Faces Behind D8 - Cathy Scuffil

Can you tell us a little bit about who you are and what your role involves?

Yes, my name is Catherine or Cathy Scuffil. I'm one of the Blackpitts Scuffils from the point of view of Dublin 8, but I was reared in Dolphins Barn. I work as the current historian in residence for Dublin City Council South Central and this role allows me to explore and share with the communities and the neighbourhoods both our history and our heritage, and I try to do it in a meaningful and a practical way.

What does working in this area mean to you personally and professionally?

Personally, I can't tell you how much it means to me to be working in the area because literally I'm working from home and about home. And so, from that point of view, it's very special.

Professionally, it was a golden opportunity to put my qualifications to use. I was a bit of a late starter, I went back to college as an adult through adult education, so this felt like a brilliant chance to do something that connected directly with my decision to continue on to further studies.

So what does a typical day in your role look like?

I don’t think I ever really have a typical day, it changes all the time! But if I were to bring you through an average working day, I’d start in the morning by double-checking my diary, making sure the memory is still doing what it should be doing, and heading to the whiteboard where I keep little prompts for myself. From there, the day just unfolds.

I get plenty of calls and emails, anything from people looking for help with family history to others sharing their own individual stories, which I’m always happy to chat about. I’m on just about every WhatsApp group known to man in the area, it’s pinging all of the time - so there’s always something happening! On top of that, I go to events, do interviews like this one, carry out research, and give talks, walks, and podcasts, various bits and pieces that keep the days interesting and never the same.

What I’ve really learned from this is that things don’t just happen, they have to be made to happen. And that means a lot of work going on behind the scenes to bring it all together. That’s a pretty typical day for me.

What do you enjoy most about your work as the DCC historian in residence?

I think the thing I enjoy most are the communities. The communities I have had the opportunity of working with, and the people. A lot of them are neighbours or would be distant neighbours. Some of them are probably even relatives! I've made many, many friends in the various neighbourhoods, I have really good colleagues and that stretches out to the colleagues I have in DCC and the colleagues I have in the Libraries. So I think, yeah, that would be my favourite thing about it.

How do you see your role connecting with the people of Dublin 8?

I’ve thought about this, and to be fair - it really comes down to sharing. If I can spark a curiosity in people about the place, then from there we can build a sense of belonging, pride and understanding, of what came before us and who came before us. That’s how I see my role - encouraging that curiosity.

If we know where we’ve come from, we probably have a good idea of where we’re going, because we stand on a strong foundation of knowledge and understanding. I think that’s key to the role, that’s really it.

What is a piece of Dublin 8 history you think more people should know about?

Quite simply, it's the curious collection of place names that we have and the meanings behind their origins. It's actually staggering the place names we have around here. And so literally, if we were to take the place names of the area, we can map the history of the area and the people that lived here. I think when we look at it from that point of view, through that lens, we really get a sense that this place is quite unique and really, really special.

And I'll just give you a couple of mad examples, there’s Marrowbone Lane, Cromwell's Quarters, The Tenters, Dolphins Barn.. and every single one of them holds a completely different story about different people.

Do you have a favourite spot, story or lesser known detail about something 8 you'd like to share?

There’s a laneway, blocked up and hidden away now, but locally it’s known as the Back of the Pipes. It runs from Dolphin’s Barn down as far as James’s Walk. To me, it’s one of the unsung place names of the area, because it takes us right back to the monks of the Abbey of Saint Thomas, the same Abbey that gave us Thomas Street and Thomas Court. The monks used it to run their watercourse, bringing a supply into the city of Dublin. That lane actually ran behind the house where I grew up, and it connects with so many layers of history here, going right back to medieval times. These are the kinds of names and places we should be highlighting. Even if the laneway itself is blocked off, the name shouldn’t be lost - we can bring it back.

