Ireland’s most famous street bouncing back from decades in doldrums as plans afoot to breathe new life into O’Connell St
IRELAND’S most famous street is ready to bounce back from decades in the doldrums one step at a time.
Many upper floors on Dublin’s dilapidated O’Connell Street have been left empty since penny-pinching landlords ripped out the stairwells in the 1950s.
But plans are afoot to get residents back living above the shops and bring back some life to an area left to rot for generations.
Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon wants the street to lead the way for the rest of the city centre by getting people living — and not in “shanty, overcrowded” accommodation either.
'THINK MORE IMAGINATIVELY'
Dublin Town CEO Richard Guiney told the Irish Sun: “A lot of the buildings built in the 19th century would have had separate entrances and people would have lived above the shop.
“It was the norm but then some of those stairwells were taken out as in the 50s and 60s the value was at ground floor.
“Now in some instances it’s very difficult or virtually impossible to get up to the upper floors.
“But we do need to bring them back into productive use because it’s not beneficial to have empty spaces in a city and they’ve been empty for a long time for a reason.
“We need to start thinking a bit more imaginatively about how we can bring those upper floors into use again.”
Hope is not lost for O’Connell Street and it still has the potential to be transformed into a “pathway into the culture and the history of the city”, according to Deputy Gannon.
Formerly known as Sackville Street, O’Connell Street’s heyday date back to the 17th century when it was an elegant boulevard filled with Georgian townhouses for members of parliament.
ICONIC STREET HISTORY
In the 18th century it evolved from a residential area into a commercial hub with businesses like Clerys and hotels such as Hotel Metropole and the Gresham opening their doors to spark a vibrant period for Dublin’s main avenue.
The 19th century brought two of O’Connell Street’s most iconic monuments — the General Post Office and Nelson’s Pillar — but the following century brought a period of destruction due to the 1916 Rising and the Civil War.
The damage O’Connell Street endured during these events ultimately allowed city chiefs to hit the reset button and rebuild it during the 1920s and 30s.
The opening of legendary theatres such as the Carlton, the Savoy and the Capitol ensured Dublin enjoyed a cultural boom with cinemas on O’Connell Street at the heart of Dublin’s social life.
However, as the century moved on, cinema attendances dropped sharply and legendary hotels such as the Metropole were demolished as were Victorian and spectacular 1920s buildings.
Sadly, over the past 50 years, O’Connell Street has endured a prolonged period of decline and today is a street badly tarnished by vacancy and neglect.
'LACK OF LOVE'
What now welcomes people into Ireland’s capital is a 46-metre wide stretch of desolated buildings and shops, arcade emporiums and rows of dishevelled fast-food restaurants.
While floors of buildings above street-level have been left lying idle for a myriad of reasons including stairwells being removed over time.
Gannon says a “lack of love” has resulted in the once-glorious street decaying into obsoleteness.
He told the Irish Sun: “O’Connell Street has suffered from generations of neglect and the O’Connell Street we see now is a consequence of that.
“There’s been a lack of love given to the street and we’ve taken it for granted.
“When we talk about O’Connell Street, we can’t step away from the fact that a lot of it isn’t safe.
“O’Connell Street can be incredibly gloomy at times too — you really have to look closely to see the potential for it due to the extent it’s been allowed to go into decline.
PATHWAY INTO CULTURE
"It’s by no means terminal but when you walk along the old end, where the old Royal Dublin Hotel used to be, you just see big gaps in the walls and it doesn’t invoke confidence.
“The city council has had just too much of a hands-off approach.”
However, former Dublin City Council member Gannon — who was born in Dublin’s north inner city — believes there is a future for the street and it should be transformed into a “pathway into the culture and the history of this city”.
He continued: “If we want to really value O’Connell Street, we need to move away from seeing it only as a retail space.
“Retail in the city centre is in terminal decline but what isn’t is the idea of renewal.
“If you look at Parnell Street, the library that’ll be going in, that can aid O’Connell Street, the redevelopment of Moore Street can benefit O’Connell Street.
"We need to see O’Connell Street as an archway into the culture, the history of the city and we need to re-prioritise it on those grounds.
MAKE IT BEAUTIFUL
“I think the GPO museum has been really strong in that regard, let’s build on that.
“If Cleary’s is going to be redeveloped as a hotel, make it absolutely stunningly beautiful and ensure it’s kept that way and ensure the centre of O’Connell Street always has fresh flowers.
