Push for UNESCO status to stop 'cultural fabric' of the Liberties being 'eroded'
There is fear the Liberties is losing its cultural identity as calls have been made to put in safeguards to protect its unique heritage and living traditions.
At the most recent meeting of Dublin City Council, Sinn Fein Councillor for South West Inner City Ciaran O Meachair put forward a motion aimed at protecting “the very characteristics that make the Liberties unique.” With student accommodation, build-to-rent, co-living and short rental rentals densely concentrated in the area, he asked the council endeavour to include the Liberties on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
As an area known for its vibrant Meath Street Liberty Market, proud weaving tradition, and artists from Imelda May to Fontaines D.C., Cllr O Meachair said its essential to “push back” against gentrification and ensure working class people aren’t priced out of the area.
“Ordinary people are being squeezed out by hotels, Airbnbs, and student accommodation. Young people are growing up in the Liberties and looking at brand new fancy buildings that they’ll never be able to afford,” he said. “ Dublin City Council needs to take responsibility for this because it’s ultimately them who approve these hotels and student accommodation.”
Cllr O Meachair highlighted the damage already caused by the proliferation of development in the area that’s unwanted by local residents, with the recently damaged Meath Street Grotto being an example of the accidental impact hotel developers have had on the area’s cultural heritage.
“A number of Meath Street stall holders recently lost access to their unit so that a gym could go in its place. I think Dublin has plenty of gyms, but it also has one Meath Street,” he said.
Designation on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List would give the working class traditions of the Liberties special consideration and could act as an important stopgap to protecting “many proud and longstanding cultural practises,” explained Cllr O Meachair. “I think UNESCO status would be a massive win, not just for the Liberties, but for Dublin as a whole”
Social Democrats Cllr Lesley Byrne fully supported the motion and said preserving the unique history Liberties is something that has been raised many times at local area committee meetings. “It’s important not just to Dubliners but to Ireland as a whole,” she explained.
With “every brick that goes into student accommodation,” Cllr Byrne believes “the fabric and culture” of the Liberties is being further “eroded.” “The irony is that this is a seriously disadvantaged area with many DEIS schools who are working tirelessly to break the cycle of poverty,” she said.
“None of the young people can even afford to live in that student housing and would never be able to buy a house in the area. We are literally selling off our culture so that private developers can make money off student accommodation,” she added. Cllr Bryne requested a special meeting take place on the future of the Liberties “because we are at risk of doing something very damaging.”
The Liberties is “at the frontline for gentrification and market-driven development,” according to People Before Profit Cllr Conor Reddy. He described the erosion of culture as “particularly vile” and cited UNESCO status as an opportunity to lead the way in defending areas across Dublin against market-led developments.
“Quite often when developers and international speculators go in for gentrification they try to sell back our culture in a very cheap way,” he said. With the Liberties working class traditions, such as weaving and textile production, being prime sources for capitalist exploitation that “don’t serve the people,” he warned against allowing genuine culture to be repackaged and sold for profit in the Liberties.
On behalf of Fine Gael, Cllr Danny Byrne wished to lend his support to the motion. He said despite being a “blow-in,” he always had a fondness for the area as it represented the “real old Dublin” and should be protected.
With the Liberties being an area “that’s been planned within an inch of its life in recent years,” Labour Cllr Darragh Moriarty said it's important to prioritise what the people in the area actually want and need. He cited a full-sized sports pitch as something residents have been long crying out for but have yet to receive. These comments were echoed by Fianna Fail Cllr Ammar Ali who said the Liberties is lacking “lots of facilities, especially sports.”
While attempting to gain UNESCO status for the Liberties was supported by Green Party Cllr Michael Pidgeon, he also cited the "intangible" nature of the designation as potentially impacting the halting potential of hotels and student accommodation. He stated it's also important to consider the areas that are in need of development, such as flats crying out for regeneration.
Social Democrats Cllr Cat O’Driscoll said the UNESCO designation “allows us to compare ourselves to other international spaces and look at what culture means in a really deep and meaningful way.” She argued there’s a need to “enhance communities over gentrification” and they should stand against "commodifying city spaces” like the Liberties.
The managerial response from Dublin City Council stated that, under the current development plan, the Liberties is recognised as a Strategic Development and Regeneration Area. This means the council “recognise the unique role the Liberties plays in Dublin’s character and to ensure the regeneration safeguards the Liberties' strong sense of community identity and cultural vibrancy into the future.”
The council stated they will consider what a UNESCO designation would actually mean for the Liberties and how it aligns with the City Development Plan. Cllr O Meachair’s motion was passed unanimously.
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