Our Club, Our History

The Inchicore Sports and Social Club is a unique, volunteer led, private members Club that is located in Inchicore.

The main object for which the Club is established is to preserve, nurture and develop the
historic Club buildings; to provide a central focal point within the community and to
animate a comprehensive range of educational, sporting, social and cultural programmes for
the benefit of the members and the community of Inchicore / surrounding areas.

The Club itself is housed within a listed building, steeped in history, within the picturesque Library Square of the C.I.E. Works.

The building itself is listed as registration number 50080406 within the NBHS (National Builty Heritage Service) as follows: Inchicore Sports and Social Club, Inchicore Square West, Dublin 8, DUBLIN – Buildings of Ireland

To quote a previous Committee member:

“…The first Club House …was built as a social amenity by the Great Southern and Western Railway Company in the tradition of philanthropic employers of the Victorian age, and the building increased in size to provide their workers with a reading room, dining hall, dispensary and sewing rooms, where sewing classes were provided for the women and girls of the community. The Club, also known as the Railwaymen‟s Institute also included a pond and garden to the rear, bandstand and fountain to the north and a ball alley… the Railwaymen‟s Institute continued to serve the railway workers and their families throughout the years of the GS&WR, and laterally Córus Iompair Éireann (CIE) established in 1945, with membership open to all employees. The CIE Social Club closed in 1987 and was reopened in 1991 by a group of ex. members under a 20 year lease from CIE expiring in 2014…”

Our buildings provide a unique offering in the Dublin 8 area and are easily accessible via bus, Luas, bicycle and car. Ample free car parking space is available.

A brief “recent” history of the Club!

The current Committee wrestled back a moribund entity in 2022.

Over many months, through intensive searches for data, correspondance and informational records, coupled with attempting to wrestle control of the Club’s assets, the bigger picture loomed large.

The bigger picture was particularly draconian.

The health of the Club was in a horrific state.

We can speak with refreshing candour on a walk-through of the CIE Hall timeline:

Following on from the above timeline, we can delve into some deeper points, all associated with critical factors for success:

• The Committee inherited an accelerating loss making business model with scant business, let alone a remotely sustainable business model.

• The immediate local support for the Club was scant and absolutely unsustainable for many, many years and the Club was historically largely supported by external support / Irish Rail employees (/families).

• Over the past 10 years, many attempts were made to run the Club using the principle of mainly direct local engagement. This approach resolutely failed. This approach proved unviable.

• There was intense disharmony over the years within the Club. Bridges were completely blown up between different parties and companies over the years. Some bridges are irreparable.

• The relationship with Irish Rail/CIE went South. The institution would no longer be “bailed out” by Irish Rail.

• There was no economic plan to pay the current bills and past bills, which were mostly left unpaid.

• The Club was serving small groups with a core focus on alcohol sales.

• The bar operation is a massively costly operation that cannot cover its own costs. It is a major finanical drag on the Club, is not a productive revenue generator and can only be used to compliment certain events. The bar operation requires major change.

• Membership rates were not kept in line reality. The national cost of living in the Republic of Ireland rocketed since the late 1990’s. Committee’s from 2015 and after were clearly asleep at the wheel when the country went through a 34.4% GDP increase by means of “Leprechaun Economics” in 2015. Miraculously, the membership rates remained unchanged. In 2022, we arrived at an incredible situation where membership costs were between 28 cent and 38 cent per week.

• Based on trends over 25 years, membership revenue will never be a central revenue pillar within the Club.

• Members and patrons were deliberately misled at the 2022 AGM when it was unequivocally stated that there was no debt. A deliberate misrepresentation of the finances was outlined. This debt was actually building from possibly 2014/2015.

• The Club requires a sustainable business model which does not centre on the consumption of alcohol but rather on support from a multitude of disparate organisations/groups. This would potentially establish a safeguard mechanism against single points of failure, by removing critical dependencies and developing revenue streams.

• The Club, as a private members, Club required an economic plan and new model of operation.

• Drastic changes were intrinsic to any recovery effort. The potential starting points for the forward direction of travel (based on obsevations, member/non-memberr/3rd party conversations) were clearly self evident.

• The Club required core partnerships which worked to support the Club rather than the Club having to exclusively drive and support everything.

• The major pillars and objectives for the establishment of the Club (promotion of educational, social and cultural programmes) were not being met. As an example, the Club had no direct links into the local Gaelscoil, Conradh na Gaeilge’s Halla Inse Chor or other local and foreign organisations or societies. There was nothing there for kids or youth. This was unacceptable and had to change.

