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Widow hopes to fulfil husband's Abbey wishes

Thursday, 02 October 2008

The widow of a Dublin architect is hoping to have her late husband's wishes fulfilled by having a number of granite blocks he saved from the old Abbey Theatre incorporated into the new building.
In 1951 a huge fire eventually led to the famous theatre’s closure and ultimate demolition 10 years later.
Former Dublin city architect and theatre lover, Daithí Hanly, took it upon himself to save the original granite blocks from being dumped by the contractors who were demolishing the last remnants of the old building.
At his own expense, he had the entire facade removed stone by stone and transported in lorries to his home.
Mr Hanly passed away in 2003 and now his widow Joan is hoping that some of the old theatre's parts and fittings might be used in the new modern Abbey development, which is set to be relocated from its current location on Abbey Street.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) had previously indicated some interest when they inspected the granite blocks and artefacts in the Hanly home in Dalkey two years ago.
However, in a letter to Ms Hanly in July 2007, an OPW official indicated that it was proposed to conduct an international competition from which the design of the new theatre would be selected.
The letter goes on to state: “The OPW will then enter into discussions with the winning team to explore the possibility of incorporating elements of the old façade into the new design.

“If it is not possible or practical we would endeavour to reuse the material elsewhere in one of our projects or historic sites in deference of your husband’s wishes that the material remain in Ireland.”
Winning
Ms Hanly queried the OPW’s response. She said it would be “pointless” to tell the architects about the artefacts after they had come up with the winning design.
“Nobody is going to be interested in these artefacts after the new building has been designed,” she said.
“Another project might just involve a retaining wall here and there or repairing a round tower or so on.
My husband was passionate about Dublin as a Georgian city,” she added. “It’s not that this is a particularly beautiful element of it but this is the old abbey. It is the same threshold that some very famous people walked over. It should be incorporated somewhere.
“They are perfectly safe in our back yard for the moment but if I should pass away, well then, I don’t know what the future holds for these historic things.”
The Abbey Theatre, which unveiled its 2008/2009 season recently, has just received e30 million in a three-year public funding programme.
The Irish Government wants the historic venue moved along the Liffey quays to a bigger site in the docklands but Senator David Norris called for it to be relocated to the GPO.
The new Abbey site is expected to include three theatres, a cinema, a bar, two restaurants and four rehearsal spaces.
The theatre, which suffered a financial crisis in 2005, will receive e9.2 million funding from the Arts Council in 2009, another e10 million in 2010 and e11 million in 2011.

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