A radical housing collective have claimed Iveagh Markets
A radical housing collective have claimed Iveagh Markets
Words: Ellen Kenny
The Revolutionary Housing League have placed an acquisition order on Iveagh Markets and “renamed” the premises.
The Revolutionary Housing League, a campaign group in Ireland dedicated to taking back vacant homes and buildings for the people, have claimed Iveagh Markets on Francis Street.
The group explained that they claimed the property yesterday evening and members will be “manning” the market at all times. They also want to make Iveagh Market “safe for use and hold it for the local community.”
According to the group, “[Iveagh Markets] should be in the hands of the community and not an absentee English lord or a private profiteer.”
They have also renamed the property “Ionad Cathal Brugha” themselves. The group want to “honour a Revolutionary Republican hero, who was second in command at the nearby South Dublin Union in 1916 and who gave his life for the All Ireland People’s Republic 100 years ago this month.”
Ionad Cathal Brugha – A Liberated Community Space
— Revolutionary Housing League (@rhlireland) July 28, 2022
This evening, the Revolutionary Workers Union Council placed an acquisition order on the former Iveagh Markets on Francis Street, renamed the premises Ionad Cathal Brugha, and liberated the space on behalf of the Community. pic.twitter.com/F14MeBFGmw
The League, with the Revolutionary Workers’ Union Council, also previously occupied Lefroy House (or James Connolly House, as they renamed it). They occupied the property owned by the Salvation Army for a few weeks. However, a court order allowed gardaí to regain possession of the property for the Salvation Army.
Future of Iveagh Markets
The state and future of Iveagh Markets has been the subject of conversation online recently. People have questioned why the property has been left derelict for many years now.
This is what the Iveagh Markets looked like BEFORE Dublin City Council gave it to a ‘developer’ 20 years ago – it was perfect – and this how it looked after 17 years developer’s tender care😢😢😢 pic.twitter.com/jvBWN2KAok
— Rosita Sweetman (@RositaSweetman) July 27, 2022
The Market became rundown in the 1980s, and plans to refurbish the property in the 1990s failed. In 2018, Dublin City Council announced plans to repossess the market to redevelop it. A report also deemed the markets in an “advanced state of dereliction”. However, estimated costs were 13 million euros, which the Council said could not be covered by their budget.
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