Dublin's Thomas Street is enjoying a resurgence after years in decline. Once a shopping heartland for the Liberties, the street has found a new relevance as a 'go to' location for the very best in food service. Nationwide's John Kilraine has been finding out about Thomas Street's new lease of life.
Estate agents used to refer to Thomas Street as the "street that the boom forgot".
That was during the Celtic Tiger when there was a surge in demand for city centre property in Dublin.
But for Thomas Street, it was more of a case of derelict buildings and the closure of well-known Dublin department stores like Frawleys.
Up to the 1970s, Thomas Street was the main thoroughfare of the Liberties and it had drawn shoppers from all over the city to its stores, market stalls and butchers.
However, the street was in long term decline despite initiatives such the opening of the National College of Art and Design and the establishment of the Digital Hub which helped tech company startups.
The downturn continued despite the street being located between two of Dublin's biggest tourist attractions - Christchurch Cathedral and the Guinness Storehouse.
One of the street’s biggest problems was the concentration of homeless and addiction services in the immediate vicinity.
But now, the street has now found an economic growth area in food service.
After all, the street has its own Michelin Star restaurant named Variety Jones.
Co-owner Keelan Higgs said people thought he was "crazy" when he opened on the street over five years ago. But he regards it as the hub of the city.
"10 minutes that way, you're in Smithfield. 10 minutes that way you're on Stephen's Green, 10 minutes that way you're in Portobello. So, it's, it's bang in the centre of the city.
"It's the busiest part of the city. It's the oldest part of the city, and you've still got all those notions of community that still exist around here.
"And you start to see now, in the last couple of years, that there’s more independent creative operators are moving in."
New modern pubs like Love Tempo and Dudleys have opened up to join more established destinations like Thomas House and the Vicar Street venue.
The only traditional pub left on the street is Kennedy’s and it has started to attract tourists by serving traditional Irish dishes during the day.
A Walking Food Tour has also been set up by Kevin Adams who introduces visitors to such local staples as sausage rolls and toasted sandwiches.
"We want to bring people into the heart and soul of the city and share local stories," he said. "It's all about connecting the food story and the history together".
Kathleen Farrell has worked all her life on the street at a market stall. She has seen all the changes.
She welcomes new businesses and says there should be a return to selling fresh food produce and using it as an educational tool for young people.
"If we could only get on top of that, open our minds and make it happen, it'd be a great street again. And it would be better than what's down around Grafton Street and Wicklow Street and all that, this would be a fantastic Street."
Meanwhile, another problem that was identified in the area was a lack of green space.
Deirdre Prince acting Senior Executive Landscape Architect & Parks Officer with the city council points out that at one time there was only 0.68 of a square metre of green space per person within a square kilometre in the Liberties.
The World Health Organisation recommends nine square metres per person for wellbeing.
And in some of Dublin’s leafy suburbs there is 25 square metres per person.
She said this shows how much of a deprivation of green space there was.
As a result, plans for a housing development on Bridgefoot Street off Thomas Street were changed to allow the creation of a park area including allotments for local people.
And more green spaces are planned.
Sadly, over the weekend street trader Kathleen Farrell passed away.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam.
