The Ballymun Flats tower block complex in Ballymun, Dublin is scheduled for demolition. The regeneration of the area will transform not only Dublin's Northside skyline, but also the whole of Dublin from the airport to the city centre. A tower block, block of flats, or apartment block, is a multi-unit high-rise apartment building. ... Ballymun (Irish:Baile Munna), nicknamed the Mun, is an area on Dublins Northside close to Dublin Airport. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Traffic passing the Independent Bridge at Drumcondra The harbour at Howth The Northside is the area in Dublin City, Ireland bounded to the south by the River Liffey, to the east by Dublin Bay and to the north and west by the M50 motorway. ...

The Ballymun Flats were built in the 1960s to accommodate the rising population, and particularly to accommodate former residents of inner-city areas which were being cleared in the process of 1960s 'urban slum clearances'. Whilst suffereing from a lack of sufficient public amenities, several schools served the area (Holy Spirit N.S. and Ballymun Comprehensive), as well as an Eastern Health Board medical centre and a purpose built shopping centre. The area suffered from many social problems such as drugs with rampant crime as well as many other problems. The causes of these social problems, and the subsequent discrimination faced by many people with Ballymun addresses when seeking employment outside the suburb, have been disputed, but Ballymun generally paralleled the experience of many working-class people in the 1960 and 1970s when placed in high-rise locations. Despite the negative perceptions of many non-residents of Ballymun, there existed, and exists today, a strong sense of pride and community in the area, as evidenced by the fact that many former residents of the flats have accepted new social housing in the district. During the 1990s many improvements were made but it was too little too late. The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... The Health Board system of the Republic of Ireland was created by the Health Act, 1970. ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from the start of 1990 to the end of 1999. ...

The seven landmark towers were named after the leaders of the Easter 1916 rising as follows: Combatants Irish Volunteers, Irish Citizen Army, Irish Republican Brotherhood British Army Royal Irish Constabulary Commanders Patrick Pearse, James Connolly, Brigadier-General Lowe General Sir John Maxwell Strength 1250 in Dublin, c. ...

• Pearse (demolished July 2004)
• MacDonagh (demolished June 2005)
• Clarke
• Connolly
• Ceannt (demolished late 2005)
• Plunkett
• MacDermott (demolished March 2005)

The three remaining towers are clearly visible from the adjacent Dublin airport. Padraig Pearse Patrick Henry Pearse (known to Irish nationalists as Pádraig Pearse; Irish name: Pádraig Anraí Mac Piarais; 10 November 1879 – 3 May 1916) was a teacher, poet, writer, nationalist and political activist who was one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916. ... Thomas MacDonagh (February 1, 1878 - May 3, 1916) was an Irish nationalist, poet, and a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising. ... Thomas James Clarke (March 11, 1857-May 3, 1916) was an Irish revolutionary leader and was perhaps the man most responsible for the Easter Rising of 1916. ... For the Olympic athlete, see James Connolly (athlete) James Connolly James Connolly (June 5, 1868 - May 12, 1916) was an Irish nationalist and socialist leader. ... Eamonn Ceannt (September 21, 1881 - May 8, 1916) was an Irish nationalist and rebel. ... Joseph Mary Plunkett (21 November 1887 – 4 May 1916) was an Irish nationalist, poet and leader of the 1916 Easter Rising. ... Sean MacDermott (February 28, 1883 – May 12, 1916) was one of the leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916 in Ireland. ...

The red aircraft warning lights on these structures were not connected to any form of back-up power for many years, leaving the towers completely dark in a power outage. Aircraft warning lights are high intensity lighting devices that are attached to tall structures and used as collision avoidance measures. ... An uninterruptible power supply (UPS), uninterruptible power source or sometimes called a battery backup is a device which maintains a continuous supply of electric power to connected equipment by supplying power from a separate source when utility power is not available. ...

The line "I see seven towers, but I only see one way out" from U2's 1987 song "Running To Stand Still" (on The Joshua Tree album) refers to these towers.^[1] This article is about the Irish rock band. ... Running to Stand Still is a song on U2s 1987 album The Joshua Tree. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

References

1. ^ The Dubliner, "A Social History of U2 1976-2005", 1991 entry. Retrieved 14 December 2006.

See also

• Local Authority Accommodation
• Pruitt-Igoe
• Cabrini-Green

Local Authority Accommodation has been provided in Ireland by the various County Councils and City Corporations along with Urban District Councils. ... A building in the Pruitt-Igoe housing development collapses during its demolition. ... Cabrini-Green is one of the most notorious and infamous housing projects in the world. ...

External links

• New Ballymun dot com
• Ballymun Regeneration Ltd