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DUBLIN HAS UNVEILED its first park in eight years.
Located on Cork Street, at the heart of Dublin’s historic Liberties area, the park features a playground, skate park, and greenspace for children, adolescents and adults.
An overgrown, derelict area in October 2013, it was then designated for redevelopment and after a number of councillors backed the plans for a park. Since then it has taken submissions from locals, parents, and skate enthusiasts, who first expressed interest in the area.
Those all have gone towards creating the second public park in the Liberties area in 100 years (the other is St Patrick’s Park next to the cathedral).
In his opening address to the crowd that had gathered for the park’s official launch yesterday, Dublin City Mayor Micheál MacDonncha said that it was vital that locals use the new space, which has no railings or walls around it – just a knee-high wooden fence.
He added that there would be anti-social behaviour in the park, as can happen, but that it was up to locals to claim ownership over the space designed for them.
“Enjoy it, cherish it, use it,” he said.
The park is part of the Liberties Greening Strategy which aims to “improve the recreational and amenity resources for the community”.
The strategy envisions a network of urban parks, making accessible heritage green spaces and refurbishment of existing green spaces and play areas.
The park has been “very busy” in the first two weeks it’s been open, one woman says, while another adds that “it’s been jammers” with young children at the giant playground.
One of the most interesting features of the park is the facilities made for skaters.
Areas specially designed for skaters are scant around the city centre, with most being told to move onto other areas, and some moves being taken by authorities to prevent skaters from using the city’s infrastructure to practice their skill.
Skater Kevin Breen told TheJournal.ie that the dedicated park got the shape of the bowl and the edges right, but said that the gravel in the park was spreading over to the bowl and like “slamming on the brakes”.
A group of skaters have written to the council and asked them to fix it, “or they will sort it themselves”. A councillor confirmed that this was a teething problem and would be fixed with resin, or some other solution.
But the integration between the skaters and the young children who wander over from the playground is the most interesting.
They think the bowl is a playground, but if they’re going to use it we tell them ‘Try out the board’.
Parent Faolán Bashford said that the skaters were important to the park because they’re “here until late at night – later than any parent”.
Rebecca Moynihan, who spearheaded the efforts to create the park on the derelict site, says that the park is an important gap in an area surrounded by high-rise buildings.
“It started off with Sk8 D8 looking for places to go, it was always going to be a fully integrated park with a skate element to it… But I think the skatepark really enhances it, it’s something for local teenagers to do..
We provide facilities for children, but we don’t provide facilities for young adults in the same way.
Initially some people were quite resistant to the idea of skaters, and actually I said skaters would be the best people you could potentially have in a park.
Zoe Obeimhen, who was involved in the Bridgefoot Street Park campaign, said that Weaver Park shows the need for green spaces in built-up areas.
“As we’re living in a denser city, we really need spaces like these to create a more cohesive modern society,” she says.
And it’s not a case of making the place look pretty, either. She says that there will be real benefits to the local population over the next few years, including reduced suicide rates and improved mental health.
“It’s been shown that there’s a relationship between people living near green space and mental health of those living around it.”
Obesity, and children’s low exercise rates will also be improved by the park, she adds.
I have four children myself and the eldest son is nine years old and he’s suddenly interested in skateboarding! You keep seeing young people carrying skateboards it’s almost like local craze for skateboarding now, so it shows the type that you can only go so far at home with screens.
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The next general election will be tough too Joan…
They are not helping people get back to work.the only reason the number signing on is lower is because of emigration.i had to leave the country to find work leaving my wife and kids behind.thats one of the hardest things I have ever done or will do.those idiots in the dail sacrifice nothing.we the people take all the hits.
Too true.
“She said the level of social welfare abuse “is relatively low” but that in a budget of €20 billion, even 3 per cent of people abusing it amounts to millions of euro.”
Last week World Bank figures on remittances showed tha Nigerians in Ireland sent back 490 million euros to Nigeria – that’s 26,000 euros for each Nigerian man, woman and child in the State.
However, children are ineligible to work, so the figure is close to 40,000 euros.
But wait, Nigerians also have the highest rate of unemployment in the country than any other group – 45% (Lithuanians are second at 25%) – so the actual figure is more than 55,000 euros sent to Nigeria each year.
Most Nigerians are working in unskilled, low-paid jobs.
Monies sent from Ireland by foreign migrants are three times higher than the amount of money being sent home to Ireland by the Irish abroad.
World Bank statistics show that Irish people living in other countries sent more than $750 million (€560 million) back home in 2011, but foreign workers here sent remittances of $2.4 billion (€1.8 billion) home in the same year.
Wake up, Joan.
Quickly.
I think we’d all have a different outlook to these budgets if those writing them up took a significant pay cut and led by example. I’m talking knocking 80k a year off their wage slips.
Poor Joan, she hasn’t got a clue who is even writing the budget coz it sure isn’t noonan. Wonder if the furer over in Germany is telling her to give all these “exclusive” interviews with the journal?
Why oh why are you giving her airtime. Her village is missing her…..
Labour must finally be looking at the polls. Local elections coming up so they send out Joan the Moan to spew out her usual drivel.
Hell, if you throw enough mud at the wall some of it will stick, or as we’ve witnessed over the past couple of days, if Joan starts commenting on everything, then maybe we’ll actually believe some of this tripe.
At the last General Election I was foolish enough to believe your ‘bile’ & actually gave Joan my first preference vote, a mistake I can gladly say will never happen again. As soon as Labour got into bed with their counterparts in Government, they turned their backs on the very people who voted them in.
In saying that you have done one good thing whilst in power & I thank you for it.
Thank you Joan for showing me the error of my ways. Roll on 2016!!!
What a lot of hot air
Things won’t be tough in her house. An overpaid ministerial salary will make sure of that.
Tough experience Joan? Possibly you should try living as those who your decisions effect for a couple of months. Tough experience my arse. Silly minister.
The rich and wealthy won’t feel the pain, you can count on that!
“Hard decisions and trying to be fair’. .. Roll on the next elections .
.
Ah Aoife my morning was going so well until about 2min ago when I read the headline and then saw the sour frown on Burton.
Let them know how you’s all feel when the next election comes around
Clueless woman.
She is my third favourite Burton.
whats she moaning about sure the lads over in the european comission look after that for them now every body knows that , all you have to do joan is pretend that you have read it when they send it to you and your miserable party … lets be serious she’s not going to feck up her chances of jumping on the Mep gravy train to brussells by disagreeing with next years round of taxing the poor.. VOTE SF
Labour no answers, no solutions, a spent force thats passed it best before date.
Exactly! Hopefully they’ll go the same way the Greens did last time round
Bullshit they have…
She and her colleagues don’t know what tough means – muppets, all of them!
Not a tough experience for you, Joan, insulated as you are from a falling income (or no income) and constantly mounting taxes, levies and “charges”. The tough experience is for the generality of the population and you needn’t try and fool us into thinking you are agonizing over any of the “tough decisions”. How dare you? Your Government have had, admittedly little room for manoevre, but have consistently made the choices which would punish and disadvantage the ordinary working population – and the ‘vulnerable’ about whom you were so vocal in the general election campaign. If you think people are going to overlook that, you have another think coming.
All benefits should be slashed by 50%
Unless you have worked to pay into it
Personally if your long term unemployed 5 yrs or more you should be on side road cleaning in parks working cleaning beach
You should not get benefit for nothing
must be local elections coming up Joan THE MOAN, sure you dont have to worry about money, but dont forget the people dont forget the punishment labour imposed on its voters LIARS
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