• The Club had no direct links into the local Gaelscoil, Conradh na Gaeilge’s Halla Inse Chor or other local and foreign organisations or societies. This was unacceptable and simply had to change.

• The Club was also a source of much conflict and interal politics over the past quarter of a century. Numerous conflicts of interest arose such as:

• The silo’s of personal fifedoms and overbearing entitlement needed to be broken down

• The removal of closed, clannish personal affinities to the Club, denigrating equality among the Committee members, Club members, patrons and supporters of the Club.

• Mawkish sentiment that celebrated a long gone past was a central pillar of the Club. While the past is important, which the majority of people accept, the critical but absent link in the chain is the creation of solutions for a sustainable future. This will involve change to which some will massively resist.

• Multiple conversations deflected to the old reliable one-liner “sure Irish Rail will bail us out”

• A complete lack of comprehension of the gravity around the debt that needs to be addressed and serviced. There is no CIE Property debt forgiveness on the cards for the Club.

• Personal assumptions that the Club could be used for free at the whim of an individual or group of individuals. This is neither economically acceptible nor economically viable.

• The complete removal of: abusive and inappropriate behaviour, anonoymous queries, baseless toxic gossip, false rumours and smear campaigns designed to personally damage Club patrons, Club visitors or the Club. The goal is to collectively engage in a mature, respectful, calm manner to create sustainable and collaborative solutions into the future. The Club acknowledges that this approach is not possible for some.

• Change is necessary and the Club will move in a forward pointing trajectory, whereby new blood will be continuously introduced to support the Club. The Club needs a lease of new ideas, new energy and new partnerships from Inchicore and beyond.

• The Club will only survive if external organisations, anchor tenants and external stewardship are central to the operation of the Club.
• That may all sound like hard hitting stuff. It is!

So what happened?

We fully opened our doors for 2 years, placed the shoulder to the millstone wheel and grinded unrelentlessly through a tremendous workload, brushing aside vicious smear campaigns and grappling with maintenance issues.

Through a rapid period of “hands-on” transformation, some Committee members really pushed for the survival, growth and sustainability of the Club.

Along this journey, some things were good, some things were not so good but lessons learned always fed back into future decision making.

So what are the actual results to date?

This can be summed up in the words of proud Dubliner Luke Kelly: “…The old ways are changing, you cannot deny…”

The Club’s reality spun between Zeitnot, Zugzwang and Zwischenzug. The time criticality to recovery was intrinsic to preventing closure. The Club was simply not in a position to strategise for long periods of time with outputs that could morph from a development plan, to a report, to a strategy document, to a discussion document, to a memorandum of understanding, to a partnership, etc., and then drip feed these to the members, partners, patrons and third parties. This is a commonplace, modern approach but this option was not available to the Club.

Immediate action was critical.

The Club ultimately needed to start from a clean slate. Over time, it quickly became apparent that there was a necessity for the Club to create strong bonds with entities that “support” the Club and offload the entities that “use” the Club.

The Club was set up as a “contributor-support” model in 2023 whereby every entity makes some contribution to the functioning of the Club.

We are cognisant that we have a large population of younger generations and “new Irish”. Simply put, there must be a plan to integrate them into the Club. Small cabals running organisastions “forever” are unworkable in the modern era. Succession planning is important as the reins need to be handed over in a controlled manner. There must be an objective focus for sustainable growth and sustainable development, particularly with the younger generation in mind.

The listed items below, are quite stunning achievements through Herculian efforts from a very small group of volunteers (These fulfil ALL main objectives for which the Club was established):

