logo
Gentrification in Dublin: ‘Young people are coming in, buying the houses and gutting them'

Gentrification in Dublin: ‘Young people are coming in, buying the houses and gutting them'

Irish Times10-05-2025

The arrival of a new cohort of homeowners is obvious from the facades of the
homes
on the Bulfin Estate in
Inchicore
,
Dublin 8
.
Built by Dublin Corporation in the 1920s, the estate is populated by three-bed semidetached and terraced houses, some of which retain their original pebble-dash exteriors with wood-effect or white PVC window frames, while others have been recently upgraded; they are freshly plastered with millennial-grey window frames, trendy chrome house numbers and mounted electric vehicle chargers. There is an unmistakable sense of transience here, with for-sale and sale-agreed signs dotted around the estate.
This mix of the old and the new on the Bulfin Estate is an example of Dublin gentrification in action, a term used to describe the movement of the middle classes into an area that was formerly working class, originally coined by sociologist Ruth Glass when describing London in the 1960s.
'It was probably five or six years ago when house prices started to really go out of the water, but definitely in the last two years it has gone [mad]. Now, nobody knows their neighbours because it's youngish people coming in and they keep very much to themselves,' says Mary Fagan, a resident of the estate since 1988.
READ MORE
'Now, so do I, you know, so I can't really say a word about that,' she adds, with a laugh.
Fagan marvels that her new neighbours' houses had asking prices of around €360,000 but ended up selling for half a million. She stresses that they are 'probably lovely people' who are likely to bestruggling financially.
A three-bedroom semidetached home of 73 sq m in modern, move-in condition on the estate, for example, is currently on the market with a €395,000 asking price. Bidding for the house at the time of writing is up to €433,000, according to selling agent David Brock of Brock DeLappe. Similar houses would have had an asking price of about €325,000 before Covid, he says.
Mannix Flynn
, an independent councillor for Dublin's southeast inner city, claims gentrification has 'pulverised' former working-class areas in Dublin. Using
Stoneybatter
in
Dublin 7
as an example, he says young couples with some money are moving in and creating 'hipster hell'. Flynn argues that they may 'think it's edgy and cool' to live in these communities, but they are 'eroding the working-class culture' there.
Mannix Flynn says gentrification has'pulverised' former working-class areas in Dublin. Photograph: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos
Rather than gentrification being a good or bad thing, although invariably that's how it tends to be experienced by residents, Philip Lawton, assistant professor of geography at
Trinity College Dublin
, says it's an inevitable result of investment moving from one area of the city to the next.
'In Dublin's case, investment might have gone to places like Ranelagh and
Portobello
first and then it starts to move and expand up the canal, and now that's why you're seeing it happening in Inchicore.
'So, where you see investment happening, property prices go up, people then get pushed to the next inevitable location in terms of investment, and so gradually this starts to move around the city,' Lawton says.
'Gentrification is an inevitable outcome of the ways in which property markets operate within urban space.'
Fagan, who volunteers in her community, says: 'What seems to have happened [on Bulfin Estate] in the recent past was a lot of residents have passed away; when we moved in, it was an older area. Now, the young people are coming in, they're buying the houses and then gutting them, even if they're very well done, they're being gutted.'
She observes: 'First the builders move in, and then they all move in and live happily ever after.'
Dr Philip Lawton, assistant professor of Geography at Trinity College Dublin
The renovation of homes is a common factor in the gentrification process and inevitably has a knock-on effect on the value of those properties when they are resold.
Lawton says: 'Coming into the 1960s, with what we might see later –deindustrialisation coupled with a shift to a services-based economy –you see what we would define as middle classes moving back into central areas.'
These homeowners then expended time and hard work – termed 'sweat equity' – to upgrade period homes in working-class neighbourhoods.