When I say it touches on every bit of history, I mean it: from the medieval monks, to the distilling industry using the water supply, to the city’s water system itself. In 1916, Éamonn Ceannt used it as a hidden route up to James’s Hospital, then the South Dublin Union. And the locals will tell you their own stories too, like bringing their ‘mott’ down the Back of the Pipes, down the little laneway. It has everything - history, folklore and social memory.

To me, it’s such an unusual and evocative place name, and one worth celebrating. I’d love to see a coffee shop open one day and call itself The Back of the Pipes. Right now, the laneway is closed off and inaccessible, but to me, it has everything, from medieval history to moments of antisocial behaviour - all of it woven into its story. It sums up the place so well.

How do you make history feel alive for local communities?

I have a simple little strategy I use when I’m putting together a talk or sharing a piece of history with a local community. What I’ve found works best is to start with something people already know. They’ll nod along, saying, “Oh yeah, heard that before, that’s true.” That gives them confidence in me. Then I follow it with something new, something I’ve discovered, so they trust me to bring the story a step further.

The other part of the strategy is about emotion. I always try to include something that makes people laugh, a funny story, a quirky detail, something they can relate to. And then I balance that with something that touches them more deeply, that might even make them feel a bit sad. But I never like to end on a sad note, I don’t want people leaving the room crying or depressed!

So those are my four building blocks if I’ve been given a theme or a topic to look at: something they know, something they don’t, something that makes them laugh, and something that makes them cry. That mix creates an emotional connection, and once you have that, you’re back to a sense of place, belonging, and understanding.

It’s a very simple approach, but it’s worked well for me. At this stage, I think people almost expect it. They’ll say, “Cathy, your talks are entertaining,” and I think what they mean is that I made them smile or laugh and, for a moment, I might have stirred something more tender in them.

Is there a stand out memory or highlight from your time in this role?

There are so many but I’ll give you three.

The first has to be The Lost Céilí. That was a project we did with the community development team, and we involved the local schoolchildren. It’s based on one simple but powerful story from 1916.

So 1916 in this area, bringing in Richmond Barracks, Marrowbone Lane Distillery, all of those stories that are all part of our 1916 history here. But one line from the witness statements really stood out, because in Marrowbone Lane Distillery, we unusually had men and women in the distillery together in 1916. They knew each other, they were friends, they had all gone to Céilí’s and to dances together. A lot of the Rising was actually planned around social evenings. By the sixth day of the Rising, they decided they'd hold a Céilí - only in Ireland in the middle of a revolution! - They thought, we’re all here together, let’s have a dance. That’s what happens when you get young people together! But of course, it never happened because the surrender was called that morning. That moment became known as The Lost Céilí, or The Missing Céilí—the céilí that never took place. And it had a huge emotional impact on those involved, because it was something joyful they had planned, and then it was gone. Some were detained, some lost their lives, and many didn’t see the day.

To share that story with the children of the area, the Community Development team really came on board big time. They organised Céilí lessons in some of the schools, and we got the children together where they learned three dances. Just before COVID, we brought them together to perform, and they also read little pieces from the witness statements, weaving it all into a small play about the events of 1916 in the area. It was absolutely brilliant—so moving to see the children dancing, telling the story, and really connecting with it.

For me, it was very emotional, and I truly enjoyed it. It was wonderful working with the Community Development team and the schools, and I hope it left a lasting impression on the children. It certainly left one on me.

The second stand-out project was gathering COVID memories from the local schools during the pandemic. We asked the children to write down, on a single sheet of paper, their personal memory of that time - whatever stood out most to them. I’ve had those pages lodged in the city library and archive, so they’re kept for the future.

As far as I know, we’re probably the only area in the country that’s done something like that. It even inspired another project by South Dublin County Council. When the children returned to school, they did an arts project based on the same idea and that collection is now held in their archive as well.

So as a city, we now have a real archival collection of children’s experiences during COVID. And some of them were lovely, simple things: I got to spend time with Mammy, I cooked with my granny. Others were more difficult: I couldn’t see my Nana or I couldn’t go and play with my friends.

