Dorset Street, Dublin
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Dorset Street (; ''Sráid Dorset'' in Irish) is an important thoroughfare on the north side of
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
,
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, and was originally part of the ''Slighe Midh-Luchra'', Dublin's ancient road to the north that begins where the original bridging point at Church Street is today. Subsequently, yet prior to the street being given its current name in the 18th century, the road was known as '' Drumcondra Lane'' and was shown on maps as such. It is divided into Dorset Street Lower (northeast end) and Dorset Street Upper (southwest end).


Location and layout

The street runs northeast from Abbey Street and Bolton Street at Dominick Street junction, north of
Parnell Square Parnell Square () is a Georgian square sited at the northern end of O'Connell Street in the city of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the city's D01 postal district. History Formerly named ''Ruthland Square'', it was renamed after Charles Stewart ...
and
Mountjoy Square Mountjoy Square () is a 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 Luke Gardine ...
, and leads into Drumcondra Road at Binn's Bridge on the
Royal Canal The Royal Canal () is a canal originally built for freight and passenger transportation from Dublin to Longford in Ireland. It is one of two canals from Dublin to the River Shannon and was built in direct competition to the Grand Canal. Th ...
. It makes up part of the most common route from
Dublin Airport Dublin Airport () is an international airport serving Dublin, Ireland. It is operated by DAA (formerly Dublin Airport Authority). The airport is located in Collinstown, north of Dublin, and south of the town of Swords. In 2024, over 34 ...
to the city centre, and the R132 regional road follows Dorset Street for part of its route. It meets the R135 route at the junctions with Blessington Street, location of the
Blessington Street Basin Blessington Street Basin () is a former drinking water reservoir in northern central Dublin which operated from 1810 until the 1970s, serving the north city. It became the central feature of a public park in 1891, and this park was renewed and ...
, and St. Mary's Place; other major roads feeding onto this spine street include
North Circular Road The North Circular Road (officially the A406 and sometimes known as simply the North Circular) is a ring road around Central London. It runs from Chiswick in the west to North Woolwich in the east via suburban north London, connecting var ...
,
Gardiner Street Gardiner Street () is a long Georgian architecture, Georgian street in Dublin, Ireland. It stretches from the River Liffey at its southern end via Mountjoy Square to Dorset Street, Dublin, Dorset Street at its northern end. The The Custom House, ...
,
Eccles Street Eccles Street () is a street in Dublin, Ireland. History Eccles Street began on 6 March 1769 when Ambrose Eccles, Isaac-Ambrose Eccles leased three parcels of land in the area. The street is named after his family, including his grandfather Joh ...
,
North Frederick Street North Frederick Street is a Georgian architecture, Georgian street in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland which connects Parnell Square East with Dorset Street, Dublin, Dorset Street. The street is intersected by Hardwicke Street and Gardiner R ...
, and Granby Row. Physically the street rises up from the Liffey valley at its southwestern end to its apex at roughly where it meets with Blessington and North Frederick Streets; proceeding north-west the street slopes down again on the approach to Binn's Bridge at the
Royal Canal The Royal Canal () is a canal originally built for freight and passenger transportation from Dublin to Longford in Ireland. It is one of two canals from Dublin to the River Shannon and was built in direct competition to the Grand Canal. Th ...
. Some early Georgian houses are dotted along the street, primarily identifiable by the stone Gibbsian doorcase entrances, and close to the crossroads with Blessington and North Frederick Streets. Much of the street redeveloped during the
Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...
, with a number of significant buildings built, such as the Gothic style stone-built Dominican priory, designed by J. L. Robinson in 1884–87 at the corner of Dominick Street, while across from it is the red brick Italianate former fire station, designed by C. J. McCarthy and completed in 1903. Much of the street consists of vernacular Victorian terraces, with shops opening straight onto footpaths at ground-floor level. During the latter part of the twentieth century, stretches of the street were again redeveloped by
Dublin Corporation Dublin Corporation (), known by generations of Dubliners simply as ''The Corpo'', is the former name of the city government and its administrative organisation in Dublin since the 1100s. Significantly re-structured in 1660–1661, even more si ...
for
social housing Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...
flat complexes near Dominick Street.


Naming and pronunciation

Until 1728, the street was marked on maps as Drumcondra Lane. Dorset Street was named after Lionel Cranfield Sackville, 1st
Duke of Dorset Duke of Dorset was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1720 for the politician Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset, Lionel Sackville, 7th Earl of Dorset. History The Sackville family descended from Richard Sackville (es ...
, the
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...
in 1756. While the English county of
Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
is pronounced with the first syllable stressed, "Dorset Street" is pronounced locally (by Northsiders) as Street, with emphasis on the second syllable of "Dorset".


