Seomra Spraoi ( en, Play Room) was a
self-managed social centre in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
, Ireland which first opened in 2004 and closed in 2015. It was run on a not-for-profit basis by an anti-capitalist collective with
anarchist principles.
Location
Seomra Spraoi was first located at Ormond Quay, then Mary's Abbey, then at 10 Belvedere Court, behind
Mountjoy Square
Mountjoy Square () is a Georgian garden square in Dublin, Ireland, on the Northside of the city just under a kilometre from the River Liffey. One of five Georgian squares in Dublin, it was planned and developed in the late 18th century by Lu ...
.
It first opened in 2004 and closed in 2015.
Events
Located at Belvedere Court, the building had two floors and a garden. There was a kitchen, a cinema, a computer, a library, a
free shop and meeting spaces.
Seomra Spraoi hosted a number of regular events such as a vegan cafe, bicycle repair workshop, gigs, free cinema and art exhibitions.
Fundraisers were held for groups such as Refugee and Migrant Solidarity Ireland, and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
Queer Thing organised at the space and Auntie Underground Cinema screened anarchist films fortnightly.
Other events included anti-authoritarian parent and child groups,
anarcha-feminist
Anarcha-feminism, also referred to as anarchist feminism, is a system of analysis which combines the principles and power analysis of anarchist theory with feminism. Anarcha-feminism closely resembles intersectional feminism. Anarcha-feminism ...
meetings and a table-tennis club.
From 2005 onwards, Seomra Spraoi hosted the Forgotten Zine archive, created in 2004 by
Ciarán Walsh. It contained around 1,200
zines
A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via a copy machine. Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very smal ...
from both Irish and foreign authors. The archive was open access and volunteers catalogued the zines on LibraryThing into four broad categories namely: Artistic & Creative; Music; Political and Social; Resources.
The project hosted a public talk by
Philip Nitschke
Philip Haig Nitschke (; born 8 August 1947) is an Australian humanist, author, former physician, and founder and director of the pro-euthanasia group EXIT (Australia), Exit International. He campaigned successfully to have a legal euthanasia la ...
, founder and director of the pro-
euthanasia group
Exit International
Exit International is an international non-profit organisation advocating legalisation of voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide. It was previously known as the ''Voluntary Euthanasia Research Foundation'' (VERF Inc.).
Exit International ...
in 2010.
In February 2011, Seomra Spraoi provided a venue for Nitschke again, after several other venues cancelled on short notice due to pressure from
right-wing Christian groups.
Also in 2011, a series of planning meetings took place for what would become
Occupy Dame Street
Occupy Dame Street (ODS) or Occupy Dublin was a peaceful protest and demonstration against economic inequality, social injustice and corporate greed taking place outside the Central Bank of Ireland plaza on Dame Street in Dublin, beside the ...
.
During a 2014 International Squatters Convergence, there were entertainments at Seomra Spraoi.
Closure
Seomra Spraoi was forced to shut after a
Garda Síochána (police) raid which was followed by a visit from the
Dublin Fire Brigade
The Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB; ga, Briogáid Dóiteáin Átha Cliath) is the local authority fire and rescue service and ambulance service for Dublin City and the majority of the Greater Dublin Area. It is a branch of Dublin City Council. T ...
.
Afterwards, some former participants developed it into a gig venue under the name Jigsaw,
which closed in April 2021.
The building was demolished in December 2022.
See also
*
Squatting in Ireland
References
External links
Seomra SpraoiArticle on Seomra Spraoi in 'What's This Place' Booklet
{{Infoshops
Self-managed social centers
Infoshops
Organisations based in Dublin (city)
2004 establishments in Ireland
2015 disestablishments in Ireland
Music venues in Dublin (city)
Zines
Anarchism in Ireland
Anarchist collectives
Demolished buildings and structures in Dublin
Buildings and structures demolished in 2022