“It’d be great if we could get more musicians and to encourage them to play there.
“Too often the musicians and buskers are finding their space on Grafton Street and I think the city council can incentivise and try get them to move closer towards O’Connell Street.
“If we can get people living in above-street level accommodation, really nice accommodation — not shanty or overcrowded places.
"We very rarely look up when we walk across the city as there’s not a lot to look up at but I think if we can start with O’Connell Street and get people living in the city centre again.
“If there’s going to be a future for O’Connell Street, and I firmly believe that there is, it has to be one that champions our culture, our history and becomes a pleasant space where people want to be.”
Due to O’Connell Street’s dilapidation, it has developed an unwanted reputation for being an unsafe place for citizens and tourists alike.
UNWANTED REPUTATION
When someone searches O’Connell Street on Google top queries include: “Is it safe?” “What is the most dangerous city in Ireland?” and “What are the bad areas of Dublin?”
Deputy Gannon, 34, believes anti-social behaviour should be totally stamped out to help the street become a more welcoming place once again.
He added: “I think the gardai have to have a zero tolerance policy for anti-social behaviour on O’Connell Street of any description.
“If there’s open drug dealing going on that needs to be stamped out.
“The city council and the State should see O’Connell Street as an asset to our country, it’s the main street to our capital city and it should be protected at all costs.
"That requires vision for what it can be, a bit of care in terms of how the city council approaches it, absolute zero-tolerance for anyone that besmirches it through their actions or behaviour and if we got all of those things right, I think O’Connell Street could be amazing.
PLANS IN THE PIPELINE
“Especially with all the developments being built around it. I think an aggressive city council, working with the State, can come up with actual actions, not just strategies and plans.
"Say from this point we’re going to make O’Connell Street better, incentives to get people turning their more vacant parts of their buildings into accommodation through grants or whatever means needed.”
The future for the street appears bright however with major developmental plans currently in the pipeline. This includes the Dublin Central project which aims to transform the old Carlton site into a new ‘city quarter’.
It is one of the city’s largest regeneration projects ever and hopes to bring Upper O’Connell Street, Parnell Street, Moore Street and Henry Street together — restoring a historic street pattern.
Proposals for the mixed-use development include office space, residential apartments and homes, restaurants, retail uses and an underground metro station within new pedestrian links and open public spaces.
The legendary Clerys Department Store — which shut suddenly in 2015 — is also undergoing a major face lift with the new Clery’s Quarter scheduled to be completed during the first quarter of next year.
'HUGE MOMENTUM'
That landmark development comprises office spaces, prime retail, a panoramic rooftop restaurant, a bar and events venue, five food-and-beverage units, newly refurbished tea rooms and a brand new 213-bedroom four-star hotel.
On top of these mega developments is a planned Cultural Quarter at Parnell Square slated for 2023 which includes a new state-of-the-art city library and spaces for cultural uses such as music, education and design.
According to CEO of Dublin Town Richard Guiney, the plans for Dublin’s main street have created “huge momentum” and he believes the street is on the cusp of a massive upswing in fortunes.
He told the Irish Sun: “I think what’s proposed is exactly what’s required for the street and indeed the city.
“The Dublin Central Development and indeed the Cleary’s site are absolutely spot on for what we need in the 2020s and beyond.
“The thing I really like is opening up the streets, creating space for people to relax, there are routes which will take you from O’Connell Street through Moore Street right through to Henry Street.
FUNDING HOPES
“The Cleary’s development is mixed use, all of those things are exactly what’s required and we’d be optimistic those are the things that will bring additional footfall into the district.
“At the moment our tourism spend is five-times as much on the southside then it is on the northside so if we can pull some of that spending over, the whole city would benefit.
“We’re also really enthusiastic about the proposals for Parnell Square — these ideas are the right ones and it would assist in bringing more tourism in post-pandemic.
“Up to the 1960s and into the 1970s O’Connell Street was the main street in the city and it obviously has been in a decline over the past 40 to 50 years but I think it’s time is coming.
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"It’s suffered reputational damage but I’m confident we can turn that around with the right investment and the right approach and the right outlook from Dubliners.
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“The Metro coming in will bring its own life as well. There is a momentum building and the omens are good.
"Let’s get back to where we were where O’Connell Street can get that lease of life back — we’ll all really benefit from it."