Debt	A number of months after taking over the Club, the current Committee discovered that a number of bills were not paid for months and/or years. Debts are being tackled with the most crippling legacy energy debt on-target to be resolved by Nov. ’25.
Public Body Support	We are delighted to state that we now have created and re-established highly supportive and healthy relationships with the important state-linked bodies below. Each organisation was massively complimentary about the stewardship, volunteering energy and direction of our organsiation. Our main benefactor identified their delight that the Club is now being used in a manner that they originally intended it to be used for. DCC were highly complementary on our approach to reduce the consumption of alcohol combined with the multi-usage of the facility in an all-inclusive manner to disparate groups, both local and foreign. Irish Rail C.I.E. Property Kilmainham Inchicore Network Dublin City Council
Foreign Government Support	We have established direct communication and support channels to the: Polish Government Mongolian Government
Regular Support Partners	We have excellent rapport with our partners: Little Citizens Republic Biblary Polish Library Elements Yoga Infinity Salsa Irish Feltmakers Irish Record Fair PSK (Pit Stop Krew) Northern Soul Celtic Pigeon Club Mongolian Archery Croonerista KIMS (Kilmainham Inchicore Musical Society) Brazilian Zouk Emerald Tango St Pat’s Flagmakers Irish Old Time Sequence Dancers Society Palestian Fundraisers & Film Nights The Smithfield Creatives
Charity Obligations	As part of our remit to fulfil charity obligations we proudly support: St. Pat’s Flagmakers Palestinian Fundraiser Events Wreathmaking For Gaelscoil Inse Chor Irish Scooterists “Egg Run” fundraiser for sick children Local Video Editor Local Fundraiser Events
Proud Achievents	Polish European Election Voting Centre. Holding the inaugural Mongolian Irish Open Archery Competition with competitors arriving from 13 European countries to compete. The Mongolian Ambassador travelled from London to attend alongside the Mayor of Dublin with support from DCC. Hosting a thriving Afterschool service (Little Citizens Republic) through Little Citizen’s Republic. This is a critical service to local parents from Inchicore, Ballyfermot and Kilmainham. It is also the main reason the doors of the Club are still open. Establishing relationships into the Irish Video Production industry (“PJ Gallagher: Changing My Mind” documentary, was mostly shot in the P.S.K. area of the Club and RTÉ’s stardust documentary was shot in the main bar). Successful refurbishment of the Southern Buildings that are occupied by the PSK. The refurbishment was done by the PSK without any financial assistance from DCC, Irish Rail or CIE Properties. It is an excellent model of volunteer engagement and was particularly lauded by DCC as such in May 2025. Re-sleeving of the Long Hall sewerage pipe. This posed problems for well over 15 years with weekly issues reported. The current Committee tackled this problem and resolved it. Irish Scooterists Egg Run. Renovation of the old Sewing rooms by the P.S.K.. Refurbishment of derelict rooms and refurbishment of the windows. Enhanced links with Biblary, Polish Government and Polish Cultural Societies. Developing business for the Club as a Wedding Celebration Venue. Forging links with the Foley School of Irish Dance, the CCI (Celebration Church International), the Polish Cultural Community. Hosting Alternativ4 Polish Comedy nights in the Club with popular Polish comedians flown in from Poland. Developing a programme of Yoga, Pilates and Zumba in the Club. Re-established a very good working relationship with Rascal’s Brewery. Onboarding Infinity Salsa and holding monthly dance session within the Club. This has grown into a regular and fantastically supportive multi-ethnic event.
Significant 2025 Events	Mongoligan Irish Archery Championships – Feb ’25 (DCC) Inchicore For All – Mar ’25 (DCC) Irish Scooterist Egg Run – Apr ’25 Pit Stop Krew (PSK) Rally – Jun ’25 Infinity Salsa Salsa Party Weekender – Jun ’25 Smithfield Creatives – Aug ’25 PSK Jack Nolan Run – Aug ’25 Kilmainham Inchicore Musical Society – Nov ’25 CIE Retired Employee Xmas Party – Nov ’25
Deferred Projects	Outdoor Sauna (timing issue with Trusteeship of Cottage) Nail Bar (timing issue with Trusteeship of Cottage and maintenance) Beer Festival (Rascal’s Brewery and micro breweries. Their preference was to use the outside premesis i.e. The Square) MusicLee (Commerical band promoter who brought in Anto Drennan and Mick Hanley) Irish horror film being produced for the international market (involved the closing of the Club for a number of months) Period Drama (involved the closing of the Club for a number of weeks, reclaiming the car park of the Club and making alterations to the front of the Club) Choir Viking Battlefield Re-enactment and Polish Cultural Society (Polonica Ireland) Latin Salsa Party Weekender with the Trinity College South American Society Irish Chamber Orchestra (Hosting a chamber orchestra each Thursday night)
Upcoming Plans & Events	Architectural plans are complete for a beer garden, improved enhancements to the enclosed football pitch area and potential remodelling to the main entrance of the Club. Onsite attendance of the Polish Embassador to Ireland for a Polish Biblary literature networking event. Creation of an “Irish Session” in the Club. Exploring the tie-in of a bilingual Irish night with Conradh na Gaeilge, Irish Session and an Irish Food event Repaint of the Club Exterior and planting of a railway cottage garden Partial Refurbishment of “The Cottage”. Transformation of the Long Hall Kitchen area into a storage space Developing deeper partnerships with the Latin community and South American dancing Creation of a partnership with the Irish National Netrunner Championships (a.k.a Megacity Championship) Creation of a partnership with Rascal’s Brewery Creation of a partnership with “Black Water Music” death metal festivals Creation of a partnership with Polonica Ireland
Current “Blue-Sky” Plans	Creation of a piano academy. Creation of a creative photography studio. Creating a link between the Little Citizens Republic, Piano Studio and Photography Studio Creating a Horticultural society with a focus on showcasing the historic buildings through the planting and maintenance of fantastic blooms outside the Club. Creating a Christmas Carol type event that would bring together Croonerista, Piano Academy, Gaelscoil Christmas Wreath makers, Irish Session Musicians and the Conradh na Gaeilge’s Hall Inse Chor “D8: God save the the Queen” – Irish Chess Congress (with the pun intended!) Inchicore has a number of strong chess teams based in the Inchicore United Workingman’s Club. It would be great if we could assist in holding the first ever Inchicore Chess Congress with a view to eventually rivalling the yearly weekenders held in Kilkenny and Bunratty.
Future Musings	Community Centre Setup? The ultimate solution would be direct support from the Public Pocket. We do not see this as realistic proposition as the Inchicore Community Sports Centre (a few yards down the road) was fully funded and set up by the Dublin South City Partnership. These centres have very costly ongoing costs (once built) but ,critically, they require footfall and need to be in full view on the main drag. We’re off the beaten path and this is an issue that directly affects this club and will be for the next 30 years. We need to be mindful of potential for new amenities within the St. Michaels Development, the potential redevelopment of the Old Inchicore Library, the availability of the current Richmond Barracks and potential redevelopment of the Old Mills in Kilmainham. Realistically, we’re in a “tough” neighbourhood when it comes to Government investment. Investment From A Potential 3rd Party? An ultimate proposition would be external investment… maybe an Irish Rail Museum or Irish Rail Documents Depot and Museum, with a tie in to local history such as the Vikings, Bully’s Acre, Guinness, transport, the local crafts manufacturing industries around the Christchurch cathedral area. Why do we think this? There is the potential for a tourist trail which has not been currently exploited. We’re on the doorstep of the Hilton Hotel and one of Irelands foemost tourist attractions (Kilmainham Gaol – 13th best attraction in the world as per Tripadvisor 2023). There is a wealth of history such as the Viking Kilmainham Sword, and you can still come across great finds, such as early 1800’s Daniel Egan Silverware in the local charity shops within Inchicore. Throw in “The Dubliners” book and the account of sports cars speeding through Inchicore “through this channel of poverty and inaction” where the onlookers raise “the cheer of the gratefully oppressed”, you can clearly develop the picture from then to now, being one of the hippest neighbourhoods in the world. Thank you Rascal’s Brewery et al. Site Sell-Off Major change, such as Irelands next largest town (within the CIE Works and just beyond) which is under consideration by the LDA, is probably 30 years away. Most of us will be long gone by then! However, there is always the chance that CIE Property (NOT Irish Rail) may sell off the Club buildings and football pitches. The buildings and football pitch would be a salivating proposition for any property developer within Dublin City.

