The Back of the Pipes, Dublin
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The Back of the Pipes was the name of a lane and pipe route in Dublin 8, Ireland, located between Dolphin's Barn and James's Walk. The lane replaced a Grand Canal branch which ultimately fed the Dublin city basin (now replaced with Basin Lane / Basin Street) and the Grand Canal Harbour.
It ran along the remote end of the back gardens of the houses on Reuben Street from the Dolphin's Barn end across from the site of the now demolished Leinster Cinema at 37 Dolphin's Barn Street, down the back of Fatima Mansions, on past the back gardens of the houses between Mallin Ave and Lourdes Road, past the "stone sofa" and finally came out at James's Walk across from the old iron footbridge.
It took its name from an important part of the Dublin water supply originally erected in the years following 1245.
The main water supply for the city of Dublin prior to the arrival of the Hiberno-Normans in the twelfth century was the river Poddle. The Liffey was tidal up to Islandbridge and thus undrinkable. Due to increased growth and development after their arrival it became imperative for the authorities to provide a greatly increased water supply. The monks of the Abbey of St. Thomas in 1242 diverted part of the River Dodder at Balrothery weir near Firhouse via a man-made channel to the River Poddle at Kimmage. This canal passed through Templeogue and joined the River Tymon, forming the Poddle. The flow was separated at Mount Argus, near Mount Jerome Cemetery, by a construction known as the Tongue, one third of the flow being allocated to the city basin or cistern. This part of the flow left the Poddle proper and proceeded to St. James Terrace in Dolphin's Barn. It advanced on to James's Walk on the summit of an elevated rampart of earth and stone which became known as the "Back of the Pipes" or the "Ridges", to a cistern near the present Waterworks Headquarters at Marrowbone Lane.[1]