Ballymun Flats

Last updated

Ballymun Flats
Ballymun tower 2007.jpg
Joseph Plunkett tower with the Sillogue Road flats in the background.
Ballymun Flats
General information
StatusDemolished
TypeResidential
Architectural style Brutalist / modernist
Location Ballymun, Dublin, Ireland
AddressSandyhill Avenue, Sillogue Avenue, Shangan Avenue, Balbutcher Lane, Shangan Road.
Coordinates 53°23′51″N06°16′03″W / 53.39750°N 6.26750°W / 53.39750; -6.26750 (Ballymun Flats)
Construction started1966
Completed1969
Opening1969
Demolished2004-2015
Owner Dublin Corporation later Dublin City Council
Height42 metres (138 ft) (tower block elements)
Technical details
Floor count17
Design and construction
Architect(s)Dublin Corporation

The Ballymun Flats referred to a number of flats—including the seven Ballymun tower blocks —in Ballymun, Dublin, Ireland. Built rapidly [1] in the 1960s, there were 36 blocks in total, consisting of 7 fifteen-storey, 19 eight-storey, and 10 four-storey blocks. The complex was built in a Corbusian style known as towers in the park, which was popular in European and American cities in the mid-20th century. [2]

Contents

The 15-storey blocks actually had 17 storeys, including the entrance floor and a plant room on their roofs. Joseph Plunkett tower, named after one of the signatories of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, was typical of the taller tower blocks. It was a 42-metre, 8,500-tonne building that housed 90 families in 30 three-, two-, and one-bedroom units.

The entire complex was demolished in the early 21st century. By October 2013, there were just three remaining blocks, all of which were empty. The last block was demolished in September 2015. [3]

History

A Ballymun street scene with some of the tower blocks visible in the distance, circa late-1990s. Rh130 Ballymun November 1997 - Flickr - D464-Darren Hall.jpg
A Ballymun street scene with some of the tower blocks visible in the distance, circa late-1990s.

The Ballymun Flats were built in the 1960s to accommodate the rising population, particularly to accommodate former residents of inner-city areas which were being cleared in the process of 1960s urban slum clearances. Whilst suffering from a lack of sufficient public amenities, several schools served the area (Holy Spirit N.S. and Ballymun Comprehensive), as well as an Eastern Health Board medical centre and a purpose-built shopping centre. The area suffered from many social problems such as drugs and rampant crime. The causes of these social problems, and the subsequent discrimination faced by many people with Ballymun addresses when seeking employment outside the suburb, have been disputed, but Ballymun generally paralleled the experience of many working-class people in the 1960 and 1970s when placed in high-rise locations.

Despite the negative perceptions of many non-residents of Ballymun, many of the residents insist that there is a strong sense of pride and community in the area. [4] Lynn Connolly, whose 2006 memoir The Mun: Growing Up in Ballymun detailed her raising there in the 1970s and 1980s, readily acknowledged the problems there and wanted to get out at the time. [5] But she later came to realise that there had been much that was good at the towers – in terms of a collective wit among residents and a helping sense of community – which had been ignored by the media. [5] [6]

The Ballymun Flats were the first homes with cable television in Ireland. RTÉ Relays Ltd, a subsidiary of the national broadcaster RTÉ, installed cable television into the flats in 1963, giving each residence access to Irish stations such as RTÉ Television and UK stations such as BBC One, BBC Two, ITV, and from 1982, Channel 4. [7] [ better source needed ] [8]

Four-storey flats

The four-storey flats were situated on Sandyhill Avenue, Sillogue Avenue, and Shangan Avenue. They were the earliest complexes to be demolished. The former flats of Sillogue Avenue are now open land, whilst the former flats of Shangan Avenue have been replaced by new complexes. A new area called Marewood, consisting of houses and apartments, is now situated where the Sandyhill Avenue flats once stood.

Eight-storey flats

The eight-storey flats were situated along Balbutcher Lane, where there were two blocks; Shangan Road, where there were three blocks; Coultry Road, where there were four blocks; and Balcurris and Sillogue Roads, each of which had five blocks.

The eight-storey flats contained two different designs, one where the lift was located opposite the stairwell (pictured right) and an alternative design where the lift was located on the same side as the stairwell, as seen here on Sillogue Road, the four-storey Sillogue Avenue can be seen in the middle. BallymunFlatsDifferentDesigns.jpg
The eight-storey flats contained two different designs, one where the lift was located opposite the stairwell (pictured right) and an alternative design where the lift was located on the same side as the stairwell, as seen here on Sillogue Road, the four-storey Sillogue Avenue can be seen in the middle.

