Residents of Chapelizod last night presented the Taoiseach with a local area plan - and a heartfelt plea to help save the unique qualities of a village older than Dublin city itself.
During the last 10 years, Mr Ahern was told, Chapelizod had lost a pharmacy, two butchers, a hairdresser's, a cafe and a video shop.
Ms Nuala Deighan, of the Chapelizod Old Village Association, said residents had to "run the gauntlet" of incessant traffic to reach the two surviving shops because there was no pedestrian crossing on the main street.
One of the aims of the local area plan, which was funded by Dublin Corporation, is to ensure that Chapelizod develops as a "viable, sustainable community" with new housing targeted at families rather than more apartment blocks for single people.
The plan proposes projects such as cantilevered pedestrian boardwalks on both sides of the narrow masonry arch bridge, a James Joyce "pocket park" for a derelict site and a walkway along the Liffey.
Mr Jerome Casey, of the Chapelizod Residents' Association, proposed that a company called Chapelizod Heritage Ltd should oversee implementation of the plan through employing a full-time project manager, with costs being shared by the community and Dublin Corporation.
Last night's Mansion House ceremony to unveil the plan was attended by the Lord Mayor, Alderman Maurice Ahern, the city manager, Mr John Fitzgerald, and other senior officials.
