A new town centre square has officially opened in Ballymun in Dublin has officially been unveiled.

Situated in front of the Civic Offices, Seven Heroes Square is located on the site of the former Thomas McDonagh flat complex which was demolished 20 years ago.

Construction on the square began in June 2024 and works were carried out on a phased basis to ensure that access to buildings was maintained throughout the construction period.

The site is split in two with an upper and lower area. The upper area is a soft landscape park with lawns, lush planting and mature trees which provide a barrier from the busy adjacent roads. The lawn areas can be used for informal recreation and relaxation with seating surrounding these. This upper area also acts as a focal point along the Ballymun Road and indicates that you are now in Ballymun town centre.

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The lower area is located next to the Axis Art Centre and Theatre. It is more open and flexible allowing the space to be used for outdoor seasonal events such as at Halloween and Christmas and those organised by Dublin City Council and The Axis Centre.

Overlaying the upper and lower areas is a system of improved high quality access routes which have been broken up by with the use of lawn areas. The introduction of pockets of ground cover planting within the lawn areas creates seasonal interest and improved biodiversity. The planting of large sized specimen trees which are just coming into leaf now will provide shelter across what was previously an open and windswept space. 

The new park will act as a focal point for Ballymun in accordance with the recommendations of the Ballymun Local Area Plan.

The Anode / Cathode sculpture has been relocated from the front of the Ballymun Civics building into the square, which acts as a focal point for those arriving by bus.

Lighting throughout the space is by way of red poles, providing a pop of colour and interest.

The overall design has one eye on the future including ensuring that the layout will work with BusConnects and the proposed Metro stop development across the road.

Photo credit: @DubCityCouncil on X.