[caption id="attachment_71682" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="A Georgian street in central Dublin. "]
MANY of Dublin's historic buildings are at risk from falling into ruin following government cutbacks, it has been claimed.
Funding from the Irish government to Dublin City Council has been slashed, meaning emergency repairs in over 100 buildings of historical interest can no longer be made.
Ireland's capital is famous for its Georgian architecture, but the scrapping of the National Conservation Grants scheme in 2010 saw funding for Dublin's crumbling buildings slashed from over €600,000 to just €80,000 last year. This sum was from an overall national pot of just €500,000, as the government searches for ways to save cash at a tough time.
As a result of the cuts, just one unique Dublin building, the 18th century mansion Aldborough House, was able to receive emergency repairs, leaving over 100 structures in the city still at risk of further dereliction.
It is thought dereliction has increased since Ireland's economic recession, as owners who purchased historical properties at the height of the Celtic Tiger boom have since gone bust, and are unable to pay for upkeep.
Dublin Assistant City Manager, Declan Wallace, has hit out at the lack of funding, and said the future of Dublin's very character was under threat.
He also said politicians in Leinster House, the Georgian era building that houses the Dáil, was failing to take into consideration the capital's architectural trove compared with other parts of the country.
"The state's response I would have to say has been minuscule in terms of making €500,000 available for the country in terms of dealing with buildings at risk," he said.
"Dublin City Council has by far and away the most protected structures. We have probably twice the number of all other counties in the country combined and yet there is no cognizance being taken of the fact. We can make two applications, the same as Leitrim."
