The Local Community

Broadstone (An Clochán Leathan) is a historic neighbourhood in Dublin 7, just 2 km north of the River Liffey. At its centre is Broadstone Gate, a vibrant public plaza developed through the Luas Cross City project. Located beside King’s Inns and east of the East Quad, it serves as a key gateway to the Grangegorman campus. 

Built on the site of the former Broadstone Railway Station and Royal Canal harbour, the plaza connects directly to St Brendan’s Way, the main pedestrian route through campus. . It marks the first access point from Constitution Hill and strengthens ties between Grangegorman and the wider city. The Luas stop opened in 2017, with the plaza completed in 2020. 

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Since opening in 2000 with just 47 pupils and 3 teachers in a Georgian house on Henrietta Street, D7 Educate Together has grown into a vibrant school community. After moves to St Joseph’s on the Navan Road in 2002 and Fitzwilliam Place North in 2009, the final move to a permanent building occurred in 2023. 

Located on the Grangegorman campus and developed by the Grangegorman Development Agency, the purpose-built school includes two modern buildings with flexible learning spaces, a dedicated Special Needs Unit, and large General Purpose Rooms. These interconnected spaces support school activities and are also available for community use after hours. 

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Living Lab initiation

Technological University Dublin, Dublin 7 Educate Together National School (D7 ETNS), the Grangegorman Development Agency (GDA), in addition to the campus’ Smithfield neighbours, Workday have come together to work on this garden project. Each group have a vested interest to enhance the campus environment and provide their people with educational experiences and opportunities to spend time in nature.

The Grangegorman Community Garden Committee was formed at the start of 2024, to restore a previously neglected garden space as part of a year-long pilot project until December 2024.

Further Information

The four pitches that make up the University's field sports facilities at Grangegorman were completed in 2015. A children's playground was also constructed to the south of the GAA pitch. You can see a timelapse video of the construction of the pitches here. 

Grangegorman Playground, located near the Fingal Place pedestrian entrance into the Grangegorman site, is a community space designed for play. It features a variety of modern play equipment set on soft, child-friendly surfaces and sits adjacent to extensive TU Dublin sporting facilities.

While the local area has undergone a considerable amount of development and modernisation in recent years, which can be seen in particular in places like Smithfield, the local villages of Stoneybatter and Phibsborough still maintain a strong sense of community. 

Smithfield is now a residential, commercial, and cultural district with a host of amenities and attractions including a variety of cafés, restaurants, and shops. More cafés, bakeries, and shops can be found in both Stoneybatter and Phibsborough while more traditional fare can be found in the many public houses in the area, some of which are among Dublin’s best known. The area surrounding the campus is served by a variety of supermarkets and convenience stores. The shopping district of Henry Street a ten-minute walk from the Campus via the Broadstone Plaza and Kings Inn while Grafton Street is a 30-minute walk or five stops on the Green Line Luas. 

Park Shopping Centre, Grangegorman

The Phoenix Centre, a 54-bed state-of-the-art HSE mental health facility, replaced the historic St. Brendan's Hospital in 2013 which incidentally admitted its first patient on 28 February 1814, exactly 199 years to the day that the new centre opened. Phoenix Care Centre sets a new benchmark for mental health services in Ireland. 

Located at the North Circular Road entrance of the Grangegorman Campus.

The Primary Care Centre at Grangegorman serves as the central HSE facility on the campus, seamlessly blending modern construction with the restoration of the historic Laundry Building along Ivy Avenue, north of the Central Quad.

The project features a newly built three-storey structure designed according to the Grangegorman Planning Scheme alongside the refurbished Laundry Building, preserving its heritage while providing state-of-the-art healthcare.

Originally built in 1894, the Laundry Building served St Brendan’s Mental Hospital for nearly a century before falling into disuse in the early 2000s. In 2015, the Grangegorman Development Agency collaborated with the HSE to restore and adapt this protected structure, creating a Primary Care Centre that respects history while delivering modern medical services.

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