Research metadata

• RPS Ref. No.: 8743 — Dublin City Council Record of Protected Structures (Volume 4, City Development Plan 2022–2028) [7]
• Overall identification confidence: High
• Vacancy / dereliction status at a glance: Formerly in office use and reportedly underused/vacant before 2022; now conserved and refurbished as Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) student accommodation, with works completed Autumn 2025 — dereliction risk effectively resolved. (High) [4] [5]

Quick facts

Summary

No. 38 Fenian Street is a protected early-to-mid-19th-century terraced townhouse on the north side of the street, distinguished by an integral carriage-arch leading to the rear (formerly Harcourt Row). [1] [3] After a long period in office use and subsequent underuse, the house was acquired by the Royal Irish Academy of Music and has been conserved and adapted — including basement communal spaces and a rear extension — to provide nine en-suite student bedrooms, with works completed in Autumn 2025. [4] [5] It therefore represents a successful reuse of an at-risk protected structure rather than an active dereliction case.

Identification

• Address: 38 Fenian Street, Dublin 2 (Dublin 02)
• Eircode (if found): (Unverified)
• Building type(s): Terraced townhouse, two-bay four-storey over basement, with integral carriage-arch; original use House, recorded by NIAH in office use [1] [3]
• Approx. date of construction / period: c.1820–1840 per NIAH; the planning inspector noted a disagreement over the building's age, with some parties regarding it as earlier (Georgian) (Medium) [1] [3]
• Architect / builder (if known): Original builder unknown; recent conservation/refurbishment by Lawrence & Long Architects (High) [4] [5]
• RPS / NIAH / other heritage references: RPS 8743 (Dublin City Council); NIAH Reg. No. 50100308, Regional rating, Architectural category, dated 1820–1840, surveyed 2016 [1] [7]
• Coordinates (lat, long) / map link: NIAH Irish Grid 316624, 233811 (approximately 53.3417, -6.2466) (Medium); map link [1]
• Building-match confidence & ambiguity notes: High — a single, individually numbered terraced house on the north side of Fenian Street, narrower than its neighbours (internal width c.5.1 m) and uniquely identified by its integral carriage-arch; adjoined to the east by The Gingerman Pub and to the west by a larger late-18th-century house. [1] [3]

History & Significance