What living conditions did many Dublin families face in the early 1900s?

In the early 1900s, many families in Dublin faced severe living conditions characterized by widespread poverty and inadequate housing. Large portions of the inner city were dominated by slums, which remained a significant social issue for decades following the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922.1

It was not until the 1932 government of Eamon de Valera and his Fianna Fáil party that a concerted effort was launched to address these conditions. This initiative focused on clearing the worst inner-city slums and relocating residents to new housing projects on the outskirts of the city. These efforts, combined with the later introduction of improved health care, old-age pensions, and children’s allowances, were essential steps in beginning to improve the quality of life for Dublin’s poor.1