk in Leeson Street or Dublin District Coroner’s Court in Store Street – which so many simply hurry past.
In his best chapter he celebrates the Victorian Fruit and Vegetable Market in Mary’s Lane, just west of Capel Street, illustrating it with photographs of the cast-iron coat of arms surmounting its entrance, and the exquisitely carved fruit and vegetables that adorn the sandstone walls. The market was greatly innovative in its use of cast iron and glass when it was built in 1892, and when it finally emerges from decades of neglect, it will surely become one of the city’s most important attractions.
English’s beautifully composed photographs and strong design sense – his typeface works particularly well – make his book a feast for the eye. It’s a pity that his writing is scrappy in places. Had the publishers let a good copy-editor loose on the text, they could have produced something exceptional.