Irish pubs are some of the most socially democratic spaces in the world and should be protected as UNESCO sites of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

That’s according to conservationist and architect Róisín Murphy who is currently creating a news documentary called Róisín Murphy’s Big City Plan.

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, she said cities like Paris and Berlin have made similar moves to defend against creeping globalisation.

   

“It is not hard to describe,” she said. “We all know what it is.

“You go into an Irish pub, and they are probably one of the most democratic spaces in the world.

“You can go in on your own. You can go in with a bodhran or a piece of music and join in a session somewhere. Likewise, you can discuss the politics of the day – but they are incredibly sociable and very unique Irish spaces.”

Ms Murphy said the protection would be for the use of the spaces rather than the bricks and mortar of the buildings.

She said she recent controversy over the proposed redevelopment of the Cobblestone pub in Dublin highlights the need for cultural protection.

“We are under threat from the financialization of our streets,” she said. “From the global, kind of, march on our streets to put hotels everywhere.

“We are seeing huge evidence of that say in the city centre of Dublin.

“On the programme we went to visit the Cobblestone and I was saying it immediately – you are kind of saying, this is such a valuable piece of our culture.”

She said Ireland is “not ahead of the pack” when it comes to cultural protection – adding that protecting our traditional pubs would see us following the lead of Paris, Berlin and parts of the UK.

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