In her talk 'The Rise from Tumbledown Decay', Carole explores the modernisation of Dublin city through the lens of architect Andy Devane. Many assume that Dublin's twentieth-century regeneration began with Temple Bar in the 1990s, but in fact, an earlier generation of architects foretold that evolution. From the early 1960s until the early 1980s, Dublin experienced a building boom not previously witnessed since the Georgian era. It is easy to point to the errors of that period, and blame decisions made then for ongoing urban challenges today, but to do so is to overlook (and misinterpret) underlying good intentions and grand ambitions. Nowhere are these intentions and ambitions more clearly articulated than in the 1975 publication, Dublin A City in Crisis, published by a group of architects led by Andy Devane. Carole's presentation delves into that publication, and particularly into Devane's essay 'Space about Buildings', and argues that the legacy of that era deserves a more nuanced interpretation of what it reveals about Ireland, modernity, and our nation's place in the world.
Who is Andy Devane?
Andrew Devane was born in Limerick and studied architecture at University College Dublin (UCD) where he graduated in 1941. In 1943 he sat examinations to become a town planning consultant. In 1946 he travelled to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin Fellowship where he spent 14 months. On his return to Ireland, he re-joined Paddy Robinson and Cyril Keefe in the architectural practice of Robinson Keefe. In 1948 he became a partner in the practice, renamed Robinson Keefe & Devane (later RKD Architects). He was a prolific and versatile designer. His early works include the Mortuary Chapel at Naas (1948) and the GI Unit at the Meath Hospital (1954, see MTCB, Vol. 2). His portfolio of buildings includes churches, hospitals, primary schools, and technical schools. He is probably best known for his house at Howth, Journey’s End Lodge (1961), St Fintan’s Church at Sutton (1973), and his major campus developments including St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra (1964), AIB Bankcentre (1979), the Irish Life Centre on Abbey Street (1978 & 1982).
Dr Carole Pollard is an architect, architectural historian and writer with a special interest in twentieth-century Irish architecture. She is a Fellow and Past President of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland. She taught for several years at the School of Architecture and the Built Environment at TU Dublin and has recently taken on the role of Convenor for the RIAI Professional Practice Examination for admission to the Register of Architects in Ireland. Carole sits on the board of the National College of Art and Design and on the board of Our Lady's Hospice & Care Services. She is a member of the Museum Advisory Board for the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland and holds the Education seat on RIAI Council.
Carole was a member of the Dublin City Council research team on the city's twentieth century architecture project, culminating in the three volume series More Than Concrete Blocks (2016, 2019, 2023); she was co-editor with Ellen Rowley of the third volume which covers the period 1973-1999. Carole's MA research led to the publication of Liam McCormick - Seven Donegal Churches (2011) and she was a contributor to North by Northwest: the life and work of Liam McCormick (eds. Shane O'Toole and Paul Larmour, 2008). Other publications include 'Liam McCormcik and Imogen Stuart - A Lifelong Affair' in Modern Religious Architecture in Germany, Ireland and Beyond (eds. Lisa Godson and Kathleen James Chakraborty, 2019), 'Housing Indigenous Rural Industry' in Out of the Ordinary - Irish Housing 1955-1980 (eds. Gary Boyd, Brian Ward and Michael Pike, 2019) and 'Letters from America - Andy Devane corresponds with Frank Lloyd Wright 1945-1956' in Building Material 23 - Fields (2020). Carole is the co-ordinating editor for the Irish entries in the upcoming Bloomsbury Global Encyclopedia of Women in Architecture (2024) and she was co-editor of Irish Cities in Crisis published in October 2024. Her current projects include the publication of her PhD thesis Andy Devane and the Architecture of the Modern Irish Office Block, 1963-1979 and the publication and dissemination of her research into twentieth century Irish women architects titled From Gray to Grafton - Ireland's (mostly) forgotten twentieth century women architects.
Recorded on 7th November 2024 as part of the Oak Room Heritage Talk Series.
The Oak Room Heritage Talks free public lecture series aims to showcase heritage projects, topics and new research across Dublin city, and is an action of the Dublin City Strategic Heritage Plan 2023 - 2028. The series has received grant support from the Heritage Council.