The Liberties

The Liberties ( _ga. Na Saoirsí) is a well-known district in the south-west inner city of Dublin, Ireland.

Large areas around the center of the city remained outside the jurisdiction of Dublin Corporation until the mid-19th century. Today, the term 'the Liberties' has come to mean the part of inner Dublin approximately west of Aungier Street and south of the River Liffey, out to the inner suburbs.

Many places in The Liberties still have connections with either a turbulent past or a grim one in which political upheaval or dire poverty were the order of the day. In the 17th century, they were wealthy districts, when the crafts of the immigrant Huguenots had a ready market - today Meath Street Market.

When, in 1699, the English put penal duties on Irish imports, the Liberties were plunged into a despair that lingered until relatively recently. The once terrible slums and dereliction of the past have since been wiped away, and only a few pockets of deprivation remain. Instead one passes a succession of pleasant and busy streets, a pair of former graveyards now converted into tiny city parks, and the spot outside Saint Catherine's Church where the patriot Robert Emmet was executed, before finally arriving at the extraordinary visitors' centre attached to the world famous Guinness Brewery at St. James's Gate.

The Liberties roughly corresponds to the postcode, "Dublin 8". This postal district in turn incorporates some of Dublin's old city Civil Parishes including St Catherine's, St James', St Nicholas Without St. James' Gate, St. Nicholas Within St. James' Gate, St Audeon's, Manor Court of St. Sepulchre, St. Patrick's, St. Michael's, St. Luke's and others.

The name comes from "the Earl of Meath's Liberties", originally the Liberties of the Monastery of St. Thomas of Canterbury in Thomas court, Thomas Street, granted by Henry VIII to William Brabazon. Many properties located in the Liberties belonged the descendents of Brabazon, Earls of Meath up to the present day. They lend their names to streets in that district e.g. Meath Market and Meath Street (St Catherine's), Brabazon Row, Brabazon Street (St. Luke's) and Ardee Street (they were Barons Ardee since 1616).

The first Baron Ardee, Sir Edward was a Privy Councillor to Queen Elizabeth I and lived in Dublin, probably in Cork St.

Undoubtedly, the heart of The Liberties, is the area bounded by Francis St, Pimlico, The Coombe, Meath Street and Thomas Street. For years, prior to the explosion of the Celtic Tiger these streets were thronged with shoppers looking for bargains. The surburban retail developments of The Square (Tallaght), Liffey Valley (Lucan/Clondalkin/Ballyfermot) and The Blanchardstown Centre brought an end the halcyon days of the Dublin Bizarre, The Iveagh Market and Libety Market, as well as the vast multitude of on-street traders selling clothing, fruit & veg and various "odds and ends".

Today the area is a real cosmospolitian mix of nationalities and races. Unfortunately, like many inner city communities, the area has slipped in a state of disrepair. Some would consider the area has been left behind while the Celtic Tiger marched on.

The Liberties is home to many well known Dublin Institutions, including The National College of Art and Design, The Iveagh Market (Closed), Vicar Street Venue, St Catherine's Church, The Guinness Factory, St Patrick' Cathedral and Francis Street which has become Dublin's centre for Antique hunters.

For those interested in fine Gothic Architecture. John's Lane Augustinian Church designed by Edwin Welby Pugin opened in 1874. The church was built by the Augustinian Order who have been in this area of Dublin since the mid 1200s and it stands on the site of the medieval hospital of St. John. Hence the local name for the church , "Johns Lane" ... it is officially called the Church of St. Augustine & St.John the Baptist. On a historical note; the twelve statues in the tower niches are the work of James Pearse, the father of patriots Padraig and Willie Pearse. The Church has the highest spire of all Dublin churches standing at over 200 feet.Inside can be seen some wonderful stained glass from the Harry Clarke studio and by Michael Healy, also some fine work by Mayers of Munich. The Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel to the right of the high altar as you enter, dates from 1898. The altar of white Carrara marble is the work of Edmond Sharpe.

The Liberty is a free newspaper for the Liberties produced by journalism students in the School of Media at the Dublin Institute of Technology, Aungier Street.

Controversy

In October 2007, plans for a multi-million euro redevelopment of The Liberties were revealed by Dublin City Council. These plans have been met with strong opposition from residents of the area, claiming that the character of one of the city's oldest surviving areas will be destroyed by such redevelopment.

In 2006 it was suggested that the National College of Art and Design on Thomas Street be moved to UCD. This provoked controversy with locals and students alike being against such a move. However NCAD passed a resolution that the college would remain [http://www.ncad.ie/news/newssummer06.shtml] .

Play

The Liberties is also a play written by Melissa Carton-McKevitt based on her childhood growing up in the area. It centers around the life of Liberty Pearse (Libby) and the tragic events which occur in her life in just a short space of time.Performed for the first time last year in the Pioneer Club,Mountjoy Square the part was played by Lauren Larkin and was met with much acclaim. The cast also included Ian Lawless as Steven Wright, Etain Ni Ruaric as Sindy Shaw, Alex Dunne as Drew Wright, Sarah Meyler as Summer (she also cameoed as the doctor) and Ciara Murphy as "Miss" the teacher. The play had to be edited to fit the requirements of the location but originally had appearances from Angela (a school mate of Libbys), Paulie (Drew's best mate), Eric (Sindy's boyfriend) and Stacey (Summer's mate). The play was directed by Megan McKevitt and produced by Maria Schweepe of Dublin Youth Theatre.

Crime

The area has improved dramatically in recent years. However there are still a worrying amount of drug users roaming around Thomas Street (Dublin). Drugs are a serious problem in the area, with users travelling from across the city to obtain their daily fix - often under the nose of the under-resourced and stretched authorities. More recently then area has been victim to a feud between drug gangs which has seen gun, granade and pipe bomb attacks in what was once a "poor but pure" Dublin community.

External links

* [http://www.dublinks.com/index.cfm/loc/6-7/pt/0/spid/9A3850CD-313D-4627-827F405C525E988C.htm Dublinks]