This became the 'cliched image of the gentrifier' at the time, says Lawton, 'whether it be in Dublin,
London
or the brownstones [town houses with steps], for example, in New York.'
On Bulfin, the profile of the new residents moving into the estate seem to be mostly office workers, although many work from home, Fagan says.
'You're not talking about Bob the builder or Paddy the plasterer, who used to live here when we moved in first. Like, if you wanted something done, if you needed a plastering job done, well, somebody four doors up would know somebody six doors up.
'Now, I think there's an awful lot of them working from home. You can see that. Cars don't move and they come out in the evening to go for a walk,' she says.
Mary Fagan in Bulfin Estate, Inchicore. Photograph: Alan Betson
Asked if she thinks her daughter's generation could afford to live in the area, Fagan says she knows they can't, citing examples of her and fellow residents' grown-up children who are living abroad, living with their parents or renting apartments elsewhere.
When younger middle-class buyers start moving into an area, speciality coffee shops offering high-quality brunch fare and pastries often follow close behind. Riggers in Inchicore, which opened about six years ago, could be taken as an example of such an establishment. It attracts queues of the 'three-wheel-buggy crowd' on the weekend, says Fagan.
[
Older people and downsizing: 'We hated selling our home but it became a necessity'
Opens in new window
]
She prefers the more traditional cafe at the top of her road. 'You walk in there at any stage and there'll be somebody there that knows you. They'll say, how are you, and you can have a quick chat if you want to talk, or not if you don't,' she says.
On the northside of Dublin, new cafes were the first thing
Phibsborough
native Rachel Quinn (32), a brand designer for a software company, noticed about how the area had changed after she returned from spending more than a year abroad between 2015 and 2016.
'Bang Bang and Two Boys Brew opened during that period and they're obviously extremely popular and people travel to Phibsborough to go to them, whereas, when I was younger, I don't think people would travel to Phibsborough to go to places,' she says.
Rachel Quinn says the profile of Phibsborough residents has not changed. Photograph: Tom Honan/The Irish Times
With a growth in popularity in League of Ireland football, more people come to Phibsborough to see Bohemian Football Club play. Photograph: Tom Honan
The growing popularity of
League of Ireland
football has also drawn people to the area, she says, with
Bohemian
Football Club
attracting sports fans to Dalymount Park.
'I found that when I was younger, if you said you're from Phibsborough, people would always think it's like this dodgy area, which I never thought, anyway. If you met somebody from the southside, they'd be like oh, I didn't think you were from there,' says Quinn. 'It [still] wouldn't be thought of as a fancy area, but people would be like, it's more of a cool, hip area now.'
Quinn has recently bought a house close to where she grew up and her sister (34), a civil servant, lives in a house on the same street as their parents with her young family. She says Phibsborough looked a bit 'grottier' when she was growing up, and men standing outside pubs would sometimes say 'creepy things' to her as she passed after school, which she doesn't think would happen now.
Apart from that, she doesn't see a huge difference in the profile of residents, although she has noticed a huge rise in house prices.
'[My husband and I] have been immensely lucky to be able to buy in the neighbourhood I grew up in, which is obviously a huge privilege, but we were only able to achieve that because we were both lucky enough to have parents who were able to give us a bit of help, so we would have had to probably move a bit further otherwise,' she says.
She notes an appreciation of the arts as a common value among Phibsborough residents, and references Phizzfest, the community and arts festival established in 2009.
'A huge amount of the people who live on the street are artists and academics [and] there is a huge appreciation for being able to walk to the theatre, walk to the art gallery in the city centre, and to walk to the cinema, like the Lighthouse Cinema [in Smithfield].'
St Peter's Church, Phibsborough. Photograph: Tom Honan
Bang Bang Cafe in Phibsborough has opened in the past decade. Photograph: Tom Honan
