I have noticed in old photographs of the building and advertisements that it is spelled ‘Faussagh’ but elswhere it is ‘Fassaugh’ … are there two different spellings?
This pub was also known as Matt Whelans and I also believe that it may have been known as the Fassaugh House Pub when the gangland killing took place in April 2010.
Matt’s Cabra House Pub, also known as the Fassaugh House Pub, was a pub located at 2A Fassaugh Avenue in Cabra, Dublin. It was established in the early 1900s and was a popular local watering hole for many years. The pub was known for its friendly atmosphere and its traditional Irish music sessions.
In April 2010, the pub was the scene of a gangland murder. Eamonn ‘The Don’ Dunne, a leading figure in the Dublin crime scene, was shot dead at the pub. Dunne was sitting with his 16-year-old daughter when he was attacked. He was shot twice in the head and a number of times in the body. His daughter was unharmed.
The murder of Eamonn Dunne sent shockwaves through Dublin. He was a well-known figure in the city and his death was seen as a major escalation in the gangland violence. The Gardaí (Irish police) launched a major investigation into the murder but no one has ever been brought to justice for the crime.
In the years since the murder, Matt’s Cabra House Pub has remained closed. The building is now derelict and it is unclear what will happen to it in the future.
Freestanding underground public toilet block, constructed c.1900. Carved granite plinth having perforated metal roundels to east and west elevations. Wrought-iron railings with stylised shamrock heads. Cast-iron ventilation shaft with stylised foliage to shaft. Granite stairs with tiled walls leading from street level, with wrought-iron gate.
Located at the Liberties crossroad junction of Kevin Street, New Street South, Dean Street and Patrick Street. At one time the area was known as Four Corners of Hell as there was a pub on all four corners of the crossroads.
This underground public toilet block at the junction of Kevin Street and New Street was one of a number that were built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in response to an increasing demand for public facilities in the city. Underground facilities such as this were partially hidden from general view in order to satisfy Victorian perceptions of decency. It retains many of its historic features including railings, gates and decorative ventilation shaft.
It caught me by surprise, when I first paid attention to it about six or seven years ago, especially as I should have been aware that these facilities existed having gone to school in Leeson Street and college in Kevin Street.
There are two separate entities – a small park and an underground public toilet. In 2019 the City Council announced that the building would be brought back into use as a cafe as soon as practical but as you can see that plan did not go well.
When I first noticed the structure I thought that it was an old monument or memorial but upon seeing the entrance I realised that it was an underground public toilet block.
In the 1950s and 1960s there were about seventy public toilets in Dublin but all of them have been closed.