Introducing the Irish Issue

It is a delight to celebrate the architectural creativity flourishing within and from the island of Ireland. There is so much talent and vision, but somehow it can be tricky to put your finger on what exactly makes it all so special. Perhaps that’s where its design strength lies.

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Exclusive building study: Dublin’s ESB Headquarters by Grafton Architects

Look out for Emmett Scanlon's thoughtful essay which paints a picture of a distinct and thriving architectural culture; studios which are compact in number; and architects who have remained ‘committed to paying architectural attention’ to the island.

How wonderful that in the Republic of Ireland, architecture is defined as an art form, and, as Scanlon explains, ‘every architect mentioned in this essay will have benefited from support from the Arts Council in a direct way. Its influence on the issue of  “why Irish architecture is good” deserves close attention, nationally and internationally, but is rarely cited.’

Irish architecture is particularly relevant to the UK’s wider architectural discourse as we share similar climate, building regulations, materiality and construction techniques. There is much that can be learned and applied. There are the international names, of course, (who remain refreshingly accessible and approachable) and a substantial crop of exceptional new practitioners. The cross-fertilisation of ideas and energy between Northern Ireland and the Republic is evident.

You’ll have your favourite projects among the many schemes our architecture and news desks have highlighted. There’s a cornucopia of stand-out practices and work referenced within the following pages, ranging from MMAS in Belfast, to Clancy Moore in Dublin, to Carr Cotter Naessens in Cork. I’m particularly taken with Hackett Architects’ calm and welcoming childcare facility in Caledon, County Tyrone; Mullarkey Pedersen’s rich retrofit of Woodlock Hall Library at Dublin City University’s All Hallows Campus; and an extraordinary insight into PJ Hegarty and Henry J Lyons’ mould-breaking Limerick women’s prison.

Fearless, nurturing, surprising: enjoy all the architectural gems in our Irish issue.