The Garden Suburb:

The Garden Suburb Garden suburbs are built on the outskirts of large cities with no sections of industry. They are reliant on transport, allowing workers to commute into the city. They link homes with landscaped public spaces and roads. Garden suburbs are spatially independent of Dublin City Council but remain connected by rail, cars, bicycles. They include shops and civic buildings. Garden suburbs promote open spaces, park islands in the middle of grand avenues. 

Urban density offers an implicit critique as it is often referred to as a failure due to laneways used as common entries and exits to houses helping ghettos communities and encouraging crime. Drimnagh was one of the first council estates built, it was designed in the shape of a Claddagh incorporating integrated road networks linking the area to other surrounding suburbs. Like other planned areas designed by Simms, Drimnagh has stood the test of time due to the quality of the construction and creative integration of new suburbs with Old Dublin, yet respecting the existing heights, skyline and footprints. Drimnagh was first built around a parish. Local government budgets were influenced by the needs of the parish in accordance with Church and State and were used to promote nationalism of the Free State. The separation of Church and State has brought about relative changes in society. Multi-cultural diversity began to immerse globally and Ireland started to embrace change.

Early settled residents and those born in Drimnagh in the mid-1930’s, 1940’s and 1950’s are a source of local knowledge who create history of yester years so future generations can look back on it. Their knowledge and stories build a diary for past, present and future generations. It identifies the past pitfalls; economic shortfalls; community necessities and local identity. It creates a foundation for future planning and requirements and has been an invaluable source of information for Dublin City Council. So much so, they have incorporated old voice recordings of Drimnagh residents, their lives in Drimnagh and the economic impact of suburban living in the twentieth century. Those born in Drimnagh, whether still resident within the community or those who have moved away, have forever ending knowledge of their community. They have memories of their youth; their home; their local community; buildings; parks and previous history. They are modern urban historians with a wealth of knowledge about Drimnagh past and present. 

Past residents left behind a wealth of stories and memories with their loved ones about Drimnagh. Descendents who may still live in Drimnagh and those who live elsewhere. Current residents can provide a profile of life throughout the decades. Most have come from different walks of life.