Oliver Bond flats celebrate 90 years as regenerations plans still await

First built in 1936, Oliver Bond House is one of Dublin City Council's oldest housing complex and is currently awaiting regeneration to address long-standing mould, damp and deterioration

As residents celebrate 90 years of the Oliver Bond flats, they are still waiting on long-promised regeneration .

Lord Mayor Daryl Barron attended a special event highlighting nine decades of community, friendship and shared memories coordinated by artist Sarah Byrne at Oliver Bond House in the heart of the Liberties over the weekend. One the Dublin City Council’s oldest complexes of social homes, the flats were built in 1936 and have been a topic of consistent media coverage in recent years due a dire need for regeneration and severe mould and damp concerns.

The issue gained national attention last May when it was announced that regeneration plans had been scrapped , leading to emergency government talks that ultimately saw regeneration plans reinstated with some alterations. But Oliver Bond resident and activist Gayle Cullen-Doyle told Dublin Live there’s so much more to this complex than the controversies so-often laid out in the press.

Seeing residents past and present come together to celebrate the heritage of the complex last Sunday powerfully demonstrated the community spirit of the flats Ms Cullen-Doyle said. “It was lovely to see them all again and one of the neighbours, who is 99 in September, we had a chain for her and the Lord Mayor presented her as the Lord Mayor of Oliver Bond,” she said.

Nora Dodd is Oliver Bond’s oldest resident and has lived in the complex since the 1950s. This is part of what makes Oliver Bond special, Ms Cullen-Doylan explained, as in an era when a lot of people living in apartments don’t even know their neighbours, generations of people have grown up together in these flats and forged a real sense of community.

While this was a day of celebration, Ms Cullen-Doyle said it also acted as an opportunity to show the Lord Mayor first-hand the challenges they have been facing. “We just asked him, would you mind observing what you’re witnessing?” she said.

“Feel the sense of community, listen to history, listen to generations of people and ask the Minister not to be making decisions from an office about a place that he has no clue about.”

When plans to cancel Oliver Bond’s regeneration were reported last May, the pushback was felt not just from the complex but all across Dublin and the country. The Government said the original plan did not constitute good "value for money" and would lead to a reduction in housing units, but residents and local councillors were pushing for more family homes over an influx of one-bedroom units.

While constructing one-bedroom apartments may have raised the Government’s housing delivery statistics, Ms Cullen-Doyle said this would only create more problems as it would move families out of the community and replace them with individuals, who would likely only stay a short time as they leave and start families of their own.

“It's about listening to the people. Whether you're a Minister or Taoiseach or whoever you are, you cannot be making decisions on people's lives when you actually don't understand the history and what goes on,” she said.

The outpouring of support for Oliver Bond was greatly appreciated by the community, and Ms Cullen-Doyle commended those who took the time to actually meet with and get to know the community. She praised RTÉ presenter Miriam O'Callaghan, who spent two days in the complex while making a Prime Time episode, and for keeping in touch and taking the time to come to their 90th anniversary celebration.

View 2 Images Miriam O'Callaghan, Gayle Cullen-Doyle and Nora Dodd celebrate 90 years of Oliver Bond House

“That's what needs to happen. Photoshoots and publicity are not what's needed. It's come and learn and get to know and then make the right decision. Listen to the people,” she said.

Sinn Féin Councillor Ciarán Ó Meachair said the 90th anniversary of Oliver Bond was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate this community. He said that those in the complex have organised several successful events over this summer, including projects for kids led by local parents and the work of Crosscare .

He described the complex as “part of the lifeblood of the Liberties and Dublin 8” and that it is important to showcase all that’s good about the area. “There’s obviously anti-social behaviour issues, which need to be tackled. There’s regeneration getting stalled,” he said.

“But, there are positive stories about the people living there. A community that really cares. In the modern world in 2026 there are a lot of people that don’t even know their next-door neighbour and a lot of communities are very disconnected.

“Whereas, in flat complexes, and particularly Oliver Bond, community is still really at the forefront there. Everyone looks out for each other.

“I think if the Government just matched the energy of the community so much more could be delivered. There could be so much great potential for the young people growing up there. Like options there currently are obviously not the same for a young person growing up in a more affluent part of Dublin, but it does not need to be that way.

“If things can be done right in terms of regeneration, including social regeneration, we could give the kids much better opportunities. The community could really thrive.”

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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