Beyond the Walls exhibition officially launches in the Academic Hub and Library
A new exhibition exploring 250 years of life, care, confinement and community at Grangegorman has officially opened at TU Dublin’s Academic Hub and Library.
Beyond the Walls, a new exhibition from Grangegorman Histories, was officially launched on Tuesday, 22 September, bringing together the curators, researchers, contributors and partners who have helped uncover and share the complex history of the Grangegorman site.
For more than 250 years, Grangegorman has been home to institutions including a workhouse, an asylum and a prison. Behind their walls, generations of patients, prisoners, inmates, staff and local residents experienced lives shaped by hardship, care, confinement and, at times, hope.
Beyond the Walls invites visitors to discover the people behind this history and explore the experiences of those who lived and worked at Grangegorman.
Through archival material, objects, photographs, artwork, poetry and personal stories, the exhibition brings together a rich collection of material that reveals the human stories behind the institutions that once stood on the site.
The exhibition is particularly significant as Grangegorman continues its transformation into an open and vibrant university campus. Located within the new Academic Hub and Library, Beyond the Walls connects the history of the site with its future as a place of learning, community and opportunity.
Ruth Hegarty, Grangegorman Histories Director at the Royal Irish Academy and a curator of Beyond the Walls, said:
“Grangegorman Histories is a gold standard public history project with much to share with other institutional sites around Ireland that have complex histories to share. The exhibition brings the research to life for visitors to the beautiful new Academic Hub.”
Ger Casey, Chief Executive of the Grangegorman Development Agency, said:
“Grangegorman Histories’ Beyond the Walls exhibition reminds us that Grangegorman is a place with a rich and complex history.
“Through the Grangegorman Histories programme, we have sought to better understand this heritage, acknowledging the experiences of the many people who lived, worked and received care here over many generations.
“The Academic Hub, incorporating the restored North House, provides a particularly powerful setting for this exhibition and acts as a tangible link between the site’s past and its future. It shows that development is not only about creating new buildings but about understanding the places we inherit and ensuring their stories remain part of what comes next.
“I’d like to acknowledge all those who contributed to bringing this exhibition to realisation, particularly the Grangegorman Histories Expert Working Group and our partners in the Royal Irish Academy.”
The launch follows a visit to Beyond the Walls by Taoiseach Micheál Martin on 11 September, as part of the opening of TU Dublin’s new Academic Hub and Library at Grangegorman. During his visit, Katherine Martin, Project Manager, Grangegorman Histories, and Dr Philip Cohen, Grangegorman Histories Working Group, gave the Taoiseach a tour of the exhibition and introduced him to some of the people and stories featured.
The exhibition launch forms part of a wider programme of events, publications and learning opportunities from Grangegorman Histories, giving the public opportunities to explore the site's history and the lives of the people connected to it.
As part of Culture Night, members of the Grangegorman Histories project were at the Royal Irish Academy, where visitors can find out more about Beyond the Walls and browse a selection of books exploring Grangegorman’s past.
The programme will continue as part of the Dublin Festival of History, with guided tours of the historic Grangegorman site taking place on 30 September and 3 October. The tours will explore the buildings, institutions and changing uses of the site before concluding with a visit to Beyond the Walls.
Further talks, tours and events will take place over the coming months, exploring different aspects of Grangegorman’s history and the experiences of the people who lived and worked there.
Beyond the Walls is open to the public at the Academic Hub and Library, Grangegorman, and will run until May 2027.