Photonique

• The Sister Cusack Memorial Plaque
• Temple Bar Is More Than One Pub
• The Historic Arch Courtyard At Henrietta Place
• York Street And Bow Street East
• The Hags With The Bags At The Halfpenny Bridge
• Luke Kelly Statue At South King Street
• They Misheard The Name As Chapel Lizard
• Modern High-Spec Infill Built on a Double Derelict Site
• My Second Visit To Bethesda Place
• The Samuel Beckett Bridge July 2026
• The Bernard Shaw Pub Fiction
• The Moy Pub And A False History
• Dorset Street Has A Complex History

NOT MANY PEOPLE NOTICE THIS

THE LEGACY CATALOG

* In The Year 2008 * In The Year 2011 * In The Year 2017 * Henrietta Back In 2010

Sister Cusack Memorial Plaque

Sister Cusack was born in May 1829. Aged 13 she emigrated to England and when her fiancé died she joined an Anglican order and then converted to Catholicism. In 1861 she became the co-founder of the Convent of the Poor are Sisters of the Holy Cross in Kenmare and she remained there until 1881.

She founded the Famine Relief Fund which made her world famous. In 1884, she began the Order of St Joseph of Peace in a stable in Knock.

The Creator: The plaque was created and installed through the efforts of the Cusack Society.

The Sponsors: The proposal and installation were led by Mr Sean Donovan of the Cusack Society, acting in partnership with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), whose campus buildings sit immediately adjacent to Mercer Street and York Street.

Text Included on the Plaque

The plaque commemorates the life and turbulent legacy of Margaret Anna Cusack. While physical plaques in Dublin often summarise key biographical milestones, the official public documentation and civic record accompanying the memorial commemorate:

"Known as the Nun of Kenmare, Margaret Anna Cusack was born in a house at the corner of Mercer Street and York Street in 1829. Recently the corner was renamed Cusack Corner. Although she was honoured by Pope Leo XIII, the Vatican—because of her work for women's liberation—ordered that her name be 'effaced' as founder of the Order of St Joseph of Peace. In 1888 she returned to the Anglican Communion after a dispute with her bishop and issued 'The Nun of Kenmare: An Autobiography' the following year. She died on 5 June 1899, aged 70, and was buried in a Church of England-reserved burial site at Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, in England."

Is It True That The Corner Was Named In Her Honour?

Yes. The junction of Mercer Street Upper and York Street in Dublin 2 was officially designated and locally renamed as Cusack Corner. While Mercer Street and York Street retain their historical street names on postal addresses, the physical intersection itself bears the formal ceremonial designation and plaque marking it as Cusack Corner to honour her birthplace.

Discussing Our Camera Gear

Dominance of Dedicated Online Trade-In Platforms

• Apparently it is not my imagination—the decline of second-hand inventory in physical camera shops is a distinct, well-documented trend across Dublin and broader retail photography over the last few years.

• While physical dealers historically relied on trade-in stock to drive foot traffic, several structural shifts have severely pinched the local supply pipeline.

Dominance of Dedicated Online Trade-In Platforms

• Specialised pan-European platforms like MPB and KEH have captured a massive share of the trade-in market. By operating out of centralised logistical hubs with lower overheads than Dublin city-center retail space, these platforms can offer sellers instant online quotes, doorstep courier collection, and competitive trade-in valuations.

Direct Peer-to-Peer Selling

• Local photographers increasingly bypass brick-and-mortar commissions altogether. Platforms such as Adverts.ie, DoneDeal, eBay, and specialized social media buy/sell groups allow photographers to sell gear directly to another end-user. This eliminates the retail margin (typically 30–50%) that physical dealers must deduct to cover statutory consumer warranties, VAT, and store operating costs.

Extended Upgrade Cycles and Technological Plateau

• Modern camera technology—particularly full-frame and APS-C mirrorless systems—has reached a high performance plateau. Breakthroughs in sensor resolution, dynamic range, and autofocus mean a camera body from four or five years ago remains completely viable for professional and enthusiast work. Photographers are holding onto their equipment longer rather than churning bodies every two years, drastically slowing the rate of incoming trade-ins.

Margin Pressures and Warranty Liabilities on Physical Shops

• For local dealers, hosting used stock carries increasing financial risk. In Ireland, retailers selling second-hand goods must provide consumer protection and warranties (typically 3 to 6 months). With rising commercial rents, energy costs, and the labour required to rigorously test, clean, and grade vintage or digital bodies, many physical stores have intentionally scaled back trade-ins to focus on higher-margin new gear or manufacturer-refurbished stock.

Rapid Inventory Turnover for Popular Categories

When quality second-hand stock does enter local shops—especially compact digital cameras, prime lenses, or clean film bodies—it rarely stays in the display case for long. The global resurgence in analog gear and vintage digital compacts means desirable pre-owned items are bought almost immediately upon being listed.

Railway Stations

* Clontarf Railway Station * Docklands Railway Station * Malahide Railway Station

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