Inspired by the elusive little creatures native to the rugged, windswept mountains of Ireland’s western coast, textile designer Claire-Anne O’Brien created three delightful knit animals to sell exclusively through the Emerald Isle’s online design and craft shop Makers & Brothers. Included in the bunch is the wise and speedy…
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Three sandstone wings protect an inner courtyard from fierce coastal winds at this seaside house in Ireland by Tierney Haines Architects.
Located 30 metres from the seafront, House in Blacksod Bay is surrounded by countryside, so Tierney Haines Architects drew inspiration from the local architecture to create three gabled buildings that reference traditional farmhouses.
The family that occupies the house spend most of their time in the two-storey eastern wing and the large central kitchen, which can be separated from the guest suite to the west by a series of moving partitions. ”The client asked for a stone house that would make the most of the site and that could be divided in two for winter and summer use,” architect Stephen Tierney told Dezeen.
The rugged dry stone walls were constructed using local Lacken sandstone, which will naturally weather with age but also protect the house from intense weather. “When there are storms there can be seaweed on the roof,” said Tierney.
Window sills and lintels are also made from roughly cut stone, while slate tiles cover the steeply pitched rooftops.
Inside the house, oak-framed windows set up views of the surrounding landscape. “You drive into the protected courtyard and there are glimpses through the blocks of the distant mountains, you enter the hall door and a distant view of the open sea is framed, then as you move further into the house the views open up one after the other,” explained Tierney.
“There is a real pleasure standing in the large window openings framed by 700-millimetre thick walls and see the Atlantic storms several centimetres from your nose but not feel them,” he added.
Other Irish residences we’ve featured include a blue limestone-clad house extension and a mews house with protruding brickwork.
See more stories about houses in Ireland »
Photography is by Stephen Tierney.
Here’s some more information from Tierney Haines Architects:
House on Blacksod Bay, Co. Mayo, Ireland.
This family home on Blacksod Bay in west Mayo takes its inspiration from local farms and the small courtyard enclosures they make. The house faces south to the sea that is a mere 30 metres away, the courtyard form provides shelter in a location where it is difficult to use planting. The dwelling’s heavy stone walls anchor the building in its rugged setting and give protection against the severe weather.
This is a house for large family gatherings with the kitchen at the heart of the house. In the winter the two storey block can be closed off for the immediate family while in summer the house expands for the many visitors. Access from the courtyard and circulation through the house are orientated with constant reference to the views of the open sea, islands, beach – a two hundred degree panorama.
The materials selected mirror the qualities of the site and were chosen to weather and age, sandstone, limed oak, zinc. The local Lacken sandstone is as hard as granite, has a warm variety of tone and brings continuity from exterior to interior. The rough drystone wall is refined by cut stone lintels and sills which lead to the use of a similar finish internally on both walls and floors.
Above: site plan
The internal spaces are varied in section and make use of quieter textures and a limited palette of colours and materials. The deep window reveals are lined with limed oak. Curtains are made from undyed linen. Externally, rough sandstone masks the window frames focussing the viewers attention on the landscape beyond. As one moves through the quiet interior, views of the wild landscape are composed through generous glazing.
Above: ground floor plan – click above for larger image
The house is BER A rated for energy using 320mm cellulose insulation, HRV ventilation, geothermal heating and taking benefit from its south facing aspect.
Above: first floor plan – click above for larger image
Area: 450 sqm
Project Stage: Completed
Design: 2009 – Completion: 2012
Above: section AA – click above for larger image
Architects – Tierney Haines Architects, Stephen Tierney, James Casey, Gabriella Regina, Sandy Rendel, Alex Doran.
Contractor – Vincent Naughton Builders, Vincent Naughton, Rory McGinty, Diane Naughton
Engineer – EDPM, Frank Endicott, Alan Guildea
Service Engineer – Fergus Doran
Lighting Design – Contemporary Lighting Solutions, James Hornsby
Above: section BB – click above for larger image
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Tierney Haines Architects appeared first on Dezeen.
