The Irish standard., 1917-02-10
Condition Of the
Poor in Dublin
In Year Of 1916

Dublin, Jan. 4, l9l7-TWenty'One
thousand rooms in the city of Dublin
house more than one family each.
Many of these families consist of eight
or ten people. The poor OF Dublin
live their whole lives under these con-
ditions, cook, eat, wash and dry
clothes.
These houses were built for single
family in the days of Ireland's pros
perity under native Parliament. They
had great cellar kitchens with colos-
sal coal ranges. The coal ranges are
gone and the kitchens are rented to
Dublin citizens by well-paid officials
of the English government, from $1.0O
to 81 so per week. Even in their pres
ent condition these houses are monu-
ment to the fine architecture and Gull
ture of the Irish designer and work
man. Heavy doors of polished ma
hogany, twelve or fifteen feet high
open into romantic chambers. Here
the imagination of the architect zeal
ously planned the rooms he considered
necessary for keeping up the dignity
of an Irish gentleman. The Georgian
period was one in which ceremonial
held sway. All buildings were con-
structed so as to be fit setting for
the social life of a gentleman.
In all European houses of that period
we find elaborate accommodation for
the reception of guests. There were
little anti-chambers hardly bigger than
cupboards where gentlemen powdered
their wigs, where servants in gorgeous
livery stood to announce the guests.
Hand wrought iron gates still stand
outside many old Dublin houses, in
dicating "tradesmen's entrance" ser
wants entrance"
The rooms in many OF the poor tene-
ment houses in Henrietta Street, Dor
set Street, Marlboro Street, Parnell
Street and other poor parts of the city
have deliberately moulded ceilings
with beautiful designs, coloured and
gilt. Bossi mantle pieces Of pure
white carved marble will be proudly
shown you by poor man or woman
whose faces are lined by starvation
while famished children, bare-footed
and almost naked gather round eagerly
to hear the story of Irelands prosper
GUS days once more.
A poor woman on her marrige day
in Dublin enters dark, gloomy hall
for the fanlight has been broken and
boards take the place of glass. Many
of the boards of the hall, stairs and
Hobbies are broken. The room where
she must spend her life has -four
naked walls, no shelves, cupboards OF
stove of any description. 1t was the
custom of the day when these houses
were built to frequent public baths and
cafes similar in way to a modern
club, and Dublin still has larger
number of Turkish baths in use than
any European city of its size.
Although suitable for the people and
period for which they were designed
these houses have been handed down
exactly as they stood without any al
terations or additions to meet different
conditions, and are therefore entirely
unsuited to meet modern requirements
So the poor of Dublin have no baths
not even a tap Of running water al
hand and the women have to go down
five flights of stairs to tap in an un
covered yard.
The big fire-places in these houses
have been built up, for the price OF
fuel fills the heart of the poor with
despair even in normal, pre-war times
and, as I write the price of coal has
gone beyond two pounds, two shillings
($11.00) per ton in Ireland. The poor
who have to buy in small quantities
have IS per cent to 45 per cent added
to this exorbitant price.
The landlord provides no janitor OF
any one whose business it is to clean
the stairs, buildings and hall and many
houses have either no hall-door or else
one open night and day-and the
stairs and passages become the refuge
of desolate people. 1t is only due to
the natural cleanliness of the Irish
that the city is not in constant state
of plague.
The Dublin Working People Are No.
body's Children.
Dublin has practically no manu-
facturers save Guinness, and there.
fore no big employer whose interest it
would be to have his employees we'll
housed. The Belfast employer sees to
it that the municipality provides suit.
able, cheap houses for his workmen,
so that he can with impunity offer
them sweated wages Some small
army of contracts have been given to
Belfast and her ship-building yards
have Of necessity been kept busy. The
full horror and desolation of the pres
ent war has been reserved for Dublin