Cabra Library is delighted to host Best Laid Plans, a curated selection of Mandy O’Neill’s photo-sculptural work, for Dublin Festival of History. This work formed the outcome of Mandy O’Neill’s PhD research project, which utilised photography-based methods to encourage discussion about the possible impacts of planning and housing-led development, through a case study of Cabra, Dublin 7.
The modern town planning movement emerged at the turn of the 20th century, in parallel with the ‘garden city’ idea. Ideas for suburban housing were presented as part of the 1914 Town Planning competition, with speculative plans for Cabra included. A seed was planted that would eventually lead to the construction of the Dublin Corporation housing schemes in Cabra, between 1929 and 1948.
Two new large scale housing new developments in Cabra in the 2020s represent the largest residential building projects in the area since Dublin Corporation’s early schemes. Recognising the importance of this historical juncture, O’Neill set out to document changes to the built environment, making connections between past and present, and potential futures. She also spent time sharing and discussing her work with local residents, to understand the lived experience of such change for people living in Cabra.
