The area around Grand Canal docks has seen many changes of fortune, from leper colonies through canal transportation to today’s glittering digital economy.
The docks at the eastern end of the Grand Canal opened in 1796, and at the time were the largest docks in the world. Their success was shortlived due to the arrival of the railways. Most of the twentieth century was a time of decline, with severe chemical contamination of the land. Things started looking up in the early 1990s, with the commission of a report into the feasibility of holding the Olympic Games in the area.
The Games didn’t come to Dublin, but tech did. The area now hosts the European headquarters of many internet giants, as you can see by walking around the glass and steel towers that have sprung up.
Although the railway line has been in use since rail first came to Ireland in 1834, Grand Canal Dock Station opened in 2001 and serves both local and commuter rail traffic.
There was once another SideTracked cache here (GC1K2QG), sadly now gone. Thank you, Hezekiah.