A simple uniform of Irish blue limestone dresses these four mono-pitched extensions to a rural cottage on the south coast of Ireland by London firm Niall McLaughlin Architects (+ slideshow).
To recreate the character of the single-storey cottage, the architects mirrored its sloping roof profile for the new buildings, creating a staggered row of gables that step gradually down the sloping site.
The existing residence has white-painted exterior walls, so the dark limestone of the extension relates more closely to the slate that covers its roof.
The architects explain how the limestone “weathers over time to match the geology of the surrounding cliffs,” and also “becomes highly reflective when wet.”
Semi-enclosed courtyards fit into the gaps between each of the buildings, finishing with an east-facing terrace overlooking the coastline, which the architects say “reveals spectacular views of the cliffs, the sea and the islands of West Cork.”
Glass walls and large windows frame more east-facing views from the dining room, living room and study, which occupy two of the new buildings.
House at Goleen was completed in 2009 but hasn’t been widely published.
See more residential extensions on Dezeen, including a Corian-clad addition to a house in London.
Photography is by Nick Guttridge.
Here’s some more information from Niall McLaughlin Architects:
House at Goleen
Client Brief
The existing house had suffered the abuse of the local climate and haphazard development over a period of years resulting in a fragmented plan and disjointed appearance.
The clients brief was straightforward; to retain part of the original structure and to provide additional accommodation and landscaping fit for the quality of the site.
Existing Site
The site is located in an area of exceptional natural beauty. Sea views and rugged yet lush landscapes combine with fast changing skies and wild deep blue seas. The site faces the sea to the east.
The existing house was set between a steep rock face to the north and a small stream to the south. The access road winds down the cliff from the west to the house. To the east a long gently sloping lawn stretches seaward towards the rocky coastline.
Planning Constraints
Outside of the local development boundary and set just below one of Europe’s most scenic roads, the character of the views and the landscape seen from the land around the house and the sea had to be maintained.
The local design guide proposed traditional or vernacular forms as acceptable but was clear that designs of exceptional quality with an emphasis on energy efficiency offering diversity in design would be acknowledged.
Design
The house is formed of a series of linear pavilions set parallel to the original house. The pavilions step down the 1.6m fall of the site creating a meandering path through the house from the entrance on the west to the living space and sea views to the east.
The form of the existing cottage influenced the design of the new structures and its ridge was used as a datum that defines the heights of the new buildings. A series of pitched roofs are staggered across the site creating pockets of space forming semi-enclosed courtyards.
At the end of the journey a large terrace reveals spectacular views of the cliffs, the sea and the islands of West Cork.
Guest bedrooms are located in the refurbished cottage. Visitors pass through a glass link into the first of the limestone buildings, the first of which accommodates the master bedroom and bathroom.
The second limestone pavilion contains the dining room and kitchen.
The final pavilion is broken into two parts, one for the living room and the other a freestanding study, accessed via stone doors and a small bridge over the cascading pools.
Materials Method of Construction
The existing house is roofed in natural slate with rendered white walls. New structures are clad in Irish blue limestone. This natural material weathers over time to match the geology of the surrounding cliffs. The stone becomes highly reflective when wet. The loads of the stone to the roof and the walls are supported by a reinforced concrete structure providing thermal mass that regulates temperatures and stores heat.
Project: House at Goleen
Location: ‘La Finca’, Spanishcove, Goleen, Co. Cork, Ireland
Compeltion: July 2009
Area: 300 sq m
Project architects: David Hemingway, Tilo Guenther
Site plan – click above for larger image
Ground floor plan – click above for larger image
Section – click above for larger image
East elevation – click above for larger image
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Niall McLaughlin Architects appeared first on Dezeen.
Photographer Jamie Young is compiling an archive to document the history of water towers in Ireland.
As well as photographing the towers, Young has gathered drawings, maps, images and documents that chart the history of each one and their relationships to architectural periods and styles.
Young explains how property websites provided a resource for locating the structures, which are often used as way-finding landmarks when giving directions.
