How Dublin Works

Elisa Capitanio is Head of Design at social media intelligence agency Storyful. She also runs her own independent abstract art business. Here’s her experience of working in Dublin: A master of both digital design and abstract art Elisa Capitanio came to Ireland more than a decade ago completely by chance. Living in Italy, she longed for a change of pace, so she left her home in Bergamo and moved to London. Dublin came calling with an opportunity for Elisa to try her hand at being a web designer, so she packed her bags for a second time and moved country again. Since then, Irelan

In conversation with Jennifer Rothwell Jennifer Rothwell is an Irish fashion designer, who spent many years living between the Big Apple and the Fair City. After graduating from Dublin’s NCAD in 1995, she gained practical experience with some of New York’s biggest design companies. Then, upon her return to Dublin, she launched her own brand: Jennifer Rothwell Design. By the following year, she had won the ‘Brown Thomas Designer Award’ at Dublin Fashion Week. And, since then, her designs have attracted celebrity cli

Fergus O’Neill is the graphic designer responsible for the “Feck It, Sure It’s Grand” line of products. He also created a series of prints depicting 20th century Dublin landmarks, such as the Poolbeg electricity station and the now-demolished concrete silos at Boland’s Mill. You may have seen some of his work in Dublin’s Jam Art Factory. Fergus studied visual communication at Dún Laoghaire College of Art and Design – now IADT – and works from a shed in Irishtown. Dublin.ie sat down with him to find out more. He tells u

Dr. Ruth Johnson is Dublin’s City Archaeologist and she is charged with protecting, managing and investigating the city’s oldest heritage – much of which is underground. As well as conservation projects, Ruth has input into new developments across the city and a role in policy development advocacy. We spoke to her about how she works and what’s going on across the city – under the ground, in our oldest graveyards and in half-hidden houses. In conversation with Dr. Ruth Johnson Ruth began her career working on a community excavation project in Yorkshire, while doing her A-levels. This piqued her interest in archaeology and she went on to do

Regenerating the Dublin Docklands Dublin’s docks met the same sorry fate in the 1970s as those elsewhere around the world. The arrival of containers simultaneously revolutionised shipping and decimated traditional dockland employment. Work that had sustained Dublin’s inner city communities for generations suddenly evaporated. The Docklands became empty, desolate wastelands until the first regeneration project came in the shape of Charles Haughey’s Irish Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in the late 1980s. The first stage of redevelopment The IFSC was developed on the north side of the Liffey behind Connolly train station. While the area welcomed

Founded as a private society way back in 1831, Dublin Zoo has a long history. In 1840, it opened to the public for the first time – charging a penny for entry each Sunday. At that time, it had 46 mammals and 72 birds for the public to observe. Today, Dublin Zoo covers 28 hectares of the Phoenix Park and is home to over 400 animals, including a group of Asian elephants. Kevin Barrington sat down with one of Dublin Zoo’s elephant keepers to find out more about what it takes to look after the calves there. In conversation with Christina Murphy I moved here a few years ago from Atlanta, Georgia and started working as an elephant keeper at Dublin Zoo.

Mattress Mick’s got nothing on this place. This is the greatest gathering of mattresses you’ve ever seen, taking up most of the floor space in a warehouse in Glasnevin. With stacks and stacks 20 and 30 deep, even the most sensitive of princesses could get a decent 40 winks here. If it wasn’t, that is, for the occasional high-pitched squishing noise coming from the machine that bales up mattress innards in preparation for recycling. Meet the man behind Eco Mattress Eco Mattress does two very valuable things simultaneously. As a social enterprise, it provides jobs and hands-on work experience for people in the north inner city. It also recycles old m

We all know Grand Canal Dock as the home of Google but, unbeknownst to many, tucked among the tech giants is a building where ancient crafts are still practiced. At The Design Tower, seven stories of studios play host to jewellers, fashion designers, conservationists, sculptors and more. In our series exploring The Design Tower, Dublin.ie meets long-time resident Elizabeth O’Kane. She is a sculptor and painter, who has worked at The Design Tower for almost 20 years. She tells us about her path to art, her cra

The evolution of Dublin’s creative spaces In recent years, Dublin has lost some of its most important creative spaces to a building boom that’s reminiscent of the Celtic Tiger era. Block T and South Studios were both closed down in 2016 with a significant loss of square footage for artists, photographers, designers and writers. Since then, The Joinery, Moxie Studios, Monster Truck and Richmond Studios have all followed suit. Our vision was to create a unique, shared workplace in Dublin city centre. In their place, however, a new generation of coworking spaces have come along. And many of them are aimed specifically at servicin

Izzy Wheels works with artists and top designers to transform wheelchairs into fashionable works of art. Today, the brand sells its wheelchair wheel covers to customers all over the world, but it all began right here in Dublin. Sisters Izzy Keane and Ailbhe Keane founded the business back in 2016 when Ailbhe was a graphic design student at Dublin’s NCAD. Today, she is the company’s Creative Director. Peter Varga spoke to Ailbhe Keane on behalf of Dublin.ie. She tells him about her path to entrepreneurship and the inspiration behind Izzy Wheels.

The last Typewriter Shop in Dublin On Dorset Street in Dublin’s north inner city, there’s a typewriter shop that’s been there as long as I can remember. Founded in 1983, it’s run by Joe Millar and his son, who’s also named Joe. It’s the last typewriter shop in Dublin and the only one in the Golden Pages where it’s listed, simply, as ‘The Typewriter Shop’. A million machines, but no more manufacturers Before setting up the shop, Joe Sr. had worked in the typewriter trade for the American manufacturer Remington. “They had offices in Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Galway and Limerick,” he says. They sold typewriters to offices and serviced

If you live in Dublin, it’s almost impossible not to be aware of the shortage of affordable housing. If you haven’t joined the back of a long queue to view a property in recent years, chances are you know a lot of people that have. And for many the consequences can be far worse; about 140 people sleep rough every night, there are some 3,000 homeless who are dependent on hotels and B&Bs, and a further 100,000 are on social housing waiting lists. It’s something that’s garnered a lot of media & governmental attention, and often the solutions proffered are quite grandiose; build up and build quickly. As a nation, we tend to have a penchant for the new when it comes to housing. While that may be a part of the solution, it’s certainly not the only approach. In every corner of this city, there are spaces going to waste.