Tower block demolished in Ballymun

05/06/2005 - 13:37:15
More than 30 years after it was built, another of the Ballymun towers was reduced to rubble today in the latest stage of the area's regeneration.

Minister of State Noel Ahern, who was in Ballymun, Dublin, to lead the count-down to the controlled implosion of the 15-storey block of flats, said it was "another symbolic day" for the area.

The Minister said: "The demolition of the McDonagh Tower will allow for the construction of the new Civic Plaza, which will make a huge difference to the landscape of the main street."

Mr Ahern said the plan was to give the area social, physical and economic regeneration, which would attract people into the area, create a mixture of social and private housing and generate employment.

He said local residents were being consulted on a permanent way to remember the signatories of the 1916 Proclamation, after whom the seven 15-storey towers were named.

The Minister of State was joined for the detonation by Muriel McAuley, grand-daughter of Thomas McDonagh - after whom the tower was named - and her eight-year-old grandson Oscar McAuley.

There was a 30-minute delay to the implosion after concerns were raised that somebody had been seen inside the exclusion zone mounted around the block of flats.

Then there were cheers as the 42-metre, 8,500-tonne building crashed down, covering spectators in a cloud of dust, but leaving the newly-built axis civic centre intact just eight metres away.

McDonagh Tower is the ninth of the Ballymun flat blocks to be demolished and the second to be destroyed by controlled implosion.

The 90 families who lived in McDonagh Tower have already moved into their new homes in the area.

One former resident who gave birth to one of her sons on the 14th floor of the tower block 30 years ago said the building had many memories for her.

Kay Cullen, who now lives in Poppintree, said she thought conditions for local residents were improving.

"It's a great thing for the children in the area.

"Improvements are being made, we just have to keep working at it."

She said she hoped to be able to keep a piece of rock from the demolished building to give to her son, who now lived in one of the new houses built as part of the regeneration.

"I can't believe 30 years has gone," she added.

All seven 15-storey tower blocks, 19 eight-storey blocks and 10 four-storey blocks of flats in Ballymun are being demolished to make way for community buildings, commercial properties and 5,000 new homes.

Anne Kirwan, who used to live in Ballymun, was at the implosion with her daughter and grandchildren.

"Ballymun was very good in the beginning, it was only in the later years it was actually let run down."

"It has the potential to be good if they put in facilities for the young people. There's a lot of new families and if they don't put in facilities they're back to square one," she said.

Her daughter Sharon Kirwan said: "It's hard to tell at this stage as there's so much building and construction but hopefully it will be very good."

In the place of the McDonagh tower, the new Civic Plaza will be unveiled in March 2006 and will feature a 900-square-metre glass map of Ballymun, marking the sites of 600 trees donated by individuals and planted throughout the area.