Tales Of The Tenements

Below Constitution Hill, a five-minute stroll from Parnell Street, lies Henrietta Street, one of Dublin’s most historic locations.

A grand Georgian townhouse, No. 14 Henrietta Street was part of the Luke Gardiner estate, built in 1748. Originally occupied by a wealthy family, by 1913 it had become one of Dublin City’s many tenements, housing 17 working class families – 100 lodgers in all – in appallingly unhygienic conditions.
Having stood virtually untouched for over 250 years, during July and August this building will house The Dublin Tenement Experience: Living the Lockout, a collaboration between Dublin City Council, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Irish Heritage Trust.
“I’m absolutely delighted that Dublin City Council has embraced this,” says Sallyanne Kinahan of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. “You look at the success of Strumpet City earlier this year and you can see that there is a real appetite among Dubliners to understand the poverty that existed, where they came from 100 years ago – and how we got to where we are today.”
“Henrietta Street is one of the world’s greatest Georgian streets,” newly-elected Lord Mayor of Dublin, Oisín Quinn, adds. “What is great about this exhibition is that it brings the ‘built’ heritage of the city to life. It doesn’t just recall the history of the house itself. It also tells us exactly how people lived in the past.”
Wandering through the rooms of the ancient building, you feel the weight of history. From the remnants of the early decor and the peeling plasterwork, to the scars on the walls and the original staircase, No. 14 is a time-capsule, transporting visitors to an era long past.
In one part of the hallway, the letters ‘R.I.P’ are smeared beneath the plaster, a grim reminder of the horrors too often experienced in tenement houses where sickness and death were commonplace.
“People were living in appalling conditions,” says Jennifer McCrea of the Irish Heritage Trust. “And it was a vicious circle. There was an oversupply of labour and an undersupply of jobs, which meant employers could call the shots. Workers had to subsist to pay the rent and put food on the table. The mortality rates in early 20th Century Ireland were high – and so if the breadwinner had an accident, got sick or died, the family literally fell into penury.”
‘Big’ Jim Larkin, the founder of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, led workers in their campaign for better conditions. As the city’s biggest employers refused to negotiate, riots took place across the capital. The subsequent Dublin Lock-out was one of the most dramatic events in recent Irish history.
“The premise of the Tenement Experience is that communities can affect change if they come together,” says Jennifer McCrea. “Before Larkin, workers were standing alone. The foundation of the union gave them strength in numbers and a shared goal”.
The Tenement Experience is a multi-media presentation that includes dramatic re-enactments of events of the time.
“Our work puts the audience at the centre of the production,” says Louise Lowe of ANÚ Productions. “We want the audience to feel they are part of the story.”

The Dublin Tenement Experience runs six days a week (closed Wednesdays) until August 31. Tickets are €5. See dublintenementexperience.com