Continuing with "Clarke Week" (not to be confused with Discovery channel's "Shark Week"), today's candid shot prompts questions about where these youngsters were off to.

A number of theories were offered on who the boys might be, and perhaps the most likely is [/photos/33577523@N08/ ofarrl]'s suggestion that they are associated with the Hibernian Marine School which was located for a time in nearby Rathmines.

While we'd absolutely love to corroborate this (perhaps with another image of the school's pupils of uniforms), in the meantime we note that the building pictured was originally a hotel, as per the following from our friends at Archiseek:  The hotel was one of five operated between Dublin and the Shannon and opened in 1807 and operated until 1860 despite passenger services being stopped in 1852. Sited beside the former Portobello basin (now filled in), this is a simple classical building with nice proportions. The hotel was later converted into a nursing home where the artist Jack B. Yeats spent his last years.

Photographer: Clarke, J. J. (John J.), 1879-1961

Collection: Clarke Photographic Collection

Date: ca.1897-1904

NLI Ref: CLAR105