History


St. Joseph's Place Housing Scheme

St Joseph's Place housing scheme has been in planning for many years, which date back as far as 1896. The scheme contained 80 units, with a high density of 30 dwellings per acre. The area named "White's Lane" required major improvements, as the houses were simply inhabitable by means of spatial planning, cleanliness, conveniences, sanitization and many more basic human needs that were desperately needed. Hence under the Housing of the Working Class Act, 1890, the improvement scheme for this area was published in October, but by June there was still only partial approval for the loan in order to commence construction. This was due to the displacement of tenants during this time who were sent to areas such as Lurgan Street, Linenhall Street, and Church Street but would not stay in these areas during the construction period for various reasons such as costs and poor sanitation in the houses, and the following year, tenants then began to request compensation for their displacement. The scheme was then outlined by the City surveyor, Mr Harty, who proposed that the land be completely cleared and constructed an entirely new scheme. This plan consisted of the construction of 80 cottages. Each of them is to be one storey high, and a site to construct a boys' national school. This scheme came to life in July 1896 and has not greatly changed since. St. Joseph's Place still consists of these classic one-storey cottages.


Historic residents

* Irish author
Seán O'Casey Seán O'Casey ( ; born John Casey; 30 March 1880 – 18 September 1964) was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes. Early life O'Casey was ...
and Irish dramatist and educator
Thomas Sheridan Thomas Sheridan may refer to: *Thomas Sheridan (divine) (1687–1738), Anglican divine *Thomas Sheridan (actor) (1719–1788), Irish actor and teacher of elocution *Thomas Sheridan (soldier) (1775–1817/18) *Thomas B. Sheridan (born 1931), America ...
were born on this street. * Seán O'Casey was born at number 85, since demolished and replaced by a branch of the
Bank of Ireland Bank of Ireland Group plc () is a commercial bank operation in Ireland and one of the traditional Big Four Irish banks. Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the bank occupies a unique position in Irish banking history. At ...
(now disused), his family having previously occupied numbers 6 and 23½ before moving there. At the time, the street was considered to be a reasonably fashionable location in Dublin. * Playwright,
Westminster Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...
member, and son of Thomas,
Richard Brinsley Sheridan Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 17517 July 1816) was an Anglo-Irish playwright, writer and Whig politician who sat in the British House of Commons from 1780 to 1812, representing the constituencies of Stafford, Westminster and I ...
was born on this street at number 12 in 1751; Brinsley Sheridan's works include ''The Critics'' and ''A School for Scandal''. * No 16 - ''site of'' - was the residence of United Irishman Napper Tandy in 1779 * No 68 - ''site of'' - home to
Peadar Kearney Peadar Kearney ( ; 12 December 1883 – 24 November 1942) was an Irish republican and composer of numerous rebel songs. In 1907 he wrote the lyrics to "A Soldier's Song" (), now the Irish national anthem. He was the uncle of Irish writers Bren ...
(1883–1942); Songwriter and author of the national anthem, " The Soldier's Song", also known in Irish as Amhrán na bhFiann. Kearney was born at this address, and by trade became a house painter and theatre set decorator, as too did his more famous nephew, the playwright
Brendan Behan Brendan Francis Aidan Behan (christened Francis Behan) ( ; ; 9 February 1923 – 20 March 1964) was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, playwright, and Irish Republican, an activist who wrote in both English and Irish. His widely ackno ...
, who also lived nearby at Russell Street.


Today

The street has been improved at its northern end with new trees and lighting in the 2010s. A Maldron hotel was built in conjunction with Senator
Donie Cassidy Daniel "Donie" Cassidy (born 15 September 1945) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Leader of the Seanad from 2007 to 2011. He served as a Senator for the Labour Panel from 1982 to 2002 and 2007 to 2011 and a Teachta Dála ...
now sits on the site of the former National Wax Museum (and before that Plaza Cinema and Bethesda Chapel). Road engineering by
Dublin City Council Dublin City Council () is the Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authority of the city of Dublin in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the authority was k ...
, designed primarily to facilitate cars. The street features a number of pubs, including Joxer Daly's, as referenced by
Seán O'Casey Seán O'Casey ( ; born John Casey; 30 March 1880 – 18 September 1964) was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes. Early life O'Casey was ...
in ''
Juno and the Paycock ''Juno and the Paycock'' is a play by Seán O'Casey. Highly regarded and often performed in Ireland, it was first staged at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 1924. It is set in the working-class tenements of Dublin in the early 1920s, during the I ...
'', fast food outlets, an assortment of small retail units, and apartments and small offices. The Dorest Street flats on Upper Dorset Street were demolished in October 2024 to make way for a redevelopment of the site for more social housing. The majority of the flats had been vacant for a decade and had attracted anti-social behaviour.


See also

*
List of streets and squares in Dublin This is a list of notable streets and squares in Dublin, Ireland. __NOTOC__ References Notes Sources * External linksStreetnames of DublinaArchiseekArchitecture of Ireland– English-Irish list of Dublin street names aLeathanach baile Sh ...
* St. Anne's Road Pocket Park


References


Further reading

* {{Streets in Dublin city, state=autocollapse Streets in Dublin (city)