Brendan Merry & Partners are delighted to announce the successful completion of the conservation and refurbishment of No. 11 Parnell Square East, Dublin 1, where BMP acted as Employer Representative and Quantity Surveyor on behalf of the Irish Heritage Trust.

No. 11 Parnell Square East is a Protected Georgian townhouse dating from the 1750s, owned by Fingal County Council. The building now serves as the shared headquarters of three cultural organisations — the Irish Heritage Trust, Poetry Ireland, and the Irish Landmark Trust — providing a poetry centre, cultural hub, café, restaurant, library, and office accommodation in the heart of Dublin 1. At the core of the building is The Seamus Heaney Poetry Library, encompassing the late laureate’s private library, bequeathed by his family to Poetry Ireland.

The project was funded 75% by the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), with the remaining 25% contributed as match funding by the Irish Heritage Trust and Poetry Ireland, with a total development budget of €5.5m. Works were delivered under Public Works Contract CF1.

The scope of works included full conservation and restoration of the Protected Georgian fabric — historic plasterwork, cornices, curved doors, joinery, and stone stairs — together with a new passenger lift to the rear elevation for universal access, new building services throughout, and changes of use to the basement, ground floor, and first floor to accommodate the café, restaurant, and library functions. Historic council furniture, including the original boardroom table, oak chairs, and benches, was conserved by specialist restorers and returned to the building on completion.

All three organisations took occupation of their new home in February 2026. The building was officially opened on Thursday, 7th May 2026 by the President of Ireland, Catherine Connolly.

BMP are joined by a very experienced project team led by Valerie Mulvin and Kate Cregan of McCullough Mulvin Architects, with JV Tierney as M&E Engineer.

No. 11 will become an integral part of the cultural renaissance of Dublin’s North Inner City and the wider Parnell Square Cultural Quarter — a fitting home for three of Ireland’s most important cultural organisations in one of the city’s most significant heritage buildings.

Congratulations to all the team involved!