Public Utility Societies, Dublin Corporation and the Development of Dublin, 1920–1940

The role of Dublin Corporation as the provider of public housing in twentieth-century Dublin is well known. The Corporation was however also a developer of private housing in a variety of guises. One such was the relationship which it developed during the 1920s and 1930s with Public Utility Societies whereby these societies built houses for the private market with the Corporation providing assistance with site development and access to various grants. This paper examines the manner in which such societies were used by Dublin Corporation in the development of two housing schemes in the northside of Dublin: Drumcondra and Gaeltacht Park.