The first Irish Telephone Box was installed on Dawson Street, Dublin in 1925. It helped create one of the first links to the outside world.
A 1925 Irish Times newspaper report stated that the telephone boxes were “Designed so as to present a pleasing appearance and be in harmony with the surrounding buildings”.
The 31st International Eucharist Congress was held in Dublin, 21-26th June, 1932. At the time it was hugely significant in terms of asserting the identity of the Irish Free State as a leading Catholic Nation. The city went under a dramatic makeover, which included the roll out of a number of Telephone Boxes.
Among the few traces which now remain of this year’s Eucharistic Congress are some scores of telephone kiosks…unfortunately, these welcome facilities….are missing, and badly wanted, in other districts”. – An Irishman’s Diary 1932.
The popularity of the Irish Telephone Box led to their installation throughout the island. They brought news of births and deaths and played a central role in the lives of those both lovesick and homesick.
Speaking to a son or daughter who had emigrated to America would have been a rare treat for the families they left behind. This trend of emigration has now come around again and keeping in contact with loved ones abroad is now of utmost importance for thousands of people all over Ireland.
During the 80’s and 90’s the telephone boxes were modernised as they still held an important role in everyday life. In recent years with the development of mobile technology an old way of life and Irish culture has been forgotten, many phone boxes sadly began to fall into disrepair.
From 2009 nearly all the original telephone boxes have been dismantled and destroyed. At present there may be only half a dozen still in operation.
At Burke Joinery Ltd. we have embraced our Irish past, we have found a way to incorporate the past with the future.
The Irish Telephone box will now once again be used as intended, to make and receive phone calls. Step in to the past, close the door and make and receive calls on your mobile phone. A quiet zone for all open plan office areas, beer gardens, courtyards and hectic locations.
What the Irish Telephone Box represents is perhaps now more important than it has been for generations. In a world where we are in constant contact with one another the Irish Telephone Box can serve as a reminder that communication wasn’t always quite so simple, and was therefore something to be cherished.
The master joiners at Burke Joinery have recreated these beautiful pieces of Irish history by hand and with all the care and attention their heritage deserves. The Yeats model is an exact replica in size and design while the smaller models are also handmade and built to scale.
The Irish Telephone box range, beautifully hand crafted in the heart of Dublin, Ireland. The link between the past, the present and the future.
