Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I know the Minister of State and others in the House have an interest in the architecture of Dublin, the country as a whole and our history. The Iveagh Markets on Francis Street is a building of major importance. It is a huge site in the Liberties. It was built at the turn of the 20th century as an indoor market. I think the Minister of State was down there recently. He will understand the need for the State to step in at this stage, given the state of dereliction and disrepair of this beauty of, one could say, an industrial site. It is also a site that one can easily see and imagine the splendour of when walking around it. It is also functional. We have seen footage of St. George's Market in Belfast and the English Market in Cork and any town in Europe that has retained its markets. Sometimes they are smaller but one can see how functional they can be, especially in an era when we are trying to be sustainable.

The site is in the heart of the city in an area which has increased in density because of building work over the years. Many apartments have been built and there are more people living in the area. It would be great to see a food market again in the heart of Dublin. There were food markets in Newmarket until recently but because of developments, they were moved out. They still exist and try to thrive. It would be great to see that again.

There has been a huge change in culture in regard to repurposing and reusing clothes. One of the last parts of the Iveagh Markets, the part that I remember, was second-hand clothes. I was in the building a number of months before the market closed and it was in rag order, as we say in Dublin. It was not in a fit state. That is one of the reasons the market closed. There were still businesses trading and there are still people who lovingly remember the trade, the banter and the bartering that went on with those old-style market stalls that were in the Iveagh Markets and elsewhere around the country. We have an opportunity not necessarily to bring the market right back to previous times but it is a space that could be used as such spaces are used in other areas. We could use it as a market stall in the mornings and weekends and for other purposes too. It can be cleaned out easily. It is a vast complex. If it is left to the vagaries of winter again, more damage will be done.

When the Iveagh Markets closed Dublin City Council estimated it would cost €1 million or €2 million to refurbish the building. Now it is talking about €20 million. That is the damage caused by years of neglect and awaiting development that never happened. Mediation is supposedly going on between those who claim ownership. At some stage, someone has to call a halt to that. The longer that mediation goes on, the more dangerous the building becomes and the more likely it is that someone will have to step in and take action. For this reason, I call on the Minister of State who has an interest in heritage in the city to step in. This would be a major attraction to add to all of the other buildings in the vicinity on the tourist trail but also for the community. The Minister of State helped out before in regard to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Christ Church Cathedral is around the corner. Tailor’s Hall is An Taisce’s building and great work is planned for that. The Iveagh Markets are next door and could add to the tourist trail as well as the local community which recently lost two community halls in the vicinity.

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