5 6 March 2016
T
heī˜ Oā€™ī˜ Connellī˜ Streetī˜ areaī˜ isī˜ ofī˜
majorī˜ architectural,ī˜ historical,ī˜
cultural,ī˜artisticī˜andī˜socialī˜impor-
tance,ī˜nationally.ī˜Itī˜constitutesī˜aī˜
distinctī˜quarterī˜ ofī˜ theī˜cityī˜ thatī˜
wasī˜formallyī˜planned,ī˜laidī˜outī˜andī˜devel-
opedī˜ betweenī˜ theī˜ 1740sī˜ andī˜ theī˜ earlyī˜
1800s.ī˜Thisī˜architecturallyī˜distinguishedī˜
areaī˜hasī˜aī˜simpleī˜butī˜elegantī˜planī˜-ī˜ter-
racedī˜buildingsī˜liningī˜theī˜streets,ī˜usuallyī˜
four-to-ī™­veī˜storeysī˜inī˜height,ī˜withī˜theī˜linesī˜
andī˜rhythmī˜ofī˜theī˜facadesī˜lendingī˜anī˜over-
allī˜coherence.ī˜Occasionally,ī˜theseī˜terracesī˜
areī˜interruptedī˜byī˜aī˜landmarkī˜buildingī˜thatī˜
confersī˜aī˜specialī˜qualityī˜orī˜imageī˜ontoī˜indi-
vidualī˜streets.ī˜Inī˜spiteī˜ofī˜theī˜pressuresī˜ofī˜
time,ī˜thisī˜areaī˜stillī˜remainsī˜relativelyī˜intactī˜
overī˜twoī˜hundredī˜yearsī˜later,ī˜aī˜testimonyī˜
toī˜theī˜importanceī˜ofī˜theī˜area.
Theī˜richī˜architecturalī˜characterī˜andī˜her-
itageī˜ ofī˜ theī˜ Oā€™Connellī˜ Streetī˜ areaī˜ isī˜
generatedī˜notī˜onlyī˜byī˜theī˜landmarkī˜build-
ingsī˜ orī˜ theī˜ moreī˜ signiī™­cantī˜ protectedī˜
structuresī˜suchī˜asī˜theī˜GPO,ī˜theī˜Pro-Cathe-
dral,ī˜Tyroneī˜Houseī˜orī˜ theī˜ Rotunda.ī˜ Theī˜
specialī˜characterī˜isī˜builtī˜upī˜byī˜theī˜interac-
tionī˜betweenī˜ theseī˜importantī˜buildingsī˜
andī˜theī˜ordinaryī˜buildingī˜stock,ī˜asī˜wellī˜asī˜
theī˜stockī˜ofī˜historicalī˜andī˜culturalī˜memo-
riesī˜ andī˜ associationsī˜ attachedī˜toī˜theseī˜
buildingsī˜andī˜publicī˜spaces.
Inī˜recentī˜timesī˜Dublinī˜Cityī˜Councilī˜hasī˜
producedī˜volumesī˜ofī˜plans,ī˜withī˜limitedī˜
teethī˜andī˜characteristicallyī˜prospective-ī˜
onlyī˜ applicationī˜ (ieī˜ theyī˜ onlyī˜ applyī˜ toī˜
futureī˜ planningī˜ applications).ī˜Theī˜ mostī˜
notableī˜isī˜theī˜architecturalī˜conservationī˜
area.ī˜Theī˜Cityī˜Councilī˜stated:ī˜
"Inī˜orderī˜toī˜properlyī˜protectī˜andī˜manageī˜
thisī˜richī˜legacy,ī˜itī˜isī˜essentialī˜notī˜toī˜con-
centrateī˜solelyī˜ onī˜theī˜ preservationī˜ andī˜
restorationī˜ofī˜theī˜landmarkī˜buildings,ī˜butī˜
alsoī˜onī˜theī˜conservationī˜andī˜theī˜regenera-
tionī˜ofī˜theī˜widerī˜historicī˜urbanī˜area.ī˜Theī˜
Architecturalī˜Conservationī˜Areaī˜providesī˜aī˜
mechanismī˜toī˜protectī˜ andī˜ enhanceī˜thisī˜
widerī˜area.ī˜Itī˜willī˜seekī˜toī˜protectī˜theī˜exist-
ingī˜ strongī˜ localī˜ senseī˜ ofī˜ place,ī˜ whileī˜
accommodatingī˜theī˜changingī˜needsī˜andī˜
imageī˜oftheī˜area.ī˜Itī˜mustī˜beī˜stressedī˜thatī˜
isī˜notī˜intendedī˜toī˜preventī˜development.ī˜
Instead,ī˜itī˜isī˜intendedī˜toī˜ensureī˜thatī˜devel-
opment,ī˜ whenī˜ itī˜ takesī˜ placeī˜ combinesī˜
positivelyī˜withī˜theī˜historicī˜fabricī˜andī˜isī˜toī˜
aī˜highī˜designī˜standard".ī˜
Aī˜newī˜planī˜forī˜Dublinā€™sī˜Oā€™Connellī˜Street,ī˜
whichī˜willī˜governī˜theī˜futureī˜useī˜andī˜archi-
tecturalī˜ treatmentī˜ ofī˜ itsī˜ buildingsī˜ wasī˜ī˜
publishedī˜byī˜Dublinī˜Cityī˜Councilī˜inī˜2015.
