The Iveagh Market was designed and built by Frederick G. Hicks in 1906 and was in active use for most of the 20th Century. In this rare insight into the Liberties iconic indoor market, we see the unsettling scenes of a dilapidated interior allowed to decay for twenty years. It seems impossible to imagine how it could be brought back into use. We hear from Lord Iveagh who recounts how the market came to be, and former traders Rita Ryan and Imelda Patel (née Lahiff) describe with affection the meaning and significance of the market to the local community. Councillor Tina McVeigh talks about the restoration of the building, the commitment from Lord Iveagh, and the call to action by the community to bring the building, once the social and commercial heart of the Liberties, back to its former glory.

Open House Dublin brings to you Site Specific; A collection of short documentaries commissioned by the Irish Architecture Foundation, directed, and produced by Dyehouse Films, that reveals the impact of designed space on culture, history, and society.

Site Specific Season Two crosses scale, time, type, and use. From a family home to a national power station; from a place for health to a place for legislation. It is no accident, within the current context, that we have focused on spaces for health, energy, family, education, law, and commerce. Each of the six buildings explored in this series convey a different stage of occupation, for example, some are coming into use (Baltrasna House), some have retained or adapted their use (The Four Courts, Catering College and Brú Chaoimhín) and others have fallen out of use (Pigeon House and Iveagh Market). The spaces chosen represent architecture that is in the thick of it, part of the everyday and part of our identity. Each represents an exchange between architecture and humanity, highlighting the simple fact that buildings support life and life supports buildings. In other words, we are responsible for their degeneration, preservation, and regeneration.

This series is interested in time and the coexistence of old with new. We hope the documentaries encourage us to learn from the past and care about the future. They send a message of hope that Dublin will be built with respect for its inhabitants, natural and historic environment and a desire to provide for future generations.

Director Bonnie Dempsey, Producer Aimie Gavin, Director of Photography Tom Comerford, Camera (UK) Paul Curran, Director (UK) Georgina Burrell, Additional Camera Ror Conaty, Drone Photography Martin Osborne Blaine Rennicks Ror Conaty, Sound Recordist Susan Downey, Rerecording Mixer Nikki Moss, Editor Mike Foott, Executive Producer David O’Sullivan.

Contributors: Rita Ryan, Imelda Patel née Lahiff, Tina McVeigh, Edward Guinness, Fourth Earl of Iveagh. Archive: ‘Alive Alive O – A Requiem for Dublin’ courtesy of Loopline Film & Sé Merry Doyle, RTÉ News, Irish Architectural Archive, IFI Irish Film Archive

Special Thanks: Paul Smithwick, Vanessa Clarke, Rita Ryan, Imelda Patel, Gerard Ryan, John Foley, Tina McVeigh, Ian Patel, Colum O’Riordan, Irish Architectural Archive, David Delaney, Sé Merry Doyle.

Irish Architecture Foundation 2021 © Produced by Dyehouse Films Opinions expressed are the contributors’ alone and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Irish Architecture Foundation or Dyehouse Films.