Kilmainham Mills
{{Short description|Former mill in Dublin, Ireland}}
The Kilmainham Mills is a watermill complex used historically as a corn, flour, and woolen mill. It is situated on the River Camac in the Dublin neighbourhood of Kilmainham, Ireland. The mill ceased commercial production in 2000 and has since lain vacant, with proposals to have it converted into apartments, a museum and various other community uses raised but none as yet advancing.{{cite web |title=Kilmainham Mill {{!}} Dublin City Council |url=https://www.dublincity.ie/residential/parks/new-parks-and-projects/kilmainham-mill |website=www.dublincity.ie |access-date=29 June 2023 |language=en |date=10 March 2020}}
The mill is included on the Record of Protected Structures maintained by Dublin City Council, which purchased it in 2018. As of 2023, remedial works had been carried out by the council to stabilise the mill and associated structures.
History
Milling activity at the site has been recorded for hundreds of years.{{cite web |title=Kilmainham Mills restoration: A ‘game changer’ for Dublin 8 |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/interiors/kilmainham-mills-restoration-a-game-changer-for-dublin-8-1.4511981 |website=The Irish Times |access-date=29 June 2023 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Kilmainham Mill, Rowserstown Lane, Kilmainham Lane, Dublin 8, DUBLIN |url=https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/50080060/kilmainham-mill-rowserstown-lane-kilmainham-lane-dublin-8-dublin |website=Buildings of Ireland |access-date=29 June 2023}}
In 1973, the mill was purchased by siblings Norrin Kennedy and John O'Loughlin Kennedy, who operated it as The Weavers Shed, an artisanal woolen mill with vertical integration of the entire fabric production process.{{cite book|last=Corrigan|first=Vawn|title=Irish Tweed: History, Tradition, Fashion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SVTODwAAQBAJ&pg=PT137|date=2020-03-09|publisher=O'Brien Press|isbn=978-1-78849-201-0|page=137}} The Weavers Shed was the subject of an episode of RTÉ's Hands in 1981.{{Cite episode | title = Dublin Woolen Mill | url = https://hands.ie/product/dublin-woollen-mills/ | series = Hands | series-link = Hands (TV series) | network = RTÉ | date = 1981-06-19 | number = 6}}{{cite web |title=Kilmainham Mills |url=https://www.rte.ie/archives/2022/1010/1328309-kilmainham-mills/ |website=RTÉ Archives |access-date=29 June 2023 |language=en}}
Kilmainham Mill was used as a commercial mill until 2000. It was approved for conversion to apartments in the mid-2000s. This proposed usage was opposed by local groups who hoped that it could be preserved for a cultural use celebrating its industrial heritage, however the apartment project was never commenced and the planning permission ultimately lapsed.{{Cite news |last=Thomas |first=Cónal |title=Vacancy Watch: Kilmainham Mills |url=https://www.dublininquirer.com/2016/10/26/vacancy-watch-kilmainham-mills |newspaper=Dublin InQuirer |date=2016-10-26 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410100611/https://www.dublininquirer.com/2016/10/26/vacancy-watch-kilmainham-mills |archivedate=2020-04-10 |accessdate=2020-04-10}} The loans associated with the mills were eventually passed to the National Asset Management Agency following the collapse of the Irish property market. Over the following years, the derelict mill buildings became overgrown and degraded significantly, including significant structural damage to timbers and water ingress.
File:Camac River, Kilmainham, Dublin.jpg
The mill was purchased by Dublin City Council in 2018 with the intent of restoring the site for heritage use.{{Cite news |last=Thomas |first=Cónal |title=Dublin City Council Has Bought Kilmainham Mills, Says Mayor |url=https://www.dublininquirer.com/2018/08/15/dublin-city-council-has-bought-kilmainham-mills-says-mayor |newspaper=Dublin InQuirer |date=2018-08-15 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200309201928/https://www.dublininquirer.com/2018/08/15/dublin-city-council-has-bought-kilmainham-mills-says-mayor |archivedate=2020-03-09 |accessdate=2020-04-10}} Essential repairs were carried out by Dublin City Council in 2023 to make the building safe and accessible, including removal of asbestos. A planning and consultation process to investigate future uses of the site was also carried out.{{Cite news |last=Corrigan |first=Donal |title=A Local Group Wants Kilmainham Mills to Become a Water-Powered Mill Again |url=https://www.dublininquirer.com/2019/12/11/a-local-group-wants-kilmainham-mills-to-become-a-water-powered-mill-again |newspaper=Dublin InQuirer |date=2019-12-11 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517100553/https://www.dublininquirer.com/2019/12/11/a-local-group-wants-kilmainham-mills-to-become-a-water-powered-mill-again |archivedate=2020-05-17 |accessdate=2020-05-17}} A group named Save Kilmainham Mills has proposed the site as a touristic destination, as part of a "Kilmainham Triangle", along with the nearby Kilmainham Gaol and Royal Hospital Kilmainham.
Further reading
- {{cite report |author= Dermot Nolan in association with Alastair Coey Architects |date= April 2002 |title= Kilmainham Mill, Dublin - A Conservation Plan |url= https://www.dublincity.ie/sites/default/files/2020-10/kilmainham-mills-conservation-plan-2002.pdf |publisher= Dublin City Council |accessdate= }}
References
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