By Karl Steacy
Chestnut Bazaar sits in the heart of the Liberties, nestled down a side alley on the busy Clanbrassil Street.
Walking up to its entrance, it’s striking that it lies between a block of apartments and a derelict building, perhaps symbolic of the current housing and planning issues in Dublin City.
As you venture down the laneway, you can hear the chatter of vendors and visitors being accompanied by a busker.
A neglected vacant yard has been brought back to life as a food and wellness space in Dublin’s inner city.
Set up in October of last year by Mend, a Dublin based artistic group, the Chestnut Bazaar has become a community hub for an eclectic mix of art, food, and wellness. The vendors at the bazaar include BishBosh Kitchen, Dom Burger, The Woodfired Pizza Company, and AA’s Caribbean which offers a taste of Trinidad in Dublin.
The entrance of Chestnut Bazaar. (Image by Karl Steacy)
The Bazaar also includes the traditional Brazilian food truck Juca BBQ, the Gimme Dublin Coffee truck, Ama Acai, the Barrel Sauna offering relaxing saunas, and Alanina Therapies which offers therapeutic massages and meditation.
All of which is surrounded by eye-catching and thought-provoking art from the likes of Dirty Dublin, Niall O’Lochlainn, KAMBO, EOIN, PENS, and Conan Wynn.
“The whole idea behind Chestnut Bazaar was to make a difference with a community space,” says Sean Hussey of BishBosh Kitchen who co-founded the Bazaar.
The bazaar on a winter’s night. (Image by Karl Steacy)
“You shouldn’t have to spend €100 every time you leave your house to do anything in Dublin, we feel we have provided a place where you can have either a sauna, a massage, get a coffee, eat a meal or all of the above for under €50.
“That’s not achievable anywhere in Dublin, apart from at the Chestnut Bazaar”.
However, Dublin City Council (DCC) has deemed the bazaar as an “unauthorised development” instructing the Chestnut Bazaar team to close the space by December 31st.
The culture and food yard requested to extend its use of the Dublin 8 space, only for DCC to refuse. Dublin City Council has not responded to The City’s request for comment.
Eamon de Freitas, owner of AA’s Caribbean said he did not understand the council’s decision, arguing that the site has a history of commercial use.
“It was a fuel depot before it was vacant for a number of years, so historically it had been publicly accessible for the sale and goods or services.
“Does the city council want the space to store rocks on the ground or to be a space where communities can get together and entrepreneurs can start to grow their businesses?” de Freitas asks.
The group has launched a petition urging the council to keep the space open while it remains vacant and awaits development.
“We’re trying to get as many signatures as possible in the hope that it will show the appreciation for the space and the value it brings to the community,” Hussey said.
You can sign the petition here.
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