Re: Re: national archives

@notjim wrote:

“Mountjoy Square – which incidentally does not have any cultural institutions on it whatsoever”

Not strictly true; DIT occupies on edge of Mountjoy Sq and Pavee Point is just off it. I do wonder what will happen to the DIT building come the move.

Ah now notjim youre being semantic – DIT College of Marketing in the pastiche Gallagher/PMPA block on the SE corner cannot really be considered as a cultural institute in the same way as say the Architectural Archives on Merrion Square or the Nat Library on Kildare St; both of these are for the general public, whereas DIT is purely for its own students.

I will add re Pavee Point, that despite reservations among some when it was first located there, it has worked out as model entity and afaik there are have been no problems whatsoever in terms of interaction with the surrounding communities 🙂

Anyhow heres the ideal building for a National Archive, No 1 Mountjoy Square:

As can be seen, there were concerns about it and it was featured in the charter of the Heritage Protection Alliance. Unfortunatley, as seen below were unauthorised works that were being carried out on it some months back. Located at the NW corner of the square, this is the square’s most strategic building as it directly addresses Gardiner St, which is off axis to the square. I am pasting a snippet of its history underneath. It is critical that this building be saved and put to proper use – of which the National Archive could be a real contender 🙂

1 MOUNTJOY SQUARE, DUBLIN CITY

A house of significant cultural importance. Left neglected and empty with deadbolts on the front door, this house had been in the charitable hands of a religious institution until it was sold a decade ago. Subsequently sub-divided and let out in multiple occupancies, a fire occurred at the house last Christmas (December 2006). This was a location of Dail Eireann which met here during 1919 and 1920 when owned by Alderman Walter Coles, who also let Michael Collins use of the address as a safe house during The War of Independence. Previously it had been the residence of Home Rule MP T.M. Healy, and prior to that had been residence to Archbishop Hawksley.