“I hope to firstly list and then document every tower still standing in Ireland,” says Young. “It is a photographic essay, conservation piece, research project and an archive of history.”
The project was inspired by the work of German artists Bernd and Hilla Becher, who spent years photographing industrial structures in black and white.
Other recent photography stories on Dezeen depict distorted views of American cities and landscapes and a series of rooms viewed from the ceiling.
See more photography stories on Dezeen »
Here’s a project description from Jamie Young:
Water Towers of Ireland is a research project undertaken by Jamie Young and ongoing since June 2010. The project began with an urge to draw people closer to these objects which seem to permanently sit on the horizon, and it quickly grew into an obsession. Part inventory, part photographic essay and part history, the work now includes maps, anecdotes, drawings, polaroids, large prints and an exhibition.
Exploring water towers through photography, the images of Bernd and Hilla Becher quickly come to mind. The Bechers’ studies of industrial typologies were strictly documentary in nature and were often exhibited by type, laid out in grids. Each piece of industrial architecture was photographed in black and white, in flat light and in isolation of its surroundings. This approach meant that similar forms of structure could be easily compared, while also leaving them devoid of their individual character.
Stepping away from the hard documentary style of the Bechers’ series, Young’s images look to give an emotive value to these objects, these erratics of our everyday landscape. His photographs convey their personalities and act as portraits, while accounting for a lack of uniformity in scale, surroundings and weather conditions.
Jamie became interested in water towers because of their form, singular use and roles as landmarks. While researching and cataloguing the towers, he also found that they could indicate a timeline in the history of the country – from the oldest water towers of railway stations, through the progression of concrete construction, and on to the need for larger reservoirs in recent times, when communities have simply outgrown their elevated supply. While these angles all helped to form a long inventory and map nearly two hundred towers, the most interesting route to discovery was through property websites. In this instance, the vital role of the water tower is stripped away and it now stands only as a landmark – “…and take the last exit to the left before the water tower”.
The first strand of this work culminated in an exhibition last April. Opened by Prof. Hugh Campbell, the show consisted of a selection of photographs and information gathered as part of the project, and was presented as a mix of large prints, instant prints, text and maps. What Young found through this exhibition, is that once these images are placed in front of an audience they themselves start to notice and value the water towers they encounter. As well as contact from photographers doing similar work in other parts of the world, people often send photos of water towers from their travels. The best example of this can be seen on a sister blog – southeastasiancorrespondent.tumblr.com – set up to host the regular offerings from a friend living in Singapore.
The project is ongoing and currently seeking further funding to complete the research and ready the work for publication.
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by Jamie Young appeared first on Dezeen.
A theatre in Belfast with a faceted timber interior is another of the six buildings shortlisted for the 2012 Stirling Prize and was designed by Irish architects O’Donnell + Tuomey (+ slideshow).
The Lyric Theatre is located on the edge of the River Lagan in the south of the city and is constructed from the same red brick as the surrounding residential terraces.
The building replaces a 1960′s theatre that occupied the site previously and the new plan follows the outline of the irregularly shaped site.
A multi-level atrium connects the entrance with the 389-seat auditorium, where the faceted iroko wood lining integrates stage lighting and improves acoustics.
The building also contains a performance studio for up to 170 spectators and a rehearsal room that matches the size of the auditorium stage.
This year O’Donnell + Tuomey also completed a photography gallery in London.
Other architects nominated for the Stirling Prize include OMA and David Chipperfield. See all the nominations here »
Photography is by Dennis Gilbert.
Here’s a little more from O’Donnell + Tuomey’s website:
The Lyric Theatre stands on a sloping site at triangular junction between the grid pattern of Belfast’s brick streetscape and the serpentine parkland of the River Lagan.
The architectural design was developed in response to the urban and landscape conditions of the site.
The building site was tightly restricted and irregular in shape. The budget was strictly limited. All the building materials are selected to endure and crafted to weather with age.
The new building replaces a substandard structure built in the 1960s.
The building is the result of an open architectural competition held in May 2003, and eight years immersion in the complex process of briefing, design, fund-raising, demolition and construction.
