Marshalsea

Marshalsea Barracks stood in the shadow of the Guinness Brewery in one the oldest parts of Dublin. It was built close to the Liberties in the 1740s as a debtors’ prison and for a short period even served as an arsenal for Robert Emmett and his followers.

In the 20th century it was a tenement (grand old buildings later subdivided into lots and without adequate facilities) dwelling that housed many large families in appalling poverty. In the 1911 census it was recorded as holding 88 registered residents, as a total of 15 family units. Interestingly, these people were of various religious affiliations, although Irish history since then has been portrayed as very much a them-and-us affair. The barracks was condemned and demolished in the 1960s. These photos were taken just previous to this.

The photos below were taken by the late Sean McDonnell Snr, who as a photographer, simply documented what was before him, entirely artlessly. This he did throughout his life without ever developing an aesthetic or definite approach. Still he was a damn good grandfather… So, if you are using these photos for anything just let The Inquisition know first via the comments below.

Further Information on the barracks can be found here:
The National Archives 1911 Census Online
Image of the surrounding area from UCC
A Ghost watcher’s Guide to Ireland, John Dunne, Pelican
The Plough and the Stars, Sean O’Casey, Faber and Faber, 2001

This article was posted by Ronan McDonnell on Monday, July 5th, 2010 at 04:01.
It is archived in Architecture, Dublin, History, Ireland and tagged Dublin, marshalsea barracks, photography, robert emmett, sean mcdonnell.

4 Responses to Marshalsea

1. tracey sands says:

   5 March, 2011 at 15:57

   Its great to see these pics as my dad was born there the last pic block p was the one were he was born and i now live facing were this block was
   • Ronan says:

     8 March, 2011 at 15:44

     Lovely to hear that Tracey. They were taken by my grandfather. I still have the slides and can organise a better scan if you wish – my contact details can be found here
2. Henry Barth says:

   10 May, 2011 at 07:15

   There is a nice pen-and-watercolour drawing of the building done by Flora Mitchell for her book “Vanishing Dublin” – 1970.

   Currently the original is at auction at DeVeres on 17 May, It is Lot 10 at: http://deveresart.com/dv.htm
   • Ronan says:

     10 May, 2011 at 11:24

     The addition of figures really brings it to life – thanks for pointing that image out.