Vanishing Dublin

'For Dublin keeps on changing, 

And nothing stays the same…' 

Pete St John, Dublin in the Rare Oul Times

It is the nature of cities to continually change. Dublin through its history has been at various stages a Viking trading post, a Norman settlement, the jewel of Ascendancy Ireland, the second city of the British Empire, and is now our capital city.

The 'Vanishing Dublin' Image Gallery shows features of Dublin that have disappeared or changed utterly during the second half of the twentieth century. Some of the change is welcome. Few will miss the deprivation of the tenements. Other images are portals into our civic past – we can imagine the workers from Stoneybatter harrying through Thundercut Alley on their way to work at Smithfield or children rummaging for ‘hidden treasure’ through the debris of George’s Pocket.

The photos also tell stories of communities now dispersed. The residents of the Gloucester Diamond and Chamber Street saw their communities transformed. What remains of where they lived is digitally preserved here for them and their descendants.

The gallery depicts a ‘vanishing’ rather than a ‘vanished’ Dublin - one that persists in the memories of those who walked its streets, worked in its shops, drank and sang in its pubs, and called it ‘home’.

People are welcome to use the photos as ‘memory triggers’ to explore the history of Dublin’s people and places through conversations with parents, grandparents, and senior citizens. Google Streetview can be used to compare Dublin ‘then’ and ‘now’. 

Terms and Conditions.

Further Resources

Dublin City Libraries has a wide range of sources on the social, political, and cultural history of Dublin, some of which are available online and some through the Dublin City Libraries network.

The Reading Room, Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street holds a wealth of material on the history of Dublin, including books, pamphlets, journals, street directories, and almanacs.

The following online resources can be accessed free of charge at your local library. Ask library staff for information and assistance.

• DRI - Digital Repository of Ireland is a national digital repository for Ireland’s humanities, social sciences, and cultural heritage data. Here you will find select digital collections of Dublin City Library and Archive including the Fáilte Ireland Photographic Collection.
• Irish Times Digital Archive: This online archive service gives access to contemporary editions of the Irish Times from the mid-nineteenth century until the present.
• Irish Newspaper Archive: This online archive service gives access to contemporary editions of the Irish Independent and a range of other newspapers.
• The Ireland-JSTOR Collection: This online archive of academic articles can also be accessed free of charge at your local library.

For further reading, consult the Library Catalogue.