Area: 5,500 sqm
Completion Date: May 2011
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O’Donnell + Tuomey appeared first on Dezeen.
Heritage Irish potato spirit from a one-man distillery
Resurrecting a rare Irish spirit in the Bay Area is no easy feat, and distiller Salvatore Cimino isn’t the most likely candidate either. The third-generation distiller is of Sicilian descent, and decided to try creating the potato-based “poitín” (pot-cheen) at the behest of a friend who presented him with a heritage recipe. Having experienced some success with a duo of Prohibition-era rye whiskeys, Cimino created “Signature Poitín” as part of his one-man distilling operation 1512 Spirits. His methods bring a new meaning to the phrase “hand-crafted”, overseeing the entire process in a 700-square-foot space.
A barber by day, Cimino named the distillery 1512 after his shop, working on his spirits during off-hours. Using 95% potatoes, Cimino begins by juicing the spuds and cooking the liquid over a direct flame. He then adds hand-milled barley and cooks his mash, leaving it to ferment for three or four days. The mixture is separated by hand and double-distilled before it is proofed at 104. The process recalls the heritage of Irish farmers who would make this spirit with local materials and resources. While the Signature Poitín is high effort and low yield, Cimino is sticking to his artisanal guns.
Poitín—Irish Gaelic for “small pot”—isn’t a delicate spirit. The flavor is robust, heavy on potato with floral notes thrown in between. While some will find it too raw and one-dimensional, others will appreciate the honesty of flavor that comes through, which is similar to that of a single-varietal vodka. Fans of the poitín enjoy it in a hot toddy, warm it up to expose the floral flavors or drink it neat alongside oysters. The drink is a true eau de vie—more likely to wake you up after a meal than tuck you in for bed.
The next release from 1512 Spirits will feature a rare wheat whiskey, which has been aged in ex-rye barrels. With batches that are limited to around 85 bottles, the level of craft goes well beyond single-barrel whiskeys. 1512 Spirits’ Signature Poitín can be found at select retailers and online through Cask Spirits.
Slideshow: faceted shards of anodised aluminium cover the four pointed hulls of this maritime museum in northern Ireland dedicated to famously ill-fated ship the RMS Titanic.
London architects CivicArts are responsible for the original design concept and local practice Todd Architects worked alongside them to deliver the completed building, which opened to the public this weekend.
A five-storey-high glazed atrium is positioned at the centre of the building, giving visitors access to each of the nine galleries contained within the four wings.
Acid-stained steel plates line an 18-metre-high wall inside this atrium, intended by the architects to reference the metal panels that were used to cover the body of the Titanic a century before.
Elsewhere in the building is a banqueting suite containing a replica of the Titanic’s iconic wooden staircase, as well cafes, restaurants and shops.
See more museums here, including our recent story about a Ferrari automotive museum.
Photography is by Christopher Heaney.
Here’s some more information from the architects:
BRINGING THE £97m TITANIC BELFAST TO LIFE
Architects join forces to Deliver World’s Largest Titanic Visitor Experience
Titanic Belfast will open its doors to the world on 31st March, 2012. The world’s largest ever Titanic-themed visitor attraction and Northern Ireland’s largest tourism project, Titanic Belfast is the result of a successful collaboration between the Concept Design Architects and the Lead Consultant/Architect Todd Architects.
Located in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on the site where the famous ship was designed and built, Titanic Belfast’s six-floors feature nine interpretive and interactive galleries that explore the sights, sounds, smells and stories of Titanic, as well as the city and people that made her. The building will also house temporary exhibits, a 1,000-seat banqueting suite, education and community facilities, catering and retail space and a basement car park.
CivicArts/Eric R Kuhne & Associates and Todd Architects have worked together with Harcourt Construction and a range of other partners to ensure the successful completion of Belfast’s newest landmark. Harcourt Developments engaged CivicArts / Eric R Kuhne & Associates as master planners for the Titanic Quarter site in 2005, with the aim of transforming Queen’s Island into a dynamic new waterfront.
