Join the Friends of the Pocket park
Community collaboration
The Pocket Park is an ongoing community project. It was designed during a series of community design workshops, at which the community decided to place special emphasis on making it attractive to children as well as create a micro habitat for Flora and Fauna. The “Friends of St. Anne’s Pocket park” community group was founded in 2016.
St. Anne’s Pocket Park
(Irish: Páirc Phóca Bóthar Naomh Anna) is located on St Anne's Road in Drumcondra, Dublin. It is a community run Pocket park, a neighbourhood meeting place, to enjoy nature in a city centre environment. It is south-facing, backed by the wall of Drumcondra railway station to the north. Join the “Friends of the Pocket Park and help look after it.
What the land looked like before the Pocket park was built in 2016Biodiversity
Even though the park is small, it is a biodiversity rich habitat. There are plenty of pollinator friendly and fruiting plants. Insects surveys have been done by the community with Entomologist Nessa Darcy.
An insect survey art the Pocket Park
The Pocket park in 2023Maintenance
The maintenance of the park is done by the Friends of St. Anne’s Pocket Park. A group of local residents that always welcomes new members. Dublin City Council collects the rubbish bin bags, but all other work is done by the group. They apply for funding to various bodies, such as DCC or the Arts Council for repair or additional works. In 2022, funding was received to replace the original hardwood sculptures built from Irish Oak.
What the land looked like before the Pocket park was built in 2016A playspace for the local children
A variety of reasons made the the community decide to focus on designing a GREEN outdoor area that welcomes children.
A portrait painting event in Summer 2023A prototype Pocket Park for Dublin ?
In January 2021, the park was included in an Irish Times article named "11 ways to reinvigorate Dublin city centre.
In 2022, the community and Sophie von Maltzan received funding by Create Ireland to record and document the life of the park through the eyes of the community. The community and artist von Maltzan are particularly interested in evaluating the Pocket park as a model that can be replicated by other communities in Ireland.
The "Friends" meet on a Wednesday evening to maintain the Park