Pic: Dublin Dock Workers Preservation Society
Claim your history with Dublin Dock Workers Preservation Society!
The Docklands have a rich cultural history which is in danger of being forgotten in more modern times, as Declan Byrne from the DDWPS points out: “From the 1900s to the 1980s Dublin Port, ‘the docks’ provided the lifeblood to the dockland communities… If you were to do the calculations, there were thousands of people dependent on work in the docks and in the dock-related industries, and the overwhelming majority of these were drawn from the dockland communities… As mechanisation began, starting with the introduction of forklifts (replacing the boggies) and followed by containerisation, the numbers employed started to steadily drop. This was followed by the demise of the labour-intensive dockland industries. It is no coincidence that this later period saw the social disintegration of some of the dockland communities.”
Dig Where You Stand will consist of three events in the chq Building this Saturday. At midday, members of the public will be invited to attempt to trace their roots, aided by six volunteers with laptops. Then come along at 2.30pm, when hopefully over 50 people will meet to tell stories and gather memories of Dublin Docks. The event will be breaking out into song at 4pm, with invited singers and a general singalong! As Declan says: “A life lesson I learned from the dockworkers was that you should sing in the good times, but also sing in the bad times – always put your best side out.
“Through good times and bad we will continue singing and telling our stories.”
By Aimée Mac Leod
