Working Class of North City Dublin as presented in the film The Commitments

The setting of the film The Commitments is in a fictional neighborhood on the North Side of Dublin called Barrytown. The characters are from working-class families and that idea is reflected over the course of the movie.  There are run-down and deserted areas, streets with debris all over, and small, cramped housing throughout. Children are frequently seen playing in alleys and streets, and often are participating in dangerous activities. Based on the film, the North Dublin Irish working-class citizens were crowded and cramped into run down areas in the early 1990’s, when this movie was filmed. The main character, Jimmy Rabbitte, lives in a small house with his large family. One of the backup singers, Bernie, has a large family that she has to help provide for and take care of, all the while living in a small apartment. A large family seems to be a theme with the Irish working-class at this time. With a modest amount of space and a lower quality of life, the Irish working-class did not have it easy.

The majority of the working-class citizens of Dublin were concentrated in the North Side. However, the North side of Dublin is not solely consisting of working-class citizens. There are many famous churches, theaters, companies, parks, and streets that are landmarks in this area. In the film we see very little of this, giving the impression of a dilapidated neighborhood with little to offer except for the gem of a band that comes out of it. The cramped and low-quality lifestyle that is presented in the film depicts the areas that do not have landmarks such as churches and parks. When the band leaves their neighborhood to play shows the contrast of the quality of the buildings and spaces is incredibly obvious. Just by comparing the working-class Dubliners to the other areas of the city, and other parts of Ireland, it becomes very clear just how difficult it must be to be a working-class North city Dubliner.

While watching this film, the viewer will notice that the houses look alike. As in modern day housing developments the easiest and fastest way to build is to have similar features. This housing was built by the government in an effort to build cheaper houses for those who need them and needed something affordable.  There aren’t really any colorfully painted homes in the film- mostly we see gray, dark, dirty homes. There is a lack of privacy that is present when the homes are shown. This emphasizes one of the main points in the film- creativity and individuality have to be worked at in this type of environment. The North Dublin working-class won’t have the time or means to spruce up their homes or even to make their home a little different from the one next door.