She believes the gentrification of Phibsborough probably began in the 1990s when her parents' generation were buying. She describes them as 'becoming middle class' at the time, having grown up in working-class families and being the first generation to go to college.
'My mam's from Cabra so she always looked at the red bricks in Phibsborough and thought, that's where I want to live, and just about managed to swing it. And my Dad's from Longford and so he moved up when he was in college, but I would say growing up most people on the street, their parents were from the country and they had moved to Dublin for college and then stayed.
'[So] it was probably already gentrifying, it just wasn't necessarily visible to people because there weren't the cafes,' she adds. 'I do think it's probable that people living in Phibsborough have found a really nice place to live that they want to stay in for decades and it's just now become trendier to outsiders.'
[
Artists in Dublin: 'The lack of space is the core issue. We're all fighting for the same thing'
Opens in new window
]
She and her husband also note the prevalence of local landlords selling their properties, thus leaving many long-term tenants unable to stay in an area, which will no doubt lead to a lack of a mix of classes in the community.
'There's been a good few houses sold recently and a mix of those are ones that were rented and so obviously that's going to be a loss of more accessible housing ... So, I suppose it's probably true that it's becoming maybe a little bit more uniformly middle class,' she says.
Back in Inchicore, Fagan also notes prohibitively high rents in the area, where she says a three-bed house on the Bulfin estate was recently being rented out for the 'astronomical' sum of €2,400 a month.
The Bulfin Estate area of Inchicore. Photograph: Alan Betson
The Thornton Heights area of Inchicore. Photograph: Alan Betson
Michael Pidgeon, a Green councillor for Dublin's southwest inner city, says: 'If you want to preserve an area's character, or at the very least aim for something which has class mix, I think at the core the thing you need to focus on is housing.'
'To my mind, a fixation on cafes or what kind of shops are in the area, that's downstream, that's a symptom of what is often something that is ultimately driven by housing costs.
'And without rooting your analysis in housing, I think what you end up with is sometimes debates weirdly opposing investment or renewal in a village or a new park or something like that, on the basis that it will make the area nicer and thus more prone to gentrification, and you end up almost arguing for underinvestment in the area because it's working well.
'So, for me, that means, in part, generally being supportive of new-build housing in an area, which sounds like it brings forward the gentrification in some ways, but the research I've seen indicates that that's the best way to keep rents or property prices down.'
[
Why are most new housing schemes in Dublin city so terrible?
Opens in new window
]
With that in mind, Pidgeon says he welcomes the new development of 500 homes on the old St Michael's Estate site, where a third of the homes will be allocated as social housing and the other two-thirds will be cost-rental.
'That to my mind is a really good way to try and moderate the kind of stuff you see from just purely a market-based approach, where you end up with whoever can afford to live in the area, does,' says Pidgeon.
'So I think that's kind of a model for that sort of thing because yes, you're going to have social housing tenants in there, you're also going to have people who are earning a little bit above that, but who are effectively priced out of the Dublin property market for rental or purchase. And so, you're going to have a mix there, but it's a hard thing to get right.
'And while I do try to centre things on housing, I haven't come across anywhere where they've really dealt with gentrification and it's quite difficult to know beyond public housing, in practice, what policies you could actually put in place to mitigate it.'
On whether she thinks Inchicore is losing its working-class culture, as described by Flynn, Fagan says: 'No, I don't think we are.'
'I think we're moving into a different time, but what's a working-class culture if you think of it? Everybody that's living here goes out to work or stays at home to work, you know. Okay, they may not be Paddy the plumber and Bob the builder, but certainly they go to work. I don't think we're losing anything.
'And I'm not saying we're gaining anything either.'
Sex for rent: the hidden side of Ireland's housing crisis
Listen |
25:05

