Larger than life Dublin city manager presided over the capital for 17 years
Feely was avuncular and gregarious. He revelled in major public occasions, such as the 1995 visit by Bill Clinton when he acted as MC – wearing robes of office that he had chosen – to confer the US president with the Freedom of the City, watched by a vast, enthusiastic crowd in front of Bank of Ireland on College Green. Indeed, some foreign visitors were left with the impression that he was Dublin’s real lord mayor.
In September 1978, up to 20,000 people marched from Kildare Street to Wood Quay, calling for its preservation. Campaigners later occupied the site, which the High Court declared as a national monument. But it was all to no avail. Construction of the first two blocks, designed by Sam Stephenson and dubbed by critics as “bunkers”, went ahead. Feely said of the completed project: “I don’t feel proud of it. I don’t feel ashamed of it.
Frank Feely was naturally defensive about the corporation’s role in the destruction of Dublin, and took as a personal affront when the media focused on it. Determined to turn the tide, he got his public relations officer Noel Carroll to wheel out an “I ❤️ Dublin” lectern at every civic event and even arranged a free public concert by the James Last Orchestra at College Green in 1986. But the Dublin Millennium was the biggest bash of all.
Until then, the only new housing in the heart of Dublin was developed by the corporation itself, in places such as City Quay and later in the north inner city, where 440 two- or three-storey houses were built on foot of the “Gregory Deal” – a bargain made in 1982 by Charlie Haughey to win the support of Independent TD Tony Gregory for his minority Fianna Fáil government.
Frank Feely evinced little awareness of what was happening in other European cities, such as Barcelona, then being reinvented by its visionary mayor Pasqual Maragall. He did, however, pay close attention to San José in California, with which Dublin was “twinned” in 1986, and regularly attended its annual Irish Week. This connection with Silicon Valley paid dividends when US tech companies set up their European headquarters in Dublin.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Seven suspected firearms seized in Dublin drug raidsCannabis worth €300,000, Rolex watch, €12,000 in cash and €8,000 in prize bonds also seized
Read more »
Dublin 4 pub beloved by rugby greats and fans alike guiding at €2.5mMulligans of Sandymount occupies prime location within Sandymount village and is short walk from Aviva Stadium
Read more »
Cannabis herb worth €300,000 and firearms among seizures made during Dublin area searchesNo arrests have been made but investigations are ongoing.
Read more »
Career Spotlight: Caroline Smith, Dublin Road Logistics ManagerIn the first part of our Career Spotlight series, we speak to Caroline Smith, Kuehne_Nagel's Dublin Road Logistics Manager. Here, she shares more about her role, what she's learned and the best career advice she's ever received. sp business women
Read more »
Skeletal remains found in Dublin as search for missing man is stood downThe grim discovery was made last week, while a positive identification was completed in recent days
Read more »
Man jailed for three years for attempting to smuggle people into Ireland via Dublin AirportSaleban Abdisahar, of no fixed abode in Sweden, pleaded guilty to three counts of facilitating the illegal entry of people into the State.
Read more »