Places & Spaces to Cherish

Type: Public Engagement

Client: Dublin City Council’s Heritage Office for Heritage Week

Location: Kilmainham, Ballyfermot, Coolock, Raheny & The Coombe, Dublin

Stage: Completed

Cover image with an aerial view of a cityscape featuring roads, parks, and buildings, overlaid with a grid. Large white text lists: Kilmainham, Ballyfermot, Coolock, Raheny, The Coombe, and Isander Architects.

We were invited by The Dublin City Heritage Office to devise and deliver interactive public engagement workshops documenting heritage in Dublin. The information gathered informed the new Dublin City Strategic Heritage Plan.

We visited the 5 chosen communities;Kilmainham, Ballyfermot, Coolock, Raheny & the Coombe to gain insights to the places and spaces people cherish across the city.

Signboard advertising Dublin City Heritage Plan public engagement workshop, offering free family friendly activities, with questions about local stories, cultural heritage, and cherished places. A blackboard next to it says all are welcome and provides workshop hours from 1:30 to 4:30 pm.
Close-up of a hand pointing at a digital map displayed on a touchscreen, showing various city streets and landmarks.
Dublin City Heritage Plan Public Engagement Workshop schedule listing dates and locations from August 15 to August 19, with times from 1:30 to 4:30 pm, featuring logos of Dublin City Council, The Heritage Council, and National Heritage Week, and abstract geometric illustrations including circles, triangles, and squares.

We held discussions with each community around a map of their area. Each map was divided into 9 postcards, we asked each participant to choose their favourite area to write a story about.

This resulted in a patchwork quilt of new urban fabric as created by its citizens based on their memories.

Colorful decorative bunting hanging across a garden path with plants and a brick building in the background.
Close-up of two hands, one holding a patterned photograph and the other gesturing with an open palm.
A person writing handwritten notes on a small piece of paper with a black pen, resting on a light-colored surface.
Person holding an aerial satellite image of a city with streets, buildings, and green spaces.
A woman leaning over a table with two children, a girl and a boy, outdoors in a garden setting. The children are seated at the table with colorful markers, a map, and a container of carrots. The woman is wearing a light blue jacket, and the children are engaged, smiling and holding a marker.
A man helping two young children with writing or drawing at an outdoor table in a park, with trees in the background.
A collage of aerial images showing urban areas, parks, and green spaces.
Aerial view of a residential neighborhood with curving streets, green parks, and houses. Handwritten note describing fields before houses arrived, where kids collected timber scraps to make dolls.
A person's hand is holding a blue pen and writing on a white sheet of paper with handwritten text. The paper is placed on top of a large, detailed map of an urban area, possibly London, with streets, parks, and landmarks visible.

Photography: Islander Architects & Brian Cregan

Funded by: Dublin City Council Heritage Office