O’Connell Street is a kind of showcase of Irish history. You’ll find figures tied to the struggle for independence and identity — but there’s also a monument to Sir John Gray, who doesn’t quite fit that thread: a physician and reformer. For years he lobbied for the scheme to bring clean water from the River Vartry into Dublin. His project radically improved sanitation in the city and helped curb outbreaks of cholera and other deadly diseases. The Vartry waterworks is still running today.
They say the better a system works, the less you think about it. I’m glad that work like that sometimes gets its due.