Independent Ireland Councillor Linda de Courcy who represents Clondalkin on South Dublin County Council has reported that a new application had been lodged with the Council for Dolcain House on Monastery Road in Clondalkin village. The application seeks approval for “Change of use from Office to Temporary International Protection Accommodation and associated site works.”
The building, which used to be the offices of SIAC construction, had been the site of protests, and has been used to house what Councillor de Courcy describes as “economic migrants” since October 2022.
It was briefly closed in January 2023 when the 148 men who were resident there had to be moved to alternative accommodation when the Dublin Fire Brigade refused to grant fire certification pending works. A planning application to turn the building into apartments had been refused by South Dublin County Council earlier in 2022.
The significance of this application – made just a week before Christmas on December 18 – is, Councillor de Courcy claims, that it seeks to definitively redesignate the building from office use to international protection accommodation.
This means that the building will be designated as an IPAS centre if the council approves the request. The fact that the building was not previously approved for residential accommodation as apartments is another indication of the different standards applied to IPAS centres.
Councillor de Courcy also pointed out that it is not open to either elected councillors or members of the public to make observations or to object to the proposal. Speaking to Gript, she expressed her unhappiness both with the continued use of the building to accommodate male applicants for international protection, and the manner in which such decisions continue to be made without prior consultation or notice, or the opportunity for the elected Council to examine and approve or otherwise the applications.
The company that has made the application to SDCC is Randalswood Holdings. The company is owned by members of the McGrath family through McGrath Group Developments, Premier Star Equipment and Perelisa Management. All of which are owned by individual members of the McGrath family. The McGraths have been highly successful in the construction sector, and, in common with many others, have likely decided that providing accommodation for persons claiming asylum represents a lucrative state/taxpayer guaranteed opportunity.
The company was founded over 40 years ago, and prior to branching out into providing accommodation for asylum applicants. mostly concentrated on apartments, build to rent and office and retail leasing. The company has also been involved in the construction sector in the UK and Germany.
Payments to the group have been made to Randalswood Construction and Randalswood Holdings. The directors of Randalswood Construction are Thomas, P.J and Mary McGrath, Alan McDonnell and Kevin Codd. McDonnell has been a director of the other McGrath owned companies since October 2024 as well as Skyhigh Aviation, RCL Construction and Palmerstown Gate which are also owned by the McGrath family. Codd was appointed as a director of Randalswood on the same day as McDonnell and has no other listings with the Companies Registration Office (CRO). He is the general manager of Randalswood Construction.
Randalswood Holdings and Randalstown Construction are both recipients of payments from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY). The Integration wing which signs off the cheques has been moved back to the Department of Justice, as if that makes any difference. Since the beginning of 2023, Randalswood has drawn down €3,710,425. Randalswood Construction reported a profit of €1.4 million in 2022 so the IPAS cheques represent a not-insignificant new revenue stream.
I am certain that no one begrudges the McGrath family and associates their good fortune. However, as we have pointed out in regard to hospitality the diversion of premises to this huge and growing sector has a negative impact. We have seen that in relation to the closure of hotels and guesthouses and the knock on impact in the reset of the tourist and tourist dependent sector. When construction and property companies like Randalswood opt for IPAS this is obviously taking away space that might be used to address the housing shortage. It also limits the room for retail and other sectors.
I have seen some describe this as a symptom of bottom feeding capitalism. Is it even capitalism? Capitalism fundamentally is about producing goods and value. The refugee accommodation sector is not only unproductive, it requires comparatively little input in terms of labour. Put shortly, very few people are even employed by it. It is therefore not contributing to real economic growth and employment and in fact can be more accurately described as a negative force that damages the real productive economy.
It is our equivalent of the casino on the native American reservation. Except with fewer popcorn sellers and car park attendants and short order chefs. But with the same collateral and demeaning cultural and social damage.
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Dolcain House (photo Echo.ie)