 View of Seán McDermott Street looking west at the junction with Buckingham Street | |
  | |
| Native name | Sráid Sheáin Mhic Dhiarmada (Irish)[1] |
|---|---|
| Former name(s) | Great Martin's Lane (to 1764) Gloucester Street (1764–1933) |
| Namesake | Seán Mac Diarmada |
| Length | 530 m (1,740 ft) |
| Width | 19 metres (62 ft) |
| Location | Dublin, Ireland |
| Postal code | D01 |
| Coordinates | 53°21′13″N 6°15′13″W / 53.35356466507168°N 6.253653898469505°W |
| west end | Cumberland Street Upper, Cathal Brugha Street, Champions Avenue |
| Major junctions | Gardiner Street, James Joyce Street |
| east end | Buckingham Street, Killarney Street |
| Construction | |
| Construction start | early 18th century |
| Other | |
| Known for | Monto, Scots Presbyterian Church, Matt Talbot |
Seán McDermott Street (Irish: Sráid Sheáin Mhic Dhiarmada)[1] is a street in northeast Dublin, Ireland. It is divided into Seán McDermott Street Lower (east end) and Seán McDermott Street Upper (west end).[2][3][4]
Located in the north inner city, it runs west-east as an extension of Cathal Brugha Street, for about 530 metres (1⁄3 mile) until it intersects with Buckingham Street.[5][6]
History
The street was originally named Great Martin's Lane or Saint Martin's Lane, having that name by 1712. [7]
In 1764 it was renamed Gloucester Street for Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, brother of King George III.[8][9] Many fine Georgian townhouses were built, but they were allowed to degrade into tenements by 1900 with most being demolished during the 20th century.[10]
In the 1860s–1920s, Gloucester Street was the northern end of the notorious Monto red-light district, where thousands of prostitutes lived and worked.[11][12]
Its intersection with Gloucester Place was known as the Gloucester Diamond, and was a centre for street football in the mid-20th century.[13] The Gloucester Diamond is mentioned in Pete St. John's song "Johnny McGory", about a First World War veteran who returns to Dublin having lost a leg.[14]
An IRA safe house was located at 36 Gloucester Street Lower during the Irish War of Independence; Conor Clune, Dick McKee and Sean Fitzpatrick were arrested there on 21 November 1920, the day before Bloody Sunday.[11][15]
In 1933 the street was renamed for Seán Mac Diarmada (McDermott, 1883–1916), an executed leader of the Easter Rising.[16][17] The area was plagued by juvenile crime, including by the so-called "animal gangs."[18] In 1943–53, over 500 new homes were provided in the area by reconditioning.[19] Nevertheless, the area continued to be plagued by poverty and crime, with Michael Keating criticising the squalor of the area in the late 1970s.[20]
A Magdalene laundry for unwed mothers, including "repentant" prostitutes, opened in 1887 and did not close until 1996.[21][22][23][24]
A temporary Catholic chapel was built in 1915; it was replaced by the Romanesque Revival Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1954.[25] The church is known for its association with the ascetic Matt Talbot (1856–1925), whose remains were translated to the church in 1972.[26][27] Pope John Paul II visited the street in 1978, but did not enter the shrine. A banner was erected reading "John Paul Rules OK".[28]
Today, the Irish headquarters of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul are located on Seán McDermott Street as well as a Simon Community hostel which is housed in the former carpenters' asylum, an impressive regency style former guildhall at number 35.[29][30][31]
There is also a large public swimming pool, closed since 2019 for refurbishment.[32][33]
Built heritage
Since the establishment of the street there have been numerous notable buildings, some of which have now been demolished while others are in a state of dereliction.
Scots Presbyterian Church
The Scots Presbyterian Church is a notable Greek-revival style church built on the street in 1846; it was later a Salvation Army building and a grain store and the façade of the building remains a landmark on the street as of 2021.[34]
Gloucester Terrace
Gloucester Terrace was a Regency terrace of six houses constructed around 1831 with a unified pediment located at what was later referred to as 45 to 50 Lower Seán MacDermott Street but originally forming a portion of Gloucester Street. The houses were demolished in the 1950s to be replaced with an ESB substation and other public buildings.[35][36]
Gallery
-
Facade of the Scots Presbyterian Church -
Dublin City Council offices, 52 Seán McDermott Street Lower -
Playground on Seán McDermott Street -
Multi-storey flats on the corner of Seán McDermott Street Upper and Lower Gardiner Street -
Larkin Community College -
A rear view of Lourdes Parish Schools -
Carpenters' Asylum
See also
References
- ^ a b "Sráid Sheáin Mhic Dhiarmada Íochtarach/Sean MacDermott Street Lower". Logainm.ie.
