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In Stoneybatter in 2021, a group of activists rec
laimed a space that had lain dormant for a decade, naming it Sunnyvale. The folks involved in That Social Centre, as they are known online, made a short lived but important space for people to live, to work and to belong. A violent and controversial eviction left a number of those people battered and bruised, with supporters like Dublin artist Spicebag donating proceeds of one of his more famous prints to rebuild damage done to the space during that eviction, garnering much support for the people running it, and their message. This also had the unintended benefit of seeing Fionnán Sheahan make an utter, utter fool of himself. Sputtering through chewing wasps on RTÉ, incredulous that someone might not agree with guards facilitating illegal evictions, while not understanding how Instagram stories work. And that’s always nice to see. Toward the end of 2023, some of those people organized and transformed that decaying lot that welcomes you to Phibsborough into a social hub, a place teeming with life and vibrancy. It played host to a free shop when you walked in, taking and leaving things as you pleased. The massive space, utterly dormant for years, now saw within its walls several workshops, classes, art exhibitions and music events. Fundraisers for Gaza saw half of Dublin heroes Lankum, dark folk visionary Iona Zajac and members of psychedelic punk legends The Deadlians take to the stage - as well as sean nós legend Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin - to do what they could to try to help in the face of the barbarity of the genocide happening in Palestine. All of that came to a close in December of 2023, in the wake of frivolous allegations and repeated, documented attempts to evict the occupants, despite court stays. Before this, I had the good fortune to be invited to speak with the people who organized the space to discuss what they do, why they do it, and how funny it is that a multimillionaire Tyrone born property tycoon stalks their social media pages. I wanted to know about the history behind the collective, as well as perspectives on Squatting and activism that are often overlooked by our national media. “I feel like since COVID, a lot of the community places have died. If you think about Baba Jaja, or Jigsaw, those places didn’t survive. It felt like Dublin was dead. There was sort of a resurgence with Sunnyvale, two years ago,” Sage begins. Their adorable dog, Morgan, sniffs curiously at my hand. “To be fair, Sunnyvale didn’t get to do that many things. Maybe two concerts, a birthday party, a bike workshop. And there was no real indoor space. We had a couple of caravans, but…” “‘Have you ever seen Trailer Park Boys? That’s why we called it Sunnyvale,” Shane tells me. “I feel it pulled the community in more during the eviction. I think it brought people together because there was a need for that space”. Sage continues, “Suddenly there was this space that had a little bit of freedom to do things. The moment it got shut down people took to the streets. It was a really powerful display of collective resistance.” The videos of the eviction that saw hunOpposite: We Stand With Palestine Below: Darragh Lynch and Iona Zajac dreds of people lining Prussia Street amidst a downpour were widely shared, as private contractors damaged activists and property, with CATU and others coming down to respond to the violence they were watching online. “It definitely grew after that, and we had a couple of events after the eviction attempt. I remember one night after all the ‘publicity’ somebody donated a fridge.” Shane says, “We could have repaired it, but interpersonally we fell apart, which was inevitable in the conditions we were living in. There was only one livable space, and they had cut holes in the roof of it, and poured oil all over everything. It just wasn’t viable.” The space ceased, despite the activists regaining access to the property in late October of that year. Sage continues, “After Sunnyvale, there was such burnout between the winter and the weather. The conditions were terrible. A space like this takes a lot of work, no one gets paid, you need to deal with coordinating a lot of people, who have personal lives of their own. Fast forward two years, and everybody had collected their energy again. You need to create working groups that autonomously make the space happen, which in itself is a lot of trial and error. Some people live here, and have to compartmentalize their living situation with organizing the social space. And again, nobody is getting paid.” Looking around, what the people have done with the detritus is astounding. Stunning art adorns the walls, there is a beautiful stage area, common spaces to sit and talk. There is food, there is shelter. It feels like a space for people to gather, and for people to be. It reminds me of Seomra Spraoi, back in the day. Community built and designed, imbued with genuine punk rock charm. “With all of that said, it has been fucking incredible, these last two months. It feels really homey here, we have a book library, a ‘zine library, a free shop, a tea and coffee station,” Sage says, gesturing at the wealth of (often free) offerings as you enter. “We have gym classes, boxing, Muay Thai, there’s GoGo Dancing today, an Irish speaking circle every Wednesday. A crafts workshop. It’s just about providing a space to whoever wants to organize something. I feel really proud of what we’ve achieved. Today will be a Gig for Palestine, the fourth consecutive one that’s happened, and that’s raised over a grand each week.” “It takes a lot of work and energy to run the space, but as well, the space itself gives you that energy,” Shane says. “I think before it existed, none of us had that energy, and then you walk in, and you think “oh we could do this or we could do that…’’ and then that energy just comes from nowhere. I’m a big believer in “If you squat it, they will come.”. I didn’t even say the words “social centre”, everyone else started saying it. That just happens, when you have a place like this. Obviously it still requires real work, real commitment but the spaces give the energy that they need.” Evidently, something like That Social Centre’s Shopfronts is no easy mission, but the answer to my question of how to do it seems embarrassingly simple. “You need a group of people, and space. When you have those two things, it does kind of just happen.” 17