Why is there so few open spaces / squares in Dublin?

Irelands lack of outdoors has nothing got to do with weather. It's got to do with our fekin weird culture of shame and embarrassment. All fun has to be done indoors behind darkened glass.

When the new pangolins pergolas went up in Limerick after Covid I heard people some say that "no one will use them because people will be lookin at you"

Cultural change is already bringing about the kinds of places the OP pines for.

This comes up every year. This is what was said the last time and it's still true.

It starts with "there's no public squares in Dublin" then people point out a few and the people that weren't aware of them pretend they were aware of them all the time but suddenly don't like them or "they're too dangerous" or there's people they don't like using them already...

St. Stephen’s Green.

Opened in 1880, St. Stephen’s Green is perhaps Dublin’s most well-known Georgian square.

Mounty Square.

Planned and developed in the late 18th century by Luke Gardiner, the 1st Viscount Mountjoy, Mountjoy Square was once Dublin’s most prestigious Georgian square.

Parnell Square.

Perched at the end of O’ Connell Street, Dublin’s main thoroughfare, Parnell Square is the oldest Georgian square in the city.

Merrion Square.

One of the best surviving Georgian Squares in Dublin, Merrion Square’s architecture has remained unchanged for 200 years. Most notably the west side of the square has the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery and Leinster House.

Fitzwilliam Square.

Only a stone's throw south of Merrion Square, Fitzwilliam Square is the smallest and the last of the last of the five Dublin Georgian squares to be completed.

Temple Bar Square.

The heart and soul of Dublin’s historical and cultural activities, Temple Bar Square is a spot popular with tourists. The area is a historical hodgepodge as it was once a medieval suburb that was redeveloped in the 1600’s for British families and then again in the late 20th century to become the vibrant spot in the city filled with pubs and restaurants.

Meeting House Square

Just around the corner from Temple Bar Square hidden down a small walkway is the much more contemporary Meeting House Square. It is Dublin’s newest square, only opening in 2011.

Mayor Square.

Located in the IFSC, Ireland’s financial epicentre, Mayor Square is another square that shows off a more cutting-edge side to the city. Surrounded by Dublin’s modern architectural additions including the Samuel Beckett Bridge, IFSC House and the Convention Centre

Grand Canal Dock.

Nicknamed Silicon Docks, Grand Canal Dock is fast becoming one of the trendiest squares in Dublin. Home to tech companies such as Facebook, Google and Airbnb.

Smithfield Square.

Cafés, Restaurants, Bars and Entertainment in the heart of Dublin 7.

Fitzwilliam square park is, but I walked in to it a few times, it wasn't locked up, however the garden is private.

Regarding Mayor Sq., it exists, it's nice, it's utilised & busy with people at lunch time in the summer. The OP wanted to know why there are so few open spaces, not who uses them or if there's people there that they may not like!

o,connell street is not a great place to hang around ,too much noise traffic ,theres a few small parks around the city centre if you know dublin well .most of dublin was built after 1800 to 1900 , if you exclude modern suburbs built after 1960 . the canals are good place s to sit down if you want somewhere quiet on a summers day .stephens green is a nice place to go ,summer or winter . the builders .designers of dublin did not like large public squares ,its more of a european tradition and squares take a lot of work to keep clean.

look at videos of dublin in the 80s, it was full of old empty derelict buildings in bad condition .it looks alot better now ,why the hell would you look to o.connell street as a quiet relaxing palce to go unless you are inside a small cafe

The outdoor civic area in Clongriffin beside the Dart station is nice. When they start bringing retail in it's going work.

It was never part of our culture really.

Before the smoking ban, you didn't even see tables outside pubs and cafes. That's a new thing.

Even pedestrianized streets like Grafton st and Galway are relatively new.

I know in Spain and Italy they've lovely little plazas surrounded by cafes, bars and restaurants and you'll see all generations sitting out. It's lovely to see.

I agree Smithfield Square could be improved. We'll see what happens with Capel St but it has lots of potential.

Recently Mayor Sq, Temple Bar Sq, Meeting House Sq, Grand Canal Sq are all new additions to the city.

Wolfe Tone Sq is nice.

College Green Plaza if it ever happens could be amazing.

St Andrews st could become a plaza also if no traffic goes through there, but I'm not sure about it.

I think Mountjoy Sq and Diamond park are both being rejuvenated.

If the maternity hospital was moved from Parnell Sq it could be great.

Newmarket Sq will be great once it's done. Maybe in 3 or 4 years time. It's a real student quarter now.

Pretty sure I was going to Meeting House Square long before 2011

Pretty sure you were & I'm people were meeting there for the last millennia!! Irish weather convinced Temple Bar Cultural Trust in 2004 that Meeting House Square needed to become more than just an “outdoor room”. Following an open tendering process, TBCT commissioned Sean Harrington architects to create a retractable canopy roof that would, in effect ‘complete’ the square. Seven years later in 2011, at a cost of €2.4 million, the twentieth anniversary of Temple Bar’s regeneration was marked with the installation of four 21m high ‘umbrellas’, creating the first retractable cover of its type in Ireland.

In case people didn't know, O'Connell St. originally was a public square until the row houses at the southern end were demolished. If Dublin were to have a grand square, then pedestrianising O'Connell St is the best option, in terms of it being a natural focal point, its shape and location.

The problem is that it is a major bus route for which there are no realistic alternatives currently.