Henrietta Street Conservation Plan - The Heritage Council

the late-19th century, have maintained an unbroken tradition
of radical commitment to the poor and the underprivileged
consistent with the philosophy and practice of the Ladies of
Charity of St Vincent de Paul, from whom they were founded.
Yet they have been ever-willing to adapt to changing conditions
in society in general and to the needs of the local community.
Both institutions have shown a very responsible attitude to the
enormously important built heritage in their care.
Fig.5.7.1 Diagram showing uses of Henrietta Street buildings
For whatever reason, the present residents (owners and
those who work and live there), embrace a very varied range
of cultural, institutional and personal approaches to their
presence on, and contribution to, the street and the city as
a whole, which gives a concentrated quality as well as a
sense of vibrant everyday life to the area (fig.5.7.1). However
the current make-up of the street is neither permanent nor
necessarily absolutely stable. A kind of delicate social
“ecosystem” pertains, the vulnerability of which needs to be
addressed, amongst other considerations of viability and
sustainability, when any consideration is given to changes or
alterations to the street.
The summit of the street is anchored by two institutions whose
constituencies could not be more different. Yet the stability and
respective longevity of both of these bodies lends a sense of
complementary symmetry to their long-term presence opposite
each other. The King’s Inns was established in this location
in the late 18th century, and with a foundation date of 1542,
they arguably comprise the oldest educational institution in the
country. The Daughters of Charity, who came to the street in
However Henrietta Street is also particularly favoured by the
presence there of three non-institutional or private owneroccupiers,
each of whom, has made a pioneering contribution
to actually saving the buildings, as well as, in establishing
once again the possibility that houses such as these could
be used as single residential dwellings as they were first
designed. While in two of the cases, Nos. 4 and No. 12, the
houses have been gradually re-converted from multiple to
single occupancy, the re-possession of No.13 by Michael
and Aileen Casey and their children, was as a home for a
single family, from the start. In all cases, enormous sacrifices,
practical and financial, were made by the owners to secure an
authentic preservation of the original fabric in all of its detail,
and in some cases, such as for example the staircase in No.
13, the faithful re-instatement, where possible, of lost historical
material. Attempts have been made throughout, to strike a
fine balance between, on the one hand, the preservation of
the stratigraphy of superseding layers of history, and on the
other, to establish and maintain an integrity of circulation, if not
design itself, which is consistent with a single occupancy in a
coherent dwelling.
In three more of the houses, Nos. 5, 6 and 7, a mostly benign,
non-interventionist, approach has been taken in order to
facilitate the provision of studio (and some dwelling and
workshop) spaces for a very large and significant community
of artists for almost thirty years now (see the submission by
the artists in the appendices). This group of artists comprises
some very important names from the current Irish visual arts
scene, including five members of Aosdána, Fergus Martin,
Mick O’Dea, Mick Cullen, Gwen O’Dowd, and Charlie Cullen.
The last of these is a former Head of Painting in the National
College of Art and Design, while the current Head of Painting,
Robert Armstrong, also has a studio in Henrietta Street. The
contribution made to the Irish arts by Uinseen and Nuada
McEoin by their accommodation of these artists was deemed
“outstanding” by a group of these artists when consulted for
this plan (refer to Chapter 3.0 for a more detailed description of
the consultation process and issues arising).
A vitally important role in the cultural life of the nation is
also being played by Na Píobairí Uilleann, the Association
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