From The Phoenix: A "school for scandal" has emerged over plans to demolish the birthplace of playwright, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, at 12 Dorset Street Lower, where Shane Murphy with an address in Malahide, has lodged a planning application.
Lodged on Friday December 22, Murphy's scheme would level the Sheridan house and also the adjacent building, the disused Moy bar, to allow for the erection of a new complex of nine apartments on top of a commercial unit.
Formerly a fine Georgian house of four floors over basement, Sheridan's home stood intact close to the corner of Dominick Street until the 1980's - during when the house was boarded up, the top two floors removed, and the plaque mysteriously disappeared. Since then, the building has sat empty alongside the Moy bar, which has also become disused.
Unfortunately for Murphy, what remains of Sheridan's house is listed in its entirety on the Record of Protected Structures, and this is likely to present difficulties for his scheme. Oddly he did not seek to have the building de-listed before applying for planning permission.
Such applications are automatically referred to a number of prescribed bodies, including An Taisce.
In the past there have been attempts by conservationists to save the building but the exact ownership proved elusive, with the Dominican Fathers being among those denying possession – although they did apply to put in a car park in the rear, back in 1993.
Happily for all, the current application resolves such riddles, and so there has been an upsurge in activity. Helpful fellow that he is, Senator David Norris has lodged an objection noting all the expected reasons.
Now that word is out, we might expect some coverage from the likes of Fintan O'Toole, who has published a well received biography on Sheridan. Or perhaps O'Toole has had enough of conservationist malarkey - given his own recent planning controversy?
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