An ageing and declining population, and derelict and neglected buildings impact The Liberties in Dublin.
Once characterised by overpopulation, The Liberties are now characterised by dilapidation and demolition, with the number of residents dwindling from fifty thousand to ten thousand in the last fifty years. The population of the area is now declining at a rate of three to four hundred people a year. The majority of residents are older people living in even older homes. At the end of the 18th century, a Protestant minister described The Liberties as being,
Populated by working manufacturers, petty shop keepers, the labouring poor and beggars, crowded together to a degree distressing to humanity.
Despite this negative picture, The Liberties are home to 14 listed buildings including two cathedrals, St Patrick's and Christ Church, and the last surviving guildhall in the city.
An area which until its incorporation in the city just over a hundred years ago was exempted from the control of the Corporation, thus its name.
The challenge now is to revive the community spirit if the area is to survive. A symposium is taking place organised by The Liberties Association Social Committee to deal with future planning for the area. The symposium hopes to coordinate the efforts and resources of various neighbourhood groups to plan for a better and prosperous future.
The entire area of the Liberties is zoned in the city's draft development plan for general business, residential, and office and industrial uses.
Organisations working for the revival of the area want to know when the corporation plans to start rebuilding and what it intends to build.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 8 June 1969. The reporter is Barry Linnane.
