BLESSINGTON STREET BASIN

NATURAL HISTORIES 1994 BY AUSTIN McQUINN

I like these mini sculptures but unfortunately a number of the individual elements have been vandalised or stolen.

This project was proposed to engage local school children at St. Mary’s Boys School to work together on a commission that would result in a permanent sculpture for the Basin restoration. The bronzes
suggest animal or fish-like organisms, vegetation and amoebic life which were intended to reflect the Basin’s reputation as a refuge for nature in the centre of the North inner city.


Blessington Street Basin is a drinking water reservoir in Dublin which operated from 1810 until the 1970s, serving the north city. It became a public park in 1994.

Since its restoration, the basin now serves as a bird habitat, with an artificial island and a number of fish. Amongst the birds that can be seen there are swans, tufted ducks, chaffinches, mallards and pigeons
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