Where do we go from here?

There are a number of potential options but key areas to be targeted are:

Club Committees

By their nature, Committees become talking shops. There is a need to work efficiently and turn into a governance structure of volunteering channels.

Unfortunately, the Club has been operating under an ugly cycle of ambush, dishonesty and personal vengence for too many years. The Committee structure in situ since at least 2001 has failed the Club. The Club needs to adopt a new form of governance.

Volunteers

The Club needs volunteeers, not a proliferation of Committee members. Volunteers are required to help with a multitude of tasks, such as event creation and supervision, funraising, cleaning and maintenance, etc..

Club Constitution

The Club requires a completely new constitution or terms of reference..

Future Funding

The Club requires assistance and public funding via DCC and the government. Due to the actions of a previous Committee, this approach is not a option for us for the foreseeable future. However, we have forged links with DCC and hosted some of their events. The groundwork has been developed and laid so we should expect this to prosper over time.

Further Information?

Contact the club by email on events@inchicoresportsandsocialclub.com

For Up to date news about activities in the Club – Please follow

The Club Schedule: What’s On – Monthly Calendar Guide – Inchicore Sports & Social Club

The Main Website: Inchicore Sports & Social Club – A unique Social Club in the heart of Dublin 8

The Club on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/InchicoreSSC

Should you wish to contact the secretary of the Club directly, please direct your correspondence to secretary@inchicoresportsandsocialclub.com