Name: Deirdre and Anita Purdy
Address: Ballymun, Dublin 11
Dwelling: Tower Block
Here since: Birth
We've spent all our lives here in the flats. We'd never say we wished we'd been born somewhere else. We love it here. Our mother and father moved here when the flats were first put up, from the tenements in Clanbrassil Street. We were in a two-bedroom flat with five girls and a boy, and our mother was offered houses over the years, and she wouldn't take them. She loves the flats, and our father loved them, too. To get him out of the flat might have been hard.
There are four towers gone, and three left of the seven - two of them were blown up. We're in the ones that were done up a few years ago, windows on the balconies and everything, which means we'll be last to get a house. If and when we ever do get a house, it'll be a culture shock. We don't live together any more, but there are five girls in the family, and our mother, and we're all in the same area.
We loved it as children here. When we were growing up you could go to bed with the door open. I don't know about growing up in it now; it's a bit different. We're actually in a quiet area, and we have 24-hour security and a concierge, so it's a bit safer, and there's a football pitch and playground for the kids.
But we really need a better shopping centre - we have one, but it's not great. There's supposed to be a new one going up, but when is the question. To buy clothes and stuff you have to go to Santry. Years ago when we were kids there were more shops in the centre. It felt like a real town centre. If you need something, you should be able to pop over to it.
We know what people think when they hear the name Ballymun, but anyone who gets involved out here loves it. The sense of community here is great, stronger than many other areas. It's not the same as when we were growing up. Friends would be popping in to our mother for a cup of tea. There are so many people moving in and out that it's harder to get to know people, but there's still a good sense of community.
We've been working in the Axis arts centre here for a few years between us. It's definitely made a difference to the area - the kids come to the comedy shows, and they'd be just hanging around with nothing to do otherwise. It does offer a lot for the kids - there's dancing, ballet, trad music, a creche, recording studios. It's very lively. The whole area is definitely looking up.