Ballymun

Ballymun is an area on Dublin's Northside close to Dublin Airport currently best known for the Dublin City University and the Ballymun flats, a development of 7 apartment towers and many smaller "step-up" blocks (i.e. no elevator). The Ballymun flats are currently scheduled for demolition, to be replaced by a more low-rise new village. Historically, Ballymun was a larger area than it is now, but due to what were seen to be undesirable associations in the minds of some, the area has shrunk since the completion of the flats.

Streets have also been renamed, for example the now Glasnevin Avenue was formerly called Ballymun Avenue. The term "Glasnevin North" also appeared to describe areas formerly part of Ballymun proper.

The seven landmark towers are named for the leaders of the Easter 1916 rising as follows:

• Pearse,
• McDonagh,
• Clarke,
• Connolly,
• Ceannt,
• Plunkett and
• McDermott

and are clearly visible from the adjacent Dublin airport.

Unbelievably, the red aircraft-warning beacon lights on these structures were not connected to any form of back-up power for many years, leaving the towers completely dark in a power outage.