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Will Rent Pressure Zone reform help fix the housing crisis?
Will Rent Pressure Zone reform help fix the housing crisis?

Irish Times

time43 minutes ago

  • Irish Times

Will Rent Pressure Zone reform help fix the housing crisis?

The Government will bring its latest housing fix to Cabinet today when it presents new rules on rent levels for approval. Aimed at boosting supply – by encouraging large institutional investors to build and small landlords to stay in the market – the plan primarily concerns rules around Rent Pressure Zones (RPZ). These were established in 2016 – the number of such zones grew over the years – to curb rent rises. Landlords could only raise rents annually, first by 4 per cent and in a subsequent change to the rules, by 2 per cent. Now landlords of new builds – new houses or apartments – do not have to abide by those caps. Also when a new tenancy begins, a landlord can charge market rent – not the capped RPZ level. Existing tenants will still have 2 per cent rises, for the six-year duration of the lease. READ MORE There will also be new measures to prevent landlords evicting existing tenants simply to greatly raise the rent for a new tenancy. Consumer Affairs Correspondent Conor Pope says no one is happy with the new plan, but why? And does the plan make sense? Economics Correspondent Eoin Burke-Kennedy gives his analysis. Will the move really lure capital investment into Ireland's housing market? Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.

In a bidding war for your first home? This expert shares insider tips that could help you win
In a bidding war for your first home? This expert shares insider tips that could help you win

Irish Times

time43 minutes ago

  • Irish Times

In a bidding war for your first home? This expert shares insider tips that could help you win

It's arguably never been harder to get on the property ladder in Ireland. Even if you manage to save a deposit and get mortgage -approved, you're up against cash buyers, institutional investors and the State itself; all vying for properties at a time of chronic undersupply. And if you manage to overcome the aforementioned barriers, you still have the traditionally daunting task of dealing with auctioneers, banks, surveyors and solicitors. Notwithstanding all of the above, it's worth arming yourself with knowledge of the process in readiness for any opportunities that may present themselves. READ MORE Enter buyers' agent Miriam Finn. Where estate agents represent the vendor in a property deal, Finn takes buyers under her wing and helps them through the process. 'We assist them all the way from starting their search for the property, negotiating on the property, taking them through that complicated sale agreed process, right up until closing.' Her job is common in other countries but relatively novel in Ireland. She struck out on her own after thirty years in the property business, twenty of which were with Sherry FitzGerald . Many people had approached Finn looking for help and advice at a time when she was constrained by acting in the interests of the seller. For first time buyers especially, the property process can be a confusing one. Bank or broker? Fixed or variable mortgage interest rate? What about mortgage protection, home insurance... ? How to persuade a bank to lend to you, finding a property, dealing with bidding wars, solicitors fees and on it goes. In this episode of Better With Money , Finn lays out the entire process in chronological order sharing everything she knows about lending approval, bidding, negotiating and closing. You can listen to this illuminating and engrossing conversation on the player above, or search for Better With Money wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Aideen Finnegan. Produced by Declan Conlon and Aideen Finnegan. Resources mentioned in this episode: Help to Buy scheme First Home scheme More information on various state help and grants CCPC mortgage money tool Price comparison web sites like Bonkers and Switcher analyse the best value mortgage loans on the market Check if a prospective property is on a flood plain

Rent pressure zones set to be extended across entire country
Rent pressure zones set to be extended across entire country