The master plan for Titanic Quarter seeks to create a 21st century centrepiece for Belfast, combining retail, residential, business and cultural elements, all spliced together with public parks, promenades and gardens. Titanic Belfast was conceived as the cultural lynch pin of the scheme, giving a form to the wish for a focal point to unite the site’s various heritage elements. Having first investigated options for recreating Titanic at various scales, it was decided to design an entirely original structure that could also convey the wider narrative of Belfast, its industries and its people.
Todd Architects were commissioned to begin working with CivicArts in August 2008, and together they submitted the detailed scheme for planning consent. The local Northern Irish practice went on to oversee one of the most ambitious and challenging construction programmes in the UK and Ireland. The 14,000 sq m building took three years to complete – the same length of time as Titanic itself – and is designed with the potential capacity to accommodate up to one million visitors annually.
Eric R Kuhne, Founding Partner of CivicArts / Eric R Kuhne & Associates, commented: “CivicArts / Eric R Kuhne & Associates has worked for seven years to conceive, design, and create an international destination in Belfast that celebrates five centuries of its maritime legacy including the building of the RMS Titanic. As Concept Design Architects we have created an architectural icon that captures the spirit of the shipyards, ships, water crystals, ice, and the White Star Line’s logo. Its architectural form cuts a skyline silhouette that has been inspired by the very ships that were built on this hallowed ground.”
“Behind this shimmering crystalline façade, four dynamic ships hulls hold nine galleries. Glass balconies overlook the shipyard, drawing office, slipways, and Belfast city centre. The five-storey central atrium is inspired by the majesty of gangways, gantries, cranes that filled the void between the Titanic & Olympic when they lay side-by-side upon the slipways.”
“Titanic Belfast restores RMS Titanic to these shores. Its design anchors the profound spirit of invention & innovation from a century ago in a new form that retells the epic story of the building of these great ships. The scale, location, interiors and stories within the galleries make this the largest and most authentic Titanic visitor attraction in the world. The architecture speaks of the genius of Belfast as one of the world’s great historic shipbuilding cities, capturing the essence of over 28,000 workers in the Harland & Wolff’s shipyards.”
Paul Crowe, Managing Director of Todd Architects, commented: “Todd Architects has invested almost four years of work into this truly global project delivering a building which has changed Belfast’s skyline and will help transform international perceptions of the city itself. Developing a building that reflected the ingenuity, ambition and scale of Titanic has been an immense professional challenge – one we are delighted to have met.
“Titanic Belfast has a complicated geometry, providing a challenging build programme which required ground-breaking construction techniques. Its stand-out exterior façade, which replicates four 90 ft high hulls, is clad in 3,000 individual silver anodized aluminium shards, of which two-thirds are unique in design. The resolution of the geometries involved required the use of sophisticated 3D-modelling, completed by Todds in-house, in a process of ‘virtual prototyping’ which we developed specifically for the project.”
“Titanic Belfast also incorporates the best design and technology available. For instance, the building adopted an integrated design approach in line with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group III Guide Lines and is on course for a BREEAM Excellent status. Plus, like Titanic, the project was completed on budget and to a strenuous time constraint which demanded completion in advance of the forthcoming centenary of the Titanic’s maiden voyage in April 2012.
“This is a landmark development for Northern Ireland which we believe will demonstrate the ability of iconic architecture to shape internal and external perceptions. Belfast has come far in the past 15-years and a statement building such as Titanic Belfast reflects and reinforces the city’s renewed sense of civic pride and cohesion.”
Slideshow: chunky chimneys bring natural light and ventilation inside the three adjoining blocks that comprise this dark grey house in Kildare, Ireland.
Irish architects Dot Architecture and Soc-Arc designed the walls and sloping roofs of C-House on top of the substructure of an existing house that had been irreparably damaged by flooding.
Inspired by the forms of a traditional Irish bungalow, the house has a single row of low-silled windows that create the false impression that each block has only one storey inside.
