Dublin’s Tog hackerspace is on the hunt for a new home

4 Jun 2021

Still from ’Tog Sign Repair’. Image: Tog.ie Dublin Hackerspace/YouTube

The space for hackers and makers has been based in Dublin 8’s Blackpitts since 2016.

One of Ireland’s big hackerspaces is on the lookout for a new home.

Tog, which provides a community-run space for hackers and makers, is currently based in Blackpitts in Dublin 8.

However, the group has been given notice on this premises and has to leave by the end of July, and said that the search for a new base has proven “very difficult” in the current rental market.

Tog was founded in 2009 to create a space for people to work on projects from electronics to crafting, and from beer brewing to metal working.

The hackerspace has been based in Blackpitts since 2016, and this was the third space it has called home since the group was established.

Tog is a non-profit group funded by members. It currently has a community of around 100 people with backgrounds in software, hardware, engineering and arts and design, and ranging in age from students to retired people.

Tog runs events and workshops and is involved in external events such as Dublin Maker and other STEM outreach programmes.

The Blackpitts hackerspace also appeared last year in the RTÉ series Big Life Fix, which saw a group of designers, engineers and tech experts come together to create inventions to transform people’s lives.

“Tog is an essential outlet for so many creatives and makers who are not catered for anywhere else,” said founding member Jeffrey Roe.

“It’s the hub for makers and people who want to bring real things from an idea to reality in the city, being away from any commercial pressures and letting their imagination run wild. A community where idea and knowledge sharing go hand in hand.”

In its new hub, Tog is looking for a light industrial or workshop space with potential for facilities such as a common room, kitchen and classroom. It ideally needs to be in an area that is accessible to members and the wider community, with public transport links.

The group is asking for anyone with suggestions to get in touch.

Sarah Harford was sub-editor of Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com