Leaving Certificate Teacher Resources
The End of the Tenements
Syllabus links:
- Government, economy and society in the Republic of Ireland, 1949-1989
After the Dublin Housing Inquiry, many tenements were condemned and their residents rehoused across the 20th century to new developments in the form of inner city flats, such as Henrietta House behind 14 Henrietta Street, and suburban developments such as Ballyfermot, Ballymun, Coolock, Crumlin, Darndale, Drimnagh, and Finglas.
For the people who lived in the tenements, this was a huge change. Some were delighted at the move into houses with their own bathrooms and gardens. Others missed the community spirit of the tenements, and struggled with the distance between the suburbs and their workplaces and schools in the city.
Evidence of life on Henrietta Street in the second half of the 20th century:
Many people still remember growing up in the tenements during the 20th century. Oral histories are a great way to capture these living memories and paint a vivid picture of what life was like in Dublin’s tenements.
Because most of the people we talk to were children at the time, we have a rich collection of accounts of what tenement life was like from the perspective of a child. The interviews below are with former tenement residents, and cover all aspects of daily life.