- ^ Holohan, Conn; Tracy, Tony (20 February 2014). Masculinity and Irish Popular Culture: Tiger's Tales. Springer. ISBN 9781137300249 – via Google Books.
- ^ Bowman, John (15 September 2016). Ireland: The Autobiography: One Hundred Years of Irish Life, Told by Its People. Penguin UK. ISBN 9781844882830 – via Google Books.
- ^ Pearson, Peter (11 December 2000). The Heart of Dublin: Resurgence of an Historic City. O'Brien Press. ISBN 9780862786687 – via Google Books.
- ^ Power, Jack. "Homeless charity faces uncertain future following death of co-founder". The Irish Times.
- ^ "Update on planned works to Sean McDermott Street #swimmingpool". 16 May 2021.
- ^ "Heart of Dublin: Gloucester Diamond". Dublin City Council. 29 April 2013.
- ^ http://dklm7jhs8nu2s.cloudfront.net/general/Archaelogical_Assessment_-_Convent_Lands.pdf?mtime=1515408553[bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Dublin Street Names". www.fionasplace.net.
- ^ Casey, Christine (1 January 2005). Dublin: The City Within the Grand and Royal Canals and the Circular Road with the Phoenix Park. Yale University Press. ISBN 0300109237 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b http://dklm7jhs8nu2s.cloudfront.net/general/NEIC_Monto_Booklet_2019_smaller_2.pdf?mtime=1566995980[bare URL PDF]
- ^ Seery, Michael (24 August 2015). "Great Martin's Lane". Wide and Convenient Streets.
- ^ Croke, Ruaidhrí. "Ghosts and goalposts: The soul of street football in Dublin's Gloucester Diamond". The Irish Times.
- ^ "Johnny McGory". King Laoghaire - Irish Ballads & Tunes.
- ^ "McKee and Clancy Raid". www.bloodysunday.co.uk.
- ^ "Dublin Street Names". 20 December 2007.
- ^ Edwards, Ruth Dudley (22 March 2016). The Seven: The Lives and Legacies of the Founding Fathers of the Irish Republic. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781780748726 – via Google Books.
- ^ Cox, Catherine; Riordan, Susannah (15 September 2015). Adolescence in Modern Irish History. Springer. ISBN 9780230374911 – via Google Books.
- ^ Holland, Séamas (19 May 2014). Rutland Street: The Story of an Educational Experiment for Disadvantaged Children in Dublin. Elsevier. ISBN 9781483189024 – via Google Books.
- ^ Meehan, C. (15 October 2013). A Just Society for Ireland? 1964-1987. Springer. ISBN 9781137022066 – via Google Books.
- ^ Finnegan, Frances (11 December 2004). Do Penance Or Perish: Magdalen Asylums in Ireland. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-517460-1 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Monastery Of Our Lady Of Charity Of Refuge, Gloucester St, Dublin QX-00470 – The Historical Picture Archive". www.historicalpicturearchive.com.
- ^ O’Loughlin, Ed. "Ireland's last Magdalene laundry: 'They should knock it to the ground'". The Irish Times.
- ^ Culliton, Gary. "LAST DAYS OF A LAUNDRY". The Irish Times.
- ^ "CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, SEAN MACDERMOTT STREET, CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES (RC) Dictionary of Irish Architects -". www.dia.ie.
- ^ "Dublin, Ireland: Shrine of Venerable Matt Talbott". 5 March 2020.
- ^ Murray, John (1 April 2021). Saints for the Family. Messenger Publications. ISBN 9781788124409 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Pope Visits Seán McDermott Street". RTÉ Archives.
- ^ "Simon Hostel, 35 Sean McDermott Street, Dublin, DUBLIN". Buildings of Ireland. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, SEAN MACDERMOTT STREET, NO. 035 (CARPENTERS' HALL) Dictionary of Irish Architects -". www.dia.ie. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "Contact Us - St Vincent De Paul".
- ^ Surve, Aakanksha (11 May 2021). "Dublin pool closed for 2 years to undergo refurbishment to delight of locals". DublinLive.
- ^ "Sean McDermott Street Swimming Pool". Dublin City Council. 17 June 2021.
- ^ "Record of Protected Structures in Dublin City" (PDF). Dublin City Council. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ Archives, RTÉ (5 July 2012). "RTÉ Archives". stillslibrary.rte.ie. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "1831 – Gloucester Terrace, Sean McDermott St., Dublin". Archiseek - Irish Architecture. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
This page was last edited on 12 February 2024, at 19:55