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Photocall Ireland
Named after 1916 leaders, the flats in Ballymun have all been demolished
an tSeachtar Laoch
Rising again: New name for Ballymun Plaza commemorates 1916 leaders
The now-demolished block of flats in Ballymun bore the name of the revolutionary leaders.
THE PLAZA IN Ballymun town centre is set to be named in honour of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising.
Lord Mayor Brendan Carr will unveil a special plaque naming the plaza “Cearnóg an tSeachtar Laoch” (Seven Heroes’ Square) at the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Ballymun on Friday.
The infamous block of flats that bore the names of the revolutionary leaders may now be gone, but the newly-named Plaza will carry on that legacy.
Sinn Féin councillor Noeleen Reilly proposed naming the plaza after the Easter Rising leaders. She said: “The leaders were synonymous with Ballymun because of the seven tower blocks named after them.
Residents felt that during the regeneration an opportunity had been missed to name some of the new streets and roads after the leaders. I felt it was important to rectify that especially on the 100th Anniversary of the Rising.
The demolition of the tower blocks at Ballymun began in 2004, when Pearse tower was the first to go.
This was followed by blocks of flats named after Thomas MacDonagh, Eamonn Ceannt, James Connolly, Sean MacDermot and Thomas Clarke over the following few years.
Joseph Plunkett Tower was the last to go, when it was demolished in 2015. At the time, locals told TheJournal.ie that the demolition of the flats sucked the life out of the community.
A school in the area, Scoil an tSeachtar Laoch, is also similarly named after the 1916 revolutionaries.
The Lord Mayor is set to unveil the plaque and turn on the Christmas lights at 5pm this Friday, with local choir The Northside Sensations ringing in the festive season.
Read: ‘Some people wanted to stay in the Ballymun flats and would go back now if they could’
Read: This is everything that went wrong with Ballymun