Theī˜ draftī˜ schemeī˜ ofī˜ specialī˜ planningī˜
controlī˜forī˜Oā€™Connellī˜Streetī˜andī˜surround-
ingī˜areas,ī˜includingī˜Henryī˜Street,ī˜Northī˜
Earlī˜Streetī˜andī˜Middleī˜Abbeyī˜Street,ī˜asī˜
wellī˜asī˜Westmorelandī˜Streetī˜andī˜Dā€™Olierī˜
Street,ī˜isī˜designedī˜toī˜encourageī˜appropri-
ateī˜commercialī˜activity,ī˜whileī˜protectingī˜
theī˜areaā€™sī˜architectural,ī˜cultural,ī˜civicī˜andī˜
historicī˜character.
Theī˜schemeī˜givesī˜extraī˜planningī˜powersī˜
toī˜protectī˜existingī˜shopsī˜ofī˜ā€œspecialī˜signiī™­-
canceā€ī˜andī˜discouragesī˜ā€œlessī˜appropriateī˜
usesā€ī˜ofī˜premises.
Permissionī˜willī˜notī˜beī˜grantedī˜underī˜theī˜
schemeī˜forī˜certainī˜typesī˜ofī˜shops,ī˜includ-
ingī˜ amusementī˜ arcades,ī˜ bookmakers,ī˜
fast-foodī˜outlets,ī˜mobile-phoneī˜shopsī˜orī˜
ā€œadultī˜entertainmentā€ī˜shops.ī˜
Inevitably,ī˜inī˜ Irelandī˜ofī˜theī˜overridingī˜
fearī˜ofī˜lawyersī˜underī˜theī˜Constitution,ī˜theī˜
measuresī˜willī˜haveī˜prospectiveī˜forceī˜only.ī˜
Moreī˜preciselyī˜aī˜designationī˜ofī˜whatī˜ISī˜
appropriateī˜ shouldī˜ beī˜ formulatedī˜ forī˜
O'Connellī˜Stī˜-ī˜somethingī˜alongī˜theī˜linesī˜ofī˜
"reinforcing the character of the street as
the country's most important civic and his-
torically important boulevard". ī˜ Ideallyī˜
activityī˜onī˜theī˜streetī˜shouldī˜beī˜wholesomeī˜
andī˜family-friendly.ī˜Andī˜imaginative.
The National
Thoroughfare
O'Connell Street is the epicentre of Irish
Constitutional Nationalism and its GPO the principal
locus for the Easter Rising and the Proclamation of
the Republic. So how's it doing?
by Kevin Duff
O'Connell St 1916 as Metaphor for the Republic.
Is it any better now?
c
ENVIRONMENT
March 2016 5 7
2016
O'CONNELL
STREET
5 8 March 2016
Shopfront guidelines
Above-leftī˜isī˜Dublinī˜Cityī˜Council'sī˜proposedī˜improvementī˜forī˜
theī˜shopfrontī˜atī˜14ī˜Lowerī˜O'Connellī˜Streetī˜asī˜publishedī˜inī˜
theī˜ O'Connellī˜ Streetī˜ Areaī˜ Shopfrontī˜ Designī˜ Guidelinesī˜
(2003),ī˜withī˜aī˜currentī˜photographī˜ofī˜theī˜shopfrontī˜above-
right.ī˜Ratherī˜thanī˜improving,ī˜itī˜hasī˜deterioratedī˜signiī™­cantlyī˜
inī˜theī˜thirteenī˜yearsī˜ofī˜'operation'ī˜ofī˜theī˜guidelines,ī˜withī˜
complaintsī˜ toī˜ theī˜ Cityī˜ Council'sī˜ planningī˜ enforcementī˜
departmentī˜goingī˜unresolved.ī˜Theī˜conditionī˜ofī˜thisī˜shop-
front,ī˜whichī˜isī˜onī˜aī˜prominentī˜stretchī˜ofī˜Lowerī˜O'Connellī˜
Streetī˜oppositeī˜Easonsī˜andī˜closeī˜toī˜theī˜formerī˜Clerysī˜land-
mark,ī˜ encapsulatesī˜ theī˜ failureī˜ ofī˜Dublinī˜ Cityī˜ Councilī˜ toī˜
secureī˜andī˜maintainī˜theī˜mostī˜basicī˜presentationī˜standardsī˜
onī˜O'Connellī˜Streetī˜despiteī˜theī˜successionī˜ofī˜plansī˜pub-
lishedī˜forī˜improvementī˜ofī˜theī˜streetī˜sinceī˜theī˜lateī˜1990s.