All of those memories, things we might forget over time, are now saved, forever, for the city.

And the last one, of course, is the weavers - The Liberties Weavers. My pride and joy. I’m absolutely delighted to have brought weaving back to the Liberties.

What's coming up for you in the near future that you're most excited about?

In the immediate future, it’s the Dublin Festival of History. I’ve got seven events lined up for it already, with possibly one or two more being added. It also happens to overlap with Active Ageing Week, so I’ll be doing a few talks in nursing homes around that time too. Those aren’t part of the festival officially, but it’s the same idea - sharing stories and local history, and I’m delighted to be able to do it.

One thing I always feel, though, is that the Liberties lose out a bit during the festival, mainly because we don’t have a library in the area. A lot of my events are library-based, so that’s always something that niggles at me. Still, I’ll be speaking in Inchicore, Ballyfermot, and Kevin Street Libraries.

One talk I’m particularly excited about is on the Dublin Camino, which a few people have shown real interest in and because it’s James’s Street-based, it’s very much about promoting the Liberties. I’m also doing one on the Dolphin’s Barn brickworks for the Library in the Community programme up in Drimnagh. Then there’s One Photograph, Many Stories, which is based on a photograph I found in an archive and all the history behind it, that one ties into Dolphin’s Barn too.

I’ve a few more lined up as well, including one on the South Circular Road - so yes, a good mix of local history talks. I always try to keep the topics varied, but they all come back to telling the stories of the area.

What do you love most about Dublin 8 outside of work?

It has to be growing up in this community. They celebrate with you - they celebrate your successes. When you get your driving licence, the whole neighbourhood knows! When you achieve something, they know about it.

But they’re also there when you need them most. So, you know, they would turn up for family funerals. They’ll drop in a little card when things mightn't be too good. Little things like that.

They’re part of what I do, and they’re always there for me. And I certainly feel like I’m one of their own, and that sense of security gives me a platform from which I can go on and do other things because I always know that I have that to fall back on.

I’ve got multiple mummies and daddies and they’re all from the community I grew up in.

QuickFire Round

Favourite Dublin 8 landmark?

This is a challenge, but I’m going to say the houses. The variety of houses. We’ve got red brick, Dolphin’s Barn brick, granite, modern builds, old, new, small, big, apartments and homes, we’re such a mix around here. It’s just so special.

I’m thinking of the red bricks on Reuben Street, the different styles along South Circular Road, even the Tudor ones. There’s such variety. And with my history hat on, I know the background to a lot of them, why they were built, who built them, and that really brings the whole place together for me.

So that would be my landmark, the sense that I’m in a different part of Dublin 8 just by the type of housing and homes around me. I like that. I couldn’t pick just one building, that wouldn’t be fair. The other buildings would be annoyed with me! So yes, that’s it - the houses.

Best place for a coffee or lunch nearby?

The Hyatt Centric, without a question.

One word to describe Dublin 8?

It’s Home.

If you had to recommend one experience in the area, what would it be?

To go for a stroll. Not a walk - a proper stroll down Meath Street or Francis Street, along Thomas Street, and into the side streets. Start noticing things like the houses, the windows, the window boxes, the curtains, the old foot scrapers - all the little details.

Because, at the end of the day, it’s the little things that give us our identity.

One thing I love, and that visitors often notice, is the variety of colours people paint their hall doors. It gives the area such a sense of individuality. You really see it around Spitalfields and the roads off Meath Street — it’s like every house has a different coloured door. I’ve noticed it in Portobello too. It’s such a lovely thing, and it adds to the character of the place. These are the kinds of things we often take for granted, but when someone points them out, you realise how special they are.

So that’s what I’d recommend - go and soak up the atmosphere. Stroll through the streets, listen to the conversations, notice the different accents, the mix of people, and feel that sense of friendliness and support that’s there. Sometimes it’s just someone calling out “How are you?” from across the road, but it tells you everything about the place.