Once inside, one of the blocks is revealed to house two floors of bedrooms while the other two contain double-height living and dining rooms.
Other projects we’ve featured from Ireland include a mews house with protruding brickwork – see all our stories about Ireland here.
Photography is by Paul Tierney.
Here’s some more information from Dot Architecture:
C-House
In August 2008 a 1980s family home in rural county Kildare lay submerged under 1m of water during three separate, unprecedented flash floods. The family devastated by the loss of their home saw the opportunity in rebuilding, to remodel the house while making it safe from possible future floods.
Alterations to the existing ground levels were essential. The existing slab and raft foundations were to be reused as much as possible to reduce costs and environmental impact.
The existing external walls were cut at cill level of the original house, filled, and used as retaining walls providing a new raised ground floor level 1.2 metres above the original.
Building material salvaged from walls above cill level was re-used where appropriate as fill below the new ground floor slab. A lower ground floor level was formed by tanking a leg of the original ground floor.
The project is a contemporary interpretation of an Irish Bungalow, answering issues of context, planning and site levels. Three blocks sit on the site connected through an interlocking knuckle hall linking the uses of living, kitchen/dining and sleeping.
The ‘light chimneys’ direct light deep into these spaces leaving an ecclesiastic glow in the space and act as mini stacks for natural ventilation of the spaces.
Additional floor area and natural light were primary drivers for the scheme, as the previous house had been dominated by a long and eternally dark corridor surrounded by a series of box rooms. The project uses both direct and borrowed light from the light funnels.
The two-storey Sleeping block is a tanked part-basement polished white concrete floor built on the existing slab, a void punched through the floor above brings light to the new hall below.
The rooms are lit by tilting/pivoting/swinging large format hardwood windows and doors using a modular size of 2.25m x 1.5m throughout.
The upper floor is supported on a cranked beam giving additional height to the first floor rooms without overly raising the ridge level and retaining the appearance of bungalow externally.
The crank in the beam returns space to the lower level bedrooms enabling the larger format windows to pull in more light at this level.
The entire first floor level is lit by the large light chimney, providing direct and borrowed light to the bedrooms and study by use of internal rooflights, screens and voids.
The living spaces in the front block can be combined by folding back two large triangular flush screens, 1.5m x 4.5m, leaving the central chimney in the round.
The kitchen/dining block is an addition to the original footprint providing an 8m x 8m square floor with pulled-in slider and overhang forming a porch between the adjoining utility and back garden. Light falls from above via the off-centre light funnel.
Floor Area: 260 m²Architects: Steven Connolly, Alan Connolly & Gráinne Daly
Quantity Surveyors: Mulcahy McDonagh and Partners (MMP)
Joinery: McNally Joinery
Dining Table and Bench: Kieran Costelloe, Furniture Restorer and Cabinet Maker
Client: Private
Location: Prosperous, Co. Kildare, Ireland Project
Size: 260 m2
Project Duration: 12 months
Seven memorable stops on a recent trip to Dublin
On our recent visit to Dublin we encountered a hospitable community recovering from the economic downturn with a resurgence of fashion, food and boutique hotels. Here, we share seven of the most memorable stops we made along the way.
When asking around for shops carrying the best independent fashion in Dublin, the name Indigo & Cloth came up more than once. Tucked into a subterranean space on South William Street, the modern, minimalist boutique carries menswear and accessories by Our Legacy, Oliver Spencer and S.N.S. Herning, as well as a smaller selection of womenswear. Owner Garrett Pitcher flexes his creativity on various other projects about town, collaborating on the original label design for Kilbeggan Whiskey and working with the editorial team at the Dublin fashion magazine, Thread. Pitcher is currently working with the other merchants on the street and surrounding blocks to name their shopping district South William Quarter.
Employing traditional techniques, Paula Rowan makes her hand-stitched gloves from the finest quality lambskin, deerskin and suede with silk and cashmere linings and embellishments like buttons, zippers and fur. Rowan’s Dublin boutique is located in the quaint Westbury Mall just steps from the bustle of Grafton Street. In addition to the local flagship, she currently operates the “Glove Pod” pop-up in the Westfield Shopping Centre in London.
