post box

Wall-mounted cast-iron postbox, erected c. 1925, no longer in use. Rolled frame to door with 'S.É.' insignia in wreath with harp over. Shallow hood with lettering reading 'Post Office'. Stencilled lettering to wall reading 'Postal District 9'. Set in boundary wall of All Hallows College, to south of Drumcondra Church of Ireland.

This attractive piece of street furniture illustrates the high quality of mass-produced cast-ironwork created in the early years of the twentieth century. The simple form is enlivened by subtle detailing to the surround and insignia. The latter, referencing Saorstát Éireann, dates the box to the brief period of the Irish Free State (1922-37). This seemingly simple postbox reflects the many ways in which the native government attempted to forge an identity separate to that of Britain.