St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin City

Cities Section: Category Four – Community Wellbeing Initiative

Winner: St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin City

Summary:

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral is located within one of the oldest parts of Dublin City with some of the highest density residential population living alongside busy retail and business settings. Green areas are at a premium and traffic congestion makes street play and child-focused activities a challenge. The Cathedral has a long legacy of community giving and appointed a Community Officer to attempt to bring a cohesiveness and collaborative approach through interagency work, appreciative inquiry, facilitation, investment and strategy. Partners in the project include Dublin City Council, An Garda Síochána, Iveagh Celtic FC, Residents Associations, Dublin Pride, 61st Scouts Unit, RADE, YMCA, The Iveagh Trust, Senior Citizens and Taking Liberties Group. An identifiable change in the atmosphere led to a hugely successful Halloween 2019 with no bonfire and hundreds of families enjoying a safe night. Community activism continued throughout Covid-19 with many relationships formed coming to fruition in tackling isolation and restriction.

Community Contact: Bernie Lillis, [email protected]

Citation:

For our next winner – there were many social issues affecting the quality of life for local residents including the complexity of its diverse community. The judges were awestruck by the many fantastic initiatives. This group is all about participative activism, seeding of hope and exceptional giving.