Disused phone boxes
Atī˜O'Connellī˜Bridge,ī˜Eircomī˜(nowī˜Eir)ī˜areī˜sellingī˜theī˜windowī˜
spaceī˜ofī˜virtually-disusedī˜phone-boxesī˜toī˜advertisersī˜suchī˜
asī˜fast-foodī˜chains.ī˜Theī˜effectī˜isī˜toī˜reinforceī˜identiī™­edī˜prob-
lemsī˜ofī˜excessī˜fast-foodī˜useī˜inī˜theī˜area,ī˜andī˜despiteī˜theī˜
strictī˜ controlsī˜ outlinedī˜ forī˜ advertisingī˜ structuresī˜ inī˜ theī˜
'Schemeī˜ofī˜Specialī˜Planningī˜Control'ī˜forī˜theī˜O'Connellī˜Streetī˜
area.ī˜Theī˜sticker-glazingī˜advertisementsī˜are,ī˜inī˜turn,ī˜con-
cealingī˜anti-socialī˜behaviourī˜insideī˜theī˜phoneī˜boxesī˜asī˜wellī˜
asī˜clutteringī˜theī˜pavementī˜andī˜visuallyī˜injuringī˜anī˜architec-
turallyī˜andī˜historicallyī˜sensitiveī˜areaī˜withinī˜theī˜O'Connellī˜
Streetī˜ACA.ī˜ī˜
Clerys closure highlighī˜žs need for
Plī˜Ÿnning inī˜žervenī˜žion
Departmentī˜storesī˜onī˜theī˜siteī˜dateī˜fromī˜1853ī˜whenī˜Mcī˜Swiney,ī˜Delanyī˜andī˜Co.ī˜
openedī˜ā€˜Theī˜Newī˜orī˜Palatialī˜Mart'ī˜onī˜theī˜siteī˜ofī˜theī˜presentī˜storeī˜thoughī˜theī˜
currentī˜buildingī˜wasī˜builtī˜inī˜1922,ī˜havingī˜beenī˜completelyī˜destroyedī˜inī˜theī˜
1916ī˜Easterī˜Rising.ī˜Inī˜1883,ī˜theī˜premisesī˜wasī˜takenī˜overī˜andī˜renamedī˜byī˜M.ī˜J.ī˜
Cleryī˜(d.1896),ī˜aī˜nativeī˜ofī˜Bulgaden,ī˜Co.ī˜Limerick.ī˜Williamī˜Martinī˜Murphy,ī˜ofī˜
1913ī˜Lockoutī˜infamy,ī˜wasī˜alsoī˜involvedī˜inī˜theī˜business.
Clerysī˜completedī˜aī˜ī™­ve-yearī˜restorationī˜programmeī˜inī˜2004ī˜atī˜aī˜costī˜ofī˜ā‚¬24ī˜
million.Clerysī˜wasī˜soldī˜byī˜Boston-basedī˜Gordonī˜Brothersī˜toī˜Natriumī˜Ltdī˜lastī˜
Summer.ī˜OCSī˜Operationsī˜Ltd,ī˜whichī˜hadī˜beenī˜runningī˜theī˜shop,ī˜wasī˜thenī˜
placedī˜intoī˜liquidation,ī˜resultingī˜inī˜theī˜precipitousī˜closureī˜ofī˜theī˜famousī˜shop.
Moreī˜thanī˜400ī˜staff,ī˜includingī˜directī˜employeesī˜ofī˜Clerysī˜andī˜thoseī˜workingī˜
forī˜concessionī˜holdersī˜atī˜theī˜store,ī˜lostī˜theirī˜jobsī˜inī˜aī˜lockoutī˜2015-style.
Photo taken by the author's father
ENVIRONMENT