The flats had two different designs, the more common being with the lift on the opposite side of the stairwell, Balbutcher and Shangan were the only ones to feature this design. Balcurris contained one of the alternative blocks, Sillogue contained the alternative blocks and three of the other blocks, three of the four Coultry blocks were made contained the lift on the side of the stairwell. Balcurris was the only row of flats to have its blocks separated by a road, the latter three blocks faced a different direction to the first two blocks and were the most visible from Dublin Airport.

Balbutcher Lane was upgraded in the 1990s where only residents were allowed to enter and had to buzz their way in, visitors needed permission from residents in order to enter. Windows were placed on the balconies and post would be delivered similar to[ clarification needed ] how an apartment block would receive their mail. Railings were also placed around the flats and a playground was built at the back of the complex.

Sections of Coultry and Balcurris were demolished first, with the latter becoming the first complex to be completely demolished by 2009, it was originally noted that the Ballymun Shopping Centre and Metro North would be situated on the old Balcurris site, although these plans failed to materialize. Many of the complexes were demolished by 2012, after the removal of the Sillogue flats. Balbutcher Lane were the last eight-storey flats to go in 2015.

Fifteen-story flats

The Ballymun tower blocks were seven landmark residential towers built in the 1960s. The seven towers were named after the seven leaders of the 1916 rising; Patrick Pearse, Thomas MacDonagh, Seán Mac Diarmada, Éamonn Ceannt, Thomas Clarke, James Connolly, and Joseph Plunkett.

In 2004, demolition of the first tower began. The Pearse tower was demolished slowly by mechanical means, whilst MacDermott and MacDonagh Towers were demolished by controlled implosion. Ceannt, Plunkett, Clarke, and Connolly towers were demolished by mechanical means.

The red aircraft warning lights on these structures were not connected to any form of back-up power for many years, leaving the towers completely dark in a power outage.

Construction/Demolition

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tower block</span> Tall building; as opposed to a low-rise building

A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdiction. It is used as a residential, office building, or other functions including hotel, retail, or with multiple purposes combined. Residential high-rise buildings are also known in some varieties of English, such as British English, as tower blocks and may be referred to as MDUs, standing for multi-dwelling units. A very tall high-rise building is referred to as a skyscraper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilmainham Gaol</span> Prison museum in Dublin, Ireland

Kilmainham Gaol is a former prison in Kilmainham, Dublin, Ireland. It is now a museum run by the Office of Public Works, an agency of the Government of Ireland. Many Irish revolutionaries, including the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising, were imprisoned and executed in the prison by the orders of the UK Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Plunkett</span> Irish republican, poet and journalist (1887-1916)

Joseph Mary Plunkett was an Irish republican, poet and journalist. As a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising, he was one of the seven signatories to the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. Plunkett married Grace Gifford in 1916, seven hours before his execution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proclamation of the Irish Republic</span> 1916 declaration of independence from the United Kingdom

The Proclamation of the Republic, also known as the 1916 Proclamation or the Easter Proclamation, was a document issued by the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army during the Easter Rising in Ireland, which began on 24 April 1916. In it, the Military Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, writing as the "Provisional Government of the Irish Republic," proclaimed Ireland's independence from the United Kingdom. The reading of the proclamation by Patrick Pearse outside the General Post Office (GPO) on Sackville Street, Dublin's main thoroughfare, marked the beginning of the Rising. The proclamation was modelled on a similar independence proclamation issued during the 1803 rebellion by Robert Emmet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballymun</span> Large northside suburb of Dublin, Ireland

Ballymun is an outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland, at the northern edge of the Northside, the green-field development of which began in the 1960s to accommodate a housing crisis in inner city areas of Dublin. While the newly built housing was state-of-the-art at the time, comprising high-rise tower blocks and flat complexes, residents were moved in years before shops, schools and other infrastructure were fully ready, and the area became well known for both a strong community spirit and considerable social challenges. Ballymun has several sub-districts such as Sillogue, Coultry, Shangan and Poppintree, and is close to both the Republic of Ireland's only IKEA store and to Dublin Airport. The area is the source of one Dublin river, and parts lie in the floodplain of another, and there are a number of parks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Clarke (Irish republican)</span> Irish republican (1858–1916)

Thomas James Clarke was an Irish republican and a leader of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Clarke was arguably the person most responsible for the 1916 Easter Rising. A proponent of armed struggle against British rule in Ireland for most of his life, Clarke spent 15 years in English prisons prior to his role in the Easter Rising, and was executed by firing squad after it was defeated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Éamonn Ceannt</span> Irish republican (1881–1916)

Éamonn Ceannt, born Edward Thomas Kent, was an Irish republican, mostly known for his role in the Easter Rising of 1916.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seán Mac Diarmada</span> Irish republican and revolutionary (1883–1916)

Seán Mac Diarmada, also known as Seán MacDermott, was an Irish republican political activist and revolutionary leader. He was one of the seven leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916, which he helped to organise as a member of the Military Committee of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and was the second signatory of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. He was executed for his part in the Rising at age 33.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas MacDonagh</span> Irish revolutionary (1878–1916)

Thomas Stanislaus MacDonagh was an Irish political activist, poet, playwright, educationalist and revolutionary leader. He was one of the seven leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916, a signatory of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic and Commandant of the 2nd Battalion, Dublin Brigade of the Irish Volunteers, which fought in Jacob's biscuit factory. He was executed for his part in the Rising at the age of thirty-eight.

