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 branch of the Grand Canal which ultimately feed 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 Rubens Street from the Dolphin's Barn end across from the Leinster Cinema, 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 City Watercourse 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 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. History This watercourse supplied the city for over five hundred years. It also supplied the mills of the Abbey of St. Thomas at Thomas Court, and was a source of bitter contention between the citizens and the Abbot; the latter eventually agreeing to pay "yerly out of ther myllis without any contradiction, unto the Keper of the watyr of the cittie for the tyme beyng eyght busselis of corn, that ys to