THE NEXT PHASE of works on the Iveagh Markets is to begin in January 2025.

Campaigners want the refurbishment to be completed by this time next year, in hopes of the historic building being included in the prestigious Open House Dublin festival of architecture.

The Iveagh Market complex is a protected structure on Francis Street in The Liberties, Dublin 8 and was developed by the Guinness family in 1906.

However, the market closed in 1996 and has been left derelict ever since.

Part of the roof collapsed last year and heritage group Friends of the Iveagh Markets warned that the entire building was at risk of collapse.

In recent months, Dublin City Council has spent over €300,000 on repairs and other works. These included the removal of loose materials and vegetation, ecological consultancy, asbestos testing, and the installation of safe access routes and crash decks. 

It followed a survey of the building using drones – a new method of surveying derelict sites that is safer for workers and less expensive.

The latest update from Dublin City Council is that the next phase will involve a massive restoration of the roof, which has been in perilous decline for many years.

This work will start early next year and is expected to take 12 to 18 months.

Campaigners have expressed frustration that the Council is not opening the gate of the old markets, despite declaring the structure safe.

“We’ve asked even for the doors to be open so people could see in. They’re refusing all that. They’re real sticklers,” says local Councillor Máire Devine.

Devine, like many native Dubliners, has a personal connection to the markets.

“I remember being in it myself and buying the clothes for the discos there.”

She said there is more of a commitment to turning Dublin 8 into a “coffee shop emporium” than there is to preserving and displaying its rich history.

“The Liberties is a place apart. It is a special place, yet we’ve done nothing for it,” said Devine.

“Every city you go to, everybody wants to go to the Old Town. The Liberties is our old town, but it’s becoming so unrecognisable.”

Funding of more than €11 million has been allocated to the renovation over three years (2024 to 2026). As of this month, €326,495 has been spent and a claim has been made to the Department of Heritage for a draw down of €244,871, about 75% of the expenditure so far.

As part of this year’s Open House Dublin festival, an event will be held on Tivoli Square  this Saturday, 19 October, where short documentary films, including one on the Iveagh Markets, will be screened at a pop-up outdoor cinema.