As I noted here a few weeks ago a company called Nera Accommodation based in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, received the second highest individual payment of all providers of asylum accommodation for the last three months of 2024.
That payment of €3,933,972.50 further boosted the bank accounts of Noel Martin and Darren Martin both of Crann Nua, Carrickmacross and who are the joint owners of Nera Accommodation through Mac Cuill Limited and Mac Greine Limited.
Between 2022 and the end of 2024 Nera Accommodation had drawn down €11 million in asylum payments. They have done well out of the sector. The payments would appear to account for the vast bulk of the €4.6 million after-tax profit declared in March 2024 when the company’s assets had increased by over €1.2 million to €3.35 million.
That the Martins continue to do so well might come as a surprise given that, as we reported last October, their contract with the Department of Integration for the accommodation of asylum seekers in the East End Hotel, Portarlington was ended.
The East End Hotel was acquired by the Martins in 2006 and there is a mortgage charge on the property with Danske Bank. The hotel had been accommodating asylum seekers for several years prior to the establishment of Nera and in 2020 was the focus of controversy regarding overcrowding in the hotel.
The withdrawal of the contract last October followed a report on Gript that people who were supposed to be resident in the hotel were, in fact, staying at private accommodation in different parts of Portarlington. This was confirmed by Gript when we obtained photographs linking the hotel to residents of various properties who we could also confirm were applicants for International Protection.
One of those properties became the subject of a High Court case last November in which the registered owners of one of the houses alleged that Nera Accommodation was using the house to accommodate the overflow from the East End Hotel and that a “dangerous situation” had arisen at the house due to the overcrowding of men into bunk beds. The legal situation remains unresolved.
Due to representations made by Councillor Aidan Mullins and others, Laois County Council last November issued warning letters regarding the use of properties in the town. They apparently had also notified the Residential Tenancies Board about the use of those properties which Gript also found were not registered with the RTB.
An IPAS spokesperson was quoted as confirming on October 24 last that the East End Hotel is “no longer providing accommodation services to IPAS.”
Despite that, persons claiming asylum would appear to have remained in residence at the hotel and I was informed on Tuesday that persons who appear to be claiming International Protection are still staying in the hotel. When I attempted to make bookings on various dates over the next two months the site informed me that “this property has no rooms available for the requested dates.”
The ongoing accommodation of asylum seekers at the hotel appears indeed never to have stopped. Last December, I contacted the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth asking them to comment on the claim that there were then “around 60 persons who are registered with IPAS who are currently staying at the East End Hotel in Portarlington whose contract for accommodation of asylum seekers was withdrawn in October last and finished at the end of November.”
I informed the Department that I had been told that there were men staying in the hotel who had been there previously as persons who were under the responsibility of IPAS. I did not receive any response to that email, sent on December 12 last. On March 6, I again emailed the Department regarding the most recent payment of almost €4 million to the owners of the East End Hotel and in the light of the reports that asylum seekers were still resident whether the owners “were still receiving payments for persons who were supposed to be in that hotel after October?”
The Department press office informed me that “The Department ceased its business arrangement with the East End Hotel on 20 November 2024. Contractual arrangements for IPAS centres are confidential and commercially sensitive.”
I contacted them again regarding Tuesday’s information, again inquiring if they were aware of reports that “there are still people claiming IP who are resident at that address.” I asked the Department to “confirm or otherwise that this is the case, and if so are Nera and Martin receiving payments for this?” I had received no response prior to publication.
Meanwhile, Gript has been made aware that Noel Martin appears to have persons who are believed to have applied for International Protection staying in at least five private houses which appear to be owned by him in The Elms and The Willows estates, Lough na Glack, Carrickmacross. None of the addresses are registered with the Rental Tenancies Board.
Noel and Darren Martin are directors of a Lough na Glack Management Company which bears the same name as the estate. I contacted the North and East Housing Association which has allocated 60 homes in Lough na Glack as to whether any of the addresses in question were among them and if they were aware of the use of properties which were not registered with the RTB. I received no response.
I contacted Noel Martin requesting a comment on information that he was providing accommodation for persons who appeared to be applicants for International Protection in Gort na Glack, but had received no response prior to publication.
I contacted Monaghan County Council and all of the six elected Councillors for the Carrickmacross-Castleblayney ward. Sinn Féin Councillor Colm Carthy responded, telling me that “Some other houses in this estate were raised with us previously and our local TD, Matt Carthy, had submitted a query to the department – who indicated that none of those houses were under such contract.”
Councilor Carthy has also contacted the Chief Fire Officer and Building Control of Monaghan County Council to notify them of the buildings.
Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy contacted the Community Engagement team in DCEDIY and they confirmed to him that “the Department has received no offer of accommodation in respect of 2 & 4 The Willows, Lough na Glack and 3,4 and 5 The Elms, Lough na Glack, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan.”
There was no response from any of the other Councillors nor from the Council itself. Nor was there any response to a query which I sent to Monaghan Integrated Development regarding whether they were aware of persons claiming International Protection who were reported to be staying at the houses in Lough na Glack and who had contacted them with queries.