In the sunlit atrium of the Powerscourt Centre, Wendy Crawford, Margaret O’Rourke and Ellis Boyle stock Bow with a diverse range of Irish designers. In-store finds include cashmere and silk arm warmers, bows and loop scarves by Eilis Boyle, gold vermeil jewelry with lace, pearl and semi precious stones from Momuse, hats from Electronic Sheep hats and a prime vintage selection.
Located in a building that was once a nurse’s home in a quiet neighborhood in Dublin 4, this family-owned boutique hotel is walking distance from some of the best shopping and restaurants in the city. Each room is uniquely and playfully decorated, and the downstairs lounge features a custom library in which every volume, from the classics to David Beckham’s autobiography, has been bound in pearly green covers. Dubliners go to the Dylan for cocktails, romantic meals and celebratory overnights, and the property marks the city’s only boutique hotel included in the Mr. & Mrs. Smith collection.
These two coffee bars from three-time Irish Barista Champion Colin Harmon provide Dublin with expertly prepared pour-over coffees and espresso drinks in a low-key atmosphere. Serving single origin coffee from Has Bean, the tasting menu reads like an exploration of flavors, with coffee, espresso and cappuccino brewed side by side with the same beans. 3FE started as a small set-up on the front porch of the Twisted Pepper building and has since taken over the pub space and also opened a shop on Lower Grand Canal Street.
In this tiny shop on South William Street, their signature sleek black tins of loose-leaf teas, herbs and tisanes line the far wall. In the store, they serve tea and hand-poured single origin coffees with a selection of light pastries. Part of the new South William Quarter community, Clement & Pekoe is frequented by the local merchants and shoppers in the know.
A self-described eating and drinking emporium on Stoneybatter—a street once considered pretty desolate for a modern locavore pub—L. Mulligan Grocer uses locally sourced ingredients to update classic Irish dishes. The extensive, familiar menu includes organic blood pudding, bangers and mash, scotch eggs and fish ‘n chips, as well as vegetable stews, fresh salads and seafood. The “Libations” list features more than 100 whiskies, Irish craft and imported beers. Also know for their popular quiz nights and beer tastings, it’s often hard to get a table but always worth the wait.
Our interview with barista champion and Dublin coffee bar owner Colin Harmon
Three-time Irish barista champion Colin Harmon loves Dublin. We got a taste of his infectious enthusiasm for the city on a recent tour of his two Third Floor Espresso (3FE) coffee bars there—one in the Twisted Pepper building, where it serves as a cafe by day and cocktail lounge for the music venue at night, and the newer 3FE location on Lower Grand Canal Street.
While he was working on opening 3FE, Harmon turned down numerous offers in other European cities in favor of staying in his beloved hometown. This emotional decision propelled him into becoming a leader in the burgeoning community of food makers and entrepreneurs in Dublin.
We recently talked to Harmon about his coffee journey while driving around Dublin in the 3FE delivery vehicle, gleaning insight on the 3FE company and his goals to be an ambassador for the city he loves.
I do some traveling as part of my work and every time I meet people from another country they say, “Oh, it must be so bad there with the economy and the recession and everything.” You read terrible things about the city and the country and what’s happened, but ultimately life goes on. You can see there are still buses driving around and still people going to work and getting on with it. That’s the ethos of what 3FE is about. We started with very little money. We started with just enough money to get a decent espresso machine and some good coffee.
I sold my car. It was very much “spend the money where you need to, then bootstrap from there.” So we make a little, we spend a little. I suppose it’s a very Irish way of doing things.
Irish people are very good at starting off with what you have, putting your head down and getting on with it. I think doing it in a friendly and approachable way means everything to us—engaging people, talking to them and making them feel welcome. At 3FE we feel like we are ambassadors for the city. We have a lot of tourists coming in who have been recommended by friends. We are proud Dubliners and want to show people that we might not be the richest city in the world, but we still can do things right. We want to work hard and have a good time as well.
