Green Party Councillor's novel idea for Cherry Orchard Library gains strong support
Dublin City Council supports the establishment of a new library at Cherry Orchard Point, but it may take some time to be delivered.
Amid a growing population that will see approximately 2,000 new houses and apartments across various projects in the Cherry Orchard area in the coming years, Green Party Councillor Ray Cunningham has stressed the need for a new library. He said the community has been “starved of basic amenities” for far too long and that a new library could support the integration of new residents.
Tabling a motion at the October monthly council meeting, Cllr Cunningham’s proposal was unanimously supported but the manager’s response stated that they already have a fully committed Capital Programme up to 2028. They cited several libraries that have already gained approval including Parnell Square City Library , Crumlin , Drimnagh, Terenure, Inchicore, and Clongriffin.
Cllr Cunningham stated that Cherry Orchard is a community that is only going to get bigger and requires significant investment in infrastructure. He described libraries as “in many ways the pinnacle of civilization,” as they provide not only a place to borrow a book but also a free space that is not characterised by advertisements or algorithms.
While the council said Cherry Orchard is already served by a “state of the art” library in Ballyfermot, Cllr Cunningham said that is “quite far away” from people in Cherry Orchard, particularly the locations of new developments. He conceded the council supports many outreach projects for the area, but that a permanent library would encourage new and old communities to come together.
These points were echoed by Sinn Féin Cllr Daithí Doolan who praised housing development in the area but said “infrastructure is what makes communities”. His party colleague Cllr Ciarán Ó Meachair too said libraries are one of the last remaining public spaces that are totally free and they should consider providing them in areas which traditionally have not had them.
Labour Cllr Darragh Moriarty highlighted the ambitions of the Community, Gaeilge, Sport, Arts and Culture SPC to develop a wider arts and culture policy for Dublin city that would address areas that are lacking in access to cultural infrastructure. “We’re trying to come up with a process where we say per population people should have access to this number of libraries, theatres, artist workspaces, sports and leisure facilities," he said.
A lack of provision for growing populations is a major point of concern according to Green Party Cllr Feljin Jose. He pointed out that land has been rezoned for 25,000 new homes and that they need to be mindful about supporting this appropriately. “We need a lot more libraries basically,” he said.
Cllr Cunningham told Dublin Live he understands that capital spending can’t be rewritten overnight but said he will be investigating what cultural and community spaces are already available at Cherry Orchard Point. He said there may be potential to provide a new library without needing to construct an entire new building.
“Ballyfermot Library is great, and the outreach work the librarians do from there is great, but they are not substitutes for a permanent library space in Cherry Orchard,” he said.
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