Public Space

PHOTOGRAPHED 17 FEBRUARY 2024

In recent years when walking along Bridgefoot Street I have had a few unpleasant incidents involving youths on electric bikes and scooters so I no longer use my cameras when photographing in the immediate area and this is why I used an old iPhone that does not have a SIM.

However, despite my concerns, there is a very low incidence of vandalism in the park itself. This is due in part to an unseen network of park champions who effectively protect the park through local family and social networks. Dublin City Council have had little or no negative feedback regarding the aesthetic and character of the park with its ‘wilder’ appearance of naturally colonising vegetation.

A derelict site in Dublin’s Liberties has been transformed into a public park known as Bridgefoot Street Park. The park, which opened to the public in May 2022, was designed by Dermot Foley Landscape Architects in collaboration with Dublin City Council’s Parks, Biodiversity and Landscape Services.

Work commenced in 2020 but completion of the project was delayed by Covid-19 restrictions.

The new park, developed in conjunction with local residents, includes a performance area, play spaces, allotments and a community garden. There are 181 new trees and a mixture of herbaceous and ground-covered species have been planted, along with amenity grass and ornamental hedging.