Community Partners: The CORN Network

Architect: Hassett Ducatez

In Reimagine Marshalsea Barracks, a network of communities in Dublin’s south west inner city are coming together to reimagine a future of a building that once loomed large in Dublin 8s community life and local history. Community Organization and Residents Network (CORN) is a network of 46 community organisations that seek to provide an inclusive, active forum for community stakeholders across the South West Inner City.

While many people will not know the story of the Marshalsea Barracks, for the neighbouring community it has always been a place that held powerful memories and a connection to their past.

This intriguing building was originally constructed as a British Army Barracks before serving as a debtors’ prison following the formation of the Irish state. The building was subsequently used as housing and then demolished in 1975. What remains is a large walled enclosure, a hidden garden in the middle of the city.

In the coming months, they will be working with the Irish Architecture Foundation to propose a new community-focused future for the Marshalsea Barracks. In an area currently experiencing rapid transformation, this is a chance for the community to be at the very centre of a project, and for the site’s development to be guided by their vision.