Sheriff Street

Street and sometimes area of Dublin inner city

53°21′02″N 6°14′26″W / 53.350569°N 6.240527°W / 53.350569; -6.240527west endCommons Streeteast endEast Wall Road

Sheriff Street (Irish: Sráid an tSirriam) is a street in the north inner city of Dublin, Ireland, lying between East Wall and North Wall and often considered to be part of the North Wall area. It is divided into Sheriff Street Lower (west end) and Sheriff Street Upper (east end).

History

The street is one of a number of streets within the North Wall area named after positions and groupings related to Dublin Corporation and the City Assembly which first laid out the area in the 18th century on reclaimed ground including: Mayor Street, Guild Street and Commons Street (referring to the Common Council, the "commons" or lower house of the City Assembly of Dublin).^[1] Sheriff refers to the Sheriff of Dublin City, a position that existed from 1548 when it replaced the term "bailiff".

The Sheriff Street area might be defined as Upper and Lower Sheriff Street, Mayor Street, Guild Street, Commons Street, Oriel Street, Seville Place, Crinan Strand and Mariner's Port. One of the most visible buildings is St. Laurence O'Toole's Roman Catholic church, which was built in the 1840s and officially opened in 1853, and is accessible via Seville Place. Traditionally, work on Dublin's docks provided employment for local men, but the arrival of containerization led to mass unemployment in the late 1980s.^[2]

Sheriff Street has a reputation as a run-down area with a high crime rate.^[2] the area was for many years notable for the Sheriff Street flats which consisted of St Laurence's Mansions, St Bridget's Gardens and Phil Shanahan House. Issues with poverty and crime peaked during the heroin epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s. In the late 1990s, the flats were demolished and the area underwent gentrification. Many residents of the flats were housed nearby whilst others left the area. Many of the now gentrified buildings, constructed on the former site of the flats, are accessible on Mayor Street. Lower Sheriff Street remains a working-class area consisting of houses. Noctors's Pub is a longstanding business in the area.^{[citation needed]}

In the media

In 1973, RTÉ Radio 1 producer, Seán Mac Réamoinn set out to capture life in the North Wall and Sheriff Street area of the city in a radio documentary, Inner City Island, looking to the past, present and future, which aired on RTÉ Radio 1 on 17 March 2009.^[3] Parts of the film In The Name Of The Father were shot in Sheriff Street in the early 1990s, as well as the film The Commitments.

Notable people

Luke Kelly of the band The Dubliners was born in Lattimore Cottages, 1 Sheriff Street. His place of birth has since been demolished.
Stephen Gately, Boyzone
Jim Sheridan^{[citation needed]}
Gemma Dunleavy Spent her early years in Phil Shanahan Flats, now demolished and currently lives in Oriel Street. ^[4] Her EP, 'Up De Flats" documents the experience of living in the area. ^[5]

References

^ M'Cready, C. T. (1987). Dublin street names dated and explained. Blackrock, Co. Dublin: Carraig. p. 117. ISBN 1-85068-005-1. OCLC 263974843.
^ ^a ^b 'You keep your mouth shut and your head down', Rosín Ingle, The Irish Times, 24 July 2010
^ "Inner City Island". RTÉ.ie. December 2009.
^ 'In Sheriff Street, a Musician Draws Inspiration from Her Surroundings', Dave Donnelly, Dublin Inquirer, 22 July 2020
^ 'Gemma Dunleavy’s love letter to Dublin’s inner city', Una Mullally, The Irish Times, 6 Feb 2021

Residential areas of County Dublin

North of River Liffey
(Northside)

South of River Liffey
(Southside)

v t e Streets in Dublin city
North of River Liffey (Northside)	Abbey Street Amiens Street Arbour Hill Bachelors Walk Benburb Street Beresford Place Blackhall Place Bloom Lane Buckingham Street Capel Street Cathal Brugha Street Cathedral Street Clonliffe Road Dominick Street Dorset Street East Wall Road Eccles Street Eden Quay Foley Street Gardiner Street Great Denmark Street Henrietta Street Henry Street Home Farm Road Jervis Street Marino Crescent Marlborough Street Mary Street Moore Street North Circular Road North Earl Street North Great George's Street North Strand Road O'Connell Street Parnell Street Queen Street Seán McDermott Street Sheriff Street Store Street Summerhill Parade Talbot Street
South of River Liffey (Southside)	Ailesbury Road Anglesea Road Aungier Street Baggot Street Bow Lane West Boyne Street Bride Street Britain Quay Bull Alley Street Camden Street Christchurch Place Clanbrassil Street Clare Street Clyde Road College Green College Street The Coombe Coppinger Row Cork Street Crampton Court Cuffe Street Dame Lane Dame Street Dawson Street D'Olier Street Earlsfort Terrace Ely Place Eustace Street Fenian Street Fishamble Street Fleet Street Fownes Street Fumbally Lane Georges Quay Grafton Street Harcourt Street Harcourt Terrace Hawkins Street Herbert Park Herbert Road Heytesbury Street High Street Hume Street James's Street Kildare Street Lansdowne Road Leeson Street Lincoln Place Marrowbone Lane Merrion Road Merrion Street Misery Hill Molesworth Street Morehampton Road Mount Street Lower Nassau Street Northumberland Road Newbridge Avenue New Bride Street Park Avenue Parliament Street Patrick Street Pearse Street Raglan Road Sandymount Avenue Shelbourne Road Shrewsbury Road Sir John Rogerson's Quay South Circular Road South Great George's Street South William Street St Andrew's Street Steeven's Lane Sydney Parade Avenue Tara Street Thomas Street Tritonville Road Werburgh Street Westland Row Westmoreland Street Wexford Street Wicklow Street Winetavern Street Wood Quay York Street

Streets in Dublin city

North of River Liffey
(Northside)