Events from the year 1916 in Ireland.

"Running to Stand Still" is a song by rock band U2, and it is the fifth track from their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. A slow ballad based on piano and guitar, it describes a heroin-addicted couple living in Dublin's Ballymun flats; the towers have since become associated with the song. Though a lot of time was dedicated to the lyrics, the music was improvised with co-producer Daniel Lanois during a recording session for the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parnell Square</span> Georgian square in Dublin, Ireland

Parnell Square is a Georgian square sited at the northern end of O'Connell Street in the city of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the city's D01 postal district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Hunter (Irish politician)</span> Irish politician

Thomas Cornelius Hunter was a militant Irish republican. He was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), Sinn Féin, the Irish Volunteers, was twice elected to the Irish parliament, Dáil Éireann, and fought against the forces of the Irish Free State as a member of the Irish Republican Army during the Irish Civil War. While not widely known today, he was present at or directly involved in several major incidents during the struggle for Irish independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arbour Hill Prison</span> Medium-security prison in Ireland

Arbour Hill Prison is a prison located in the Arbour Hill area near Heuston Station in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. The prison is the national centre for male sex offenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Pearse</span> Irish revolutionary (1879–1916)

Patrick Henry Pearse was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist, republican political activist and revolutionary who was one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916. Following his execution along with fifteen others, Pearse came to be seen by many as the embodiment of the rebellion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Day of the Easter Rising</span> Launched the week-long revolution in Dublin, Ireland

The first day of the Easter Rising, Monday, 24 April 1916, saw some 1,200 volunteer soldiers of the Irish Volunteers take over positions in the centre of Dublin, launching the week-long revolution known as the Easter Rising.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Towers in the park</span> Architectural and urban planning style

Towers in the park is a morphology of modernist high rise apartment buildings characterized by a high-rise building surrounded by a swath of landscaped land. Thus, the tower does not directly front the street. It was popular in North American and European cities in the 1960s and into the 1970s, especially for public housing. The towers themselves are typically simple, brick-clad high-rise buildings with rectangular footprints and little ornamentation other than repeating series of balconies for each apartment. However, some apartment buildings from this era use less conventional designs in the "tower in the park" format.

Desmond Ryan (1893–1964) was an Irish writer, historian, and in his earlier life a revolutionary in Sinn Féin.

The 2017 Dublin Senior Football Championship was the 131st edition of Dublin GAA's premier gaelic football tournament for senior clubs in County Dublin, Ireland. 32 teams participate, with the winner representing Dublin in the Leinster Senior Club Football Championship.

References

  1. "1966 – Ballymun Towers, Dublin". Archiseek - Irish Architecture. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  2. "One failure begets another". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  3. PM, Cormac Murphy-10 September 2013 03:30. "Ballymun's last tower blocks to be demolished". Independent. Retrieved 19 July 2019.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. "Ballymun – A History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  5. 1 2 Connolly, Lynn (2006). The Mun: Growing Up in Ballymun (paperback). Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. p. 2. ISBN   0-7171-4042-3. Chapter 1 available online Archived 21 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine .
  6. "The Mun: Growing Up in Ballymun by Lynn Connolly". Read Ireland Book Reviews (358). 2006. Archived from the original on 18 December 2012.
  7. "History of Irish Cable". Boards.ie. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  8. "History of Multichannel TV in Ireland". myhome.iolfree.ie. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  9. The Dubliner, "A Social History of U2 1976–2005" Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine , 1991 entry. Retrieved 14 December 2006.
  10. Davenport, Fionn (2008). Dublin: City Guide (Seventh ed.). London: Lonely Planet. pp.  52–53. ISBN   978-1-74104-710-3.
  11. "The Commitments" . Retrieved 19 July 2019 via www.imdb.com.
  12. "Quotes from "The Commitments"" . Retrieved 19 July 2019 via www.imdb.com.
  13. "Volta - Video on Demand - Stream or Download Independent Irish and International Films Online".

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Ballymun flats at Wikimedia Commons