Moore Street’s history is enshrined by its migrant-led businesses and the open-air market. As an Bord Pleanála approve applications to develop the area, the fate of Moore Street is uncertain.
Nestled behind the flashy shop fronts of the fast-fashion brands that dominate Henry Street, Moore Street is visibly steeped in history. For many, the street is associated with the 1916 Easter Rising; the final headquarters for the leaders and over 250 volunteers during the Rising’s concluding 24 hours. It was here that Pádraig Pearse made the decision to surrender to the British army after almost a week of rebellion, with the terraced red-brick buildings of 14-17 Moore Street being declared a national monument in 2007.
For many more, Moore Street had cemented its place in history long before it became a stop along the 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour. Since the 1800s, the street has seen generations of traders, florists, fruit and vegetable merchants, and fishmongers earn their living in Moore Street’s open-air market - the oldest of its kind in Dublin.
In the 1990s, Moore Street was revitalised as Ireland transformed from a country of emigration to a country of immigration for the first time in its history. Moore Street was the first location that many migrant entrepreneurs could begin their businesses; short-term leases and cheap rents making it possible. Today, although much of Moore Street has changed, many of these businesses have managed to survive against the odds dealt to them by economic crises and austerity, monopolisation, as well as persistent attempts to gentrify the area.
A walk down Moore Street today takes you past Asian, Eastern European, African, and South American food stores, Brazilian and Chinese restaurants, and services ranging from gadget and phone repairs to hair extensions and hair stylists. More recent attempts to inject fresh energy into the area have seen hot-food stalls erected, such as Mama Shee’s African Cuisine and Nepalese stall Bros Dumplings.
For years, developers have fought for planning permission to develop the area, and for years the community has fought back. Now, An Bord Pleanála has approved a €500 million redevelopment of the area by UK property group Hammerson. The three planning applications cover a 5.5-acre plot from O’Connell Street to Moore Street, O’Rahilly Parade, and Henry Street. Developers will move in to create a mixed retail, office and residential scheme, alongside a Rising Commemorative Centre. The terrace beside the National Monument will be knocked through to create an archway, and the construction of a nine-story hotel and public square will follow.
Pushback against development plans has long-focused on the relevance of the 1916 rising to the area, and not the fate of generations of business owners and traders. Arguably, the true cultural significance of Moore Street lies with the market that has stood for over 200 years, and the businesses and traders who arrived in the 1990s.
Moore Street is at the heart of many migrant-owned small-businesses in Ireland. Like many in hospitality today, these businesses are struggling. With no commitment in Budget 2025 to lower the tax on hospitality, or offer the long-term financial support to small businesses that are so desperately needed, the future of Moore Street is uncertain. As the Hammerson group moves in, concern remains with the dozens of family businesses likely to be pushed out.
The ‘Save Moore Street From Demolition Group’ have been campaigning against these planning developments for 10 years now. Speaking to the University Observer, they said that the development plans for the street would mean “destruction of the market and destruction of the history.”
For them, it is a challenge to see how the area will be impacted by Hammerson’s development plans and the large companies that may move into the area. They mentioned that while the businesses who have stood here for decades are invested in the locality, “the chain stores [...] they're invested in their headquarters.”
Once the Hammerson group construction begins, they say the market will be pushed out: “None of these food stalls will be able to operate with dust in the air and lorries going in and out. They will move them somewhere else, and once they move them somewhere else, they won't move them back.”