In 1922, Ireland was once more a battlefield, as the Civil War saw conflict break out all over the country. In this interactive series, photographer David Cleary returns to locations captured on film back in 1922 and takes new photographs showing how those settings have changed - or not.
This photograph, taken on August 17th 1922, shows guards and a member of the Dublin Metropolitation Police (DMP) outside the Dame Street entrance of Dublin Castle. The Castle had been the scene of the formal handover of power to the new Irish Provisional Government in January of that year, but British forces didn't totally withdraw until August. This photograph was taken on a day that saw the withdrawal of British forces from the Castle itself.
While the basic structure of the gate hasn't changed at all, some of the surrounding architecture has changed dramatically. Inside the Castle grounds, the old buildings on the left have long been demolished and replaced by what is now the Printworks Event and Exhibition Centre, which can be seen in the 2022 photo. In 1922, there was a structure above the gate which looks like blacked out panes of glass.
Original image © RTE Photographic Archive.
