From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
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Darragh O'Brien TD, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, has recommended 1,720 structures of architectural heritage interest to the elected members of Dublin City Council for their consideration for inclusion on the Record of Protected Structures (RPS).
The recommendations, covering the north city suburbs between the Royal Canal and the border with Fingal, are the latest to issue from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) Survey of Dublin City. 1,668 structures have been rated by the NIAH as of Regional Importance, 50 of National importance and 2 of International importance.
The NIAH survey covers a wide variety of building types, spanning the early 18th century to the late 20th century, and includes such internationally-renowned sites as the Casino, Marino, widely regarded as one of the most accomplished examples of neo-Classical architecture in Ireland, and the Curvilinear Range at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, where architecture, artistry and contemporary innovations in glass and iron production, all combine to dazzling effect.
The mid eighteenth-century Church of Saint John the Baptist, Drumcondra, has a rustic charm appropriate to its original semi-rural setting and is given additional interest as the burial place of James Gandon (1743-1823), architect of the Custom House, and the composer Patrick Heeney (1881-1911) who wrote the music of our national anthem Amhrán na bhFiann.
Another pair of churches trace the transition of Raheny from a quiet village in the nineteenth century to a bustling suburb of a capital city in the twentieth century and the neo-Gothic Saint Assin's Church is now dwarfed by the monumental Church of Our Lady Mother of Divine Grace with its soaring façade a triangle of triangles.
In addition to grand architectural statements, such as churches and country houses, the NIAH has also recorded interesting items of street furniture which are often at risk of being overlooked. These include the surviving chain of milestones measuring distances between the GPO and Howth and Brian Boroihm's Well, Clontarf, a cast-iron drinking fountain installed over a well which is said to have connections with Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf (1014).
Domestic architecture features prominently in the NIAH survey and highlights include 557 Howth Road, Raheny, the last surviving thatched vernacular house in the north city suburbs and, of more recent vintage, a stylish group of semi-detached houses whose cubic plans, gleaming white walls, curved outshots, large picture windows, and parapeted flat roofs, were influenced by contemporary international architectural trends including Art Deco, De Stijl and the Bauhaus.
The NIAH survey also includes the suite of reinforced concrete shelters which gave the promenades at Bull Wall and Clontarf a mini Miami makeover in the 1930s and 1950s.
Speaking from the Custom House today, Minister O'Brien said:
"I am pleased that my Department’s National Inventory of Architectural Heritage is actively recording our twentieth-century architectural heritage. I am very much aware that there is a growing appreciation for modern architecture and, indeed, an appetite for its protection. I encourage the elected members of Dublin City Council to look favourably on the recommendations I am making today to ensure that our unique architectural heritage, whether it is a gem of the long distant past or of more recent construction, is protected for the benefit of our citizens, both today and for generations to come".
Malcolm Noonan TD, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, emphasised the importance of the NIAH survey in assisting Dublin City Council in the protection of its built heritage and noted:
"If historic buildings are to survive as our legacy to future generations, they will have to be conserved and sensitively adapted to cater for the changing circumstances and needs of their custodians and users. The challenge is to manage change without sacrificing the intrinsic character of the building. Along with my colleague, Minister O Brien, I recently announced funding of €8m under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and the Historic Structures Fund for 2022 which, I hope, will provide welcome support to owners of protected structures in meeting their obligations to care for these properties".
All of the records for the NIAH Survey of Dublin City are available on www.buildingsofireland.ie. An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of Dublin North City Suburbs, a book accompanying the survey, will be published in Spring 2022. The book is the thirty-fourth in the series of Introductions published by the NIAH showcasing highlights of Ireland's rich architectural heritage.
ENDS