Irish Times

timean hour ago

  • Irish Times

Rent pressure zones set to be extended across entire country

It's been almost a decade since rent pressure zones (RPZs) were introduced to curb sharp spikes in rent and cap increases at 2 per cent or the rate of inflation, whichever is the lower. Initially they were confined to Dublin and other big cities but have since been extended across the State, to 24 of the 31 councils, and 111 of the 166 local electoral areas. Castlebar, Co Mayo, and Tullow, Co Carlow, were the latest to be added to the list in May. After a three-hour-long meeting of leaders last night, it was decided that a proposal be put at Cabinet today that RPZs would be extended to the whole country. READ MORE As well as Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris , the meeting was attended by Minister for Housing James Browne, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe and Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers. Pat Leahy reports it was also confirmed that landlords would not be allowed to reset rent between tenancies, unless tenants have left voluntarily or have breached the tenancy agreement. In other words, a notice to quit will not be sufficient to allow a rent review. As the report states : 'Housing advocates had warned the Government that allowing landlords to reset the rent between tenancies would result in many tenancies being terminated by the landlords in order to increase the rents.' The import is that the extension of the RPZs plus the new clause on rent review will be seen to favour tenants rather than landlords. For the first time also, landlords will be classified according the number of properties owned. At present, all landlords are treated the same regardless of how many properties they own. Now, smaller landlords will be categorised as such if they own three properties or less. Here is Pat Leahy's analysis of the proposed changes. 'Modest' increases in local property tax from 2026 There is also another big property-related article in The Irish Times this morning setting out the expected increases in local property tax (LPT) from next year. There has been an increase of over 20 per cent in property prices since 2021, the last time changes to LPT were made. The report has a preview of a memo Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe is expected to bring to Cabinet this morning: 'Fearing substantial hikes in tax bills, the Government is expected to change the way the tax is calculated in advance of the next date for revaluation on November 1st of this year.' The implications are that houses valued at under €240,000 will see their LPT bill increase by only €5 a year. Properties valued between €420,000 and €525,000 will see increases of €23, still relatively modest. At the top tier there will be more substantial hikes. Those with properties valued between €1.995 million and €2.1 million will pay an extra €389 a year. Israel war bonds to be debated again in Dáil The last week in May in the Dáil was dominated by an intense debate over the role played by the Central Bank in authorising for the European markets bonds that have been issued by the state of Israel. The Government has argued it is a technical process that has fallen on our Central Bank to do for Europe and that Ireland has never bought bonds. The Opposition has said the bonds are war bonds and the State or its institutions should have no part whatsoever in dealing with the bonds. A Sinn Féin Private Members' Bill to effectively stop the Central Bank from dealing with them was defeated in the Dáil, but not before two Government TDs, Barry Heneghan and Gillian Toole, voted with the Opposition. Now, after the week's recess, the same issue is being debated in the Dáil this week, on foot of a Private Members' motion being tabled by the Social Democrats. The four big Opposition parties have combined again to back it and held a press conference on the plinth. Part of the strategy is to put more pressure on Government backbenchers to abstain or vote against an issue where not all are comfortable with the Coalition's position. There are more details of the motion here . Best Reads Fintan O'Toole focuses on a statistic that shows that some students sitting State exams this week went to bed hungry last night . We should be mortified, he writes. Eoin Burke-Kennedy writes that the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has predicted another surge in corporation tax. Joe Humphreys's great Unthinkable column asks should we be quite so smug about Trump's tariffs? Playbook The Cabinet meets this morning with a big agenda, including Government concern over what retaliatory tariffs the EU will impose on the US; almost 500 new places in higher education to address key shortages of health and social care professionals; a new incentive scheme to retain air traffic controllers in the Air Corps; and a new antiterrorism Bill. Full details are to be found in this preview of the meeting . Dáil 14:00: Leaders' Questions 14:34: Order of Business 15:04: Bills for Introduction: Taxes Consolidation (Rights of Performers and Film Workers) (Amendment) Bill 2025 – First Stage 15:10: Taoiseach's Questions 15:55: Government Business: Statements on Housing 19:27: Private Members' Business (Sinn Féin): Motion re Urgent action on vacant Council Housing 21:27: Parliamentary Questions: Oral – Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications Darragh O'Brien 00:03: Dáil adjourns Seanad 14:30: Commencement Matters 15:30: Order of Business 16:30: Government Business: Statements on Breast Cancer Services 18:45: Private Members' Business: Motion re Insurance Reform 20:45: Seanad adjourns Committees 11.30: Artificial Intelligence Research Ireland: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence 12.05: Comhchoiste na Gaeilge An Plean Náisiúnta um Sheirbhísí Poiblí Gaeilge 2024-2030 15.00: Housing Discussion on the Report of Housing Commission 15.00: Justice Engagement on Policing Matters 18.00: Arts, Media, Communications Prelegislative Scrutiny of revised General Scheme of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store