Before this I worked in finance. I was a trustee officer for a professional investment fund. I was very well paid. I tried to quit five times and they kept shouting bigger numbers at me to make me stay. Finally I left my job and decided I wanted to find something I love doing. I fell into coffee. I got a job at Coffee Angel that is owned by 2006 Irish barista champion Karl Purdy. And after six months with coffee, I won the Irish Barista Championships. That year I finished fourth in the world.
Yeah. I had set up a competition training room in my third-floor apartment. Then I did a lot of traveling for about a year, but I wanted to stay in Dublin. I am a Dubliner. I wanted to be here, so I started to look for a shop. Not having the budget to open a retail store I was kind of hamstrung. I then met Trevor O’Shea who owns Bodytonic Music and runs the Bernard Shaw on the South Side, and the Twisted Pepper on the North Side. Trevor was trying to get people in during the day. So he said, “Why don’t you come in, set up a coffee shop, and when you are making money you can pay the rent.” It gave us a hand-up. The banks had been laughing at me. It was the only serious offer we had.
We only serve Has Bean, whose owner, Steve Leighton, is my business partner at 3FE. Steve started Has Bean about nine years ago. He originally had a shop, but decided to focus on roasting. We met just before the World Championships in 2009 when I began looking for someone to roast my coffee as I was representing Ireland. Steve was the first person I contacted and he was so accommodating and supportive. We’ve been thick as thieves ever since.
So we started 3FE. And it literally was one cup at a time. We were serving maybe 15-20 cups of coffee a day, but the next day it would be 25 and the day after that would be 30 cups. Be nice to people. Make good coffee. Hopefully they will come back and bring a friend. Soon we got too busy for the front porch at Twisted Pepper and we had to move in to the main bar. Last September we opened our second shop on Lower Grand Canal Street. We also supply other coffee shops in the city and train their staff. We now employ 14 people—two chefs and 12 baristas.
We split our menu into two sections: a tasting menu and a drinking menu. The drinking menu is for people who just want a cup of coffee. If somebody comes in and orders from the tasting menu, we understand that they are there to experience something. They’d like a sample or to learn something about the farm. The coffees change every week. When you order a trio on the tasting menu, you get the same coffee beans made as an espresso, a cappuccino and a filter coffee. It’s a good way to get to know a very distinct coffee. The other one that is popular for us is the filter tasting. We serve two different coffees side by side. We do hand pours. We always make two very different types of coffee. We might serve a washed Kenyan next to a pulped natural Brazilian.
For our hand pours, we use a Marco Uber Boiler that is made here in Dublin. We also have a Marco batch brewer. For espresso, we use the Aurelia Nuova Simonelli. It’s the competition machine. We have one in both of our stores.
We get a lot of people who are coffee daytrippers. One day these guys came in a sat down at the bar. They said that they would like to taste something interesting, and had a few hours to spare so I told them they could sit there and I would feed them tasters of everything and that at the end they could pay what they thought it was worth. They seemed up for it and they seemed like nice people. I started making them espressos.
Then if I was making a filter coffee for someone else, I would give them a small cup to let them taste the thing and talk them through different flavors. Basically I had a chat with them for about three hours. In the course of this they said hey were going to Oslo soon. I suggested they go see Tim Wendelboe. I asked, “What do you do?” “We’re musicians.” I said, “Really? What is the name of your band?” They said, “We are Arcade Fire. Have you heard of us?” My jaw dropped at this stage.
They’ve become very good friends of ours at the shop. They often email us from different cities and ask our advice for where to go. We have sent them to cafes in Croatia and Copenhagen and everywhere in between. Every time they come back to Dublin they do a coffee tasting with us.
It is just a drink, but I think at the core of everything that is generic there can be something amazing. So you could take something like lasagna—why would I order a lasagna? But there is definitely a place to go where the lasagna will blow you away. It’s the same for ice cream, same for stout, same for whiskey. I think that engaging people with something as common as a cup of coffee, but making it amazing—how incredible that can be.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
