The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has told Gript it is “not aware of any offer” regarding asylum seeker accommodation at Telephone House on Marlborough Street in Dublin 1.
Gript asked the government department to comment on online speculation that up to 1,000 asylum seekers would be moving into Telephone House on Marlborough Street in the North inner city by the end of the summer.
The unconfirmed reports began circulating this week, receiving widespread attention across social media.
“The Department is not aware of any offer regarding Telephone House on Marlborough Street at this time,” it told this publication in a statement.
It comes after it was claimed that 1,000 migrants were set to move into the building, beside O’Connell Street, by the end of the summer.
Telephone House, Marlborough Street in Dublin 1 is to accommodate up to 1,000 migrants by end of summer.
The nine storey building which is situated just off O'Connell Street was sold for €17 million in 2016.#IrelandIsFull pic.twitter.com/WcCgODWNmi
— RM.tv🇮🇪 (@RealMessageEire) July 19, 2023
Many responses expressed concern, with one saying that the reported use of the nine-story building in the city centre would signal the “end of tourism in Dublin.”
A withdrawn planning appeal from Bord Pleanála was cited on social media to support the claims:
https://twitter.com/conmurphycarlow/status/1681960937236881410?s=46&t=EIObaeEt0Fi-cEMBLRd2LA
The planning application details plans to convert the building from an office to a 296-bedroom apart hotel. Telephone House is the applicant.
It states: “Change of use from office to use as an aparthotel to accommodate 296 bedroom suites. Construction of extension to the eighth floor. Demolition of the core from basement to eighth floor. Multi use development and associated site works.”
The sprawling building was sold to a private investor for close to €17 million — €5.5 million over the guide price — back in 2016.
The price was driven by “strong competition between a number of investment companies interested in converting the 1970s block into a hotel,” The Irish Times reported at the time.
Nearby, the former Findlater House on O’Connell Street was sold three years before, in 2013. for €6.2 million. It was converted into a 198-bedroom Holiday Inn Express, opened in 2016.
Telephone House was previously used as a call centre by global conglomerate HCL, which is contracted to provide customer and technical support services to Eir, formerly Eircom.
It comes as protests unfolded in Ballybrack in the southside of Dublin on Wednesday in regard to speculation around migrant centres. Local residents objected to plans to house asylum seekers in their area. Ridge Hall in Ballybrack, a building reportedly earmarked for asylum seekers, was the scene of demonstrations; reports say that the building was damaged and vandalised during the demonstration.
Fine Gael TD in Dún Laoghaire, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill described the actions of some as “unacceptable destruction and disruption” in a series of tweets.
She wrote: “Unacceptable destruction and disruption in Ballybrack tonight. Always happy to engage in a constructive way but vandalism of an empty building in an effort to frighten and intimidate local residents is not the way forward.”
Ms MacNeill said that she was “seeking more information from @DeptHousingIRL & @dcediy following an initial update tonight that Ridge Hall is currently being refurbished under the Department of Housing with Equality not yet notified of its availability yet.”
In a separate incident late on Monday night, the family home of former People before Profit, now Independent, councillor Hugh Lewis was protested. The Sunday World reports that a rock was thrown through the window of the home, over the councillor’s views on immigration.
Cllr Lewis said in a statement: “It’s my family home. My father lives there now. He is rather shook and upset. He was in the front room at the time.
“A threatening note was attached, referencing the councillors support for refugees and asylum seekers and saying: ‘This is your last warning,’” he claimed.
While the attack on Cllr Lewis’s home was been met with widespread condemnation, including from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar — who said it was “absolutely wrong” — others have voiced support for ongoing protests around immigration and the sentiments expressed by those who are genuinely concerned about Ireland’s immigration policy.
Callers on the Niall Boylan podcast told the radio host and journalist that people had a right to stand up for their communities:
This is just a sample of the anger from callers to today’s show and they didn’t hold back on their views on immigration in Ireland and how people should and shouldn’t protest on all matters they disagreed with.
Listen to the whole show here: https://t.co/jlG3IJY3Ut
Do you think… pic.twitter.com/WgOt2ff5az— Niall Boylan (@Niall_Boylan) July 20, 2023
Solicitor Malachy Steenson — who has been involved in the organisation of some immigration protests — addressing the issue of protests outside politician’s homes, told Mr Boylan that people were frustrated they were not being listened to.
He appeared to reference Telephone House, saying that he was awaiting confirmation of reports that the building was to be used for migrants.
Seeming to reference Telephone House, the solicitor and activist said that people were “awaiting confirmation” from government departments regarding whether the building, along with another building in the capital, would be used to house asylum seekers.
“In Dublin City […] in the city centre, there is now a huge number — and the numbers change every day — of mainly asylum seekers, not refugees, but asylum seekers, and now we hear that there is a building in Dublin 1 again which has been renovated and is almost ready to take in 1,000 asylum seekers.
“There is another building that, we know, they intended opening earlier in the year but didn’t, and [the government] denied that they were intending to do that. Now we know that they are prepared to put 300 people into it.
“Is that speculation or is that fact?” Boylan asked.
“As far as I’m aware, we haven’t fully confirmed it and we are waiting for confirmation from the departments on that,” Mr Steenson said. “But on the 300, I’m 99% sure — we just can’t release that information yet.”
He asked why people were not being housed in areas like Ballsbridge, claiming the intention of putting people into working class areas was “to drive people out.”
“You walk into the city centre of Dublin and it’s a Kip,” he said, adding that the city centre had enough problems as it was.
“You can’t solve any of those problems if you keep increasing the number of people needing services,” he said.
Mr Steenson went on to deny claims that the protests were small and were not impactful.
He said people were afraid of coming out for fear of being labelled “fascists and far-right.”
“Ordinary people do not want to be targeted,” he said.
Addressing comments made by Sinn Féin TD Kathleen Function — who said that people should bring their concerns to local representatives instead of protesting — Mr Steenson said those protesting had already done so.
“When we listen to somebody like Kathleen Function, who says that people should take their concerns to their local politician, people have done that. That is an absolute waste of time.”
He said that Function, along with those in her party, and the majority of TDs in Leinster House, had voted for open borders and hate speech legislation.
He blasted Function for condemning street protests, along with many on the left of the political spectrum.
“They are saying the exact opposite to what the people want,” he told the show.
Mr Steenson said he was not opposed to immigration, but that Ireland is now attracting what he described as “welfare tourists.”
He denied that the vast majority of people were coming here from war-torn countries, claiming that the “vast majority” were coming to Ireland through the U.K.
Mr Steenson said demand was being increased on hospitals, housing and schools — but that borders now needed to be closed.
When asked about those who had caused disruption and trouble at protests over immigration, Mr Steenson said he denied that such individuals made up a large number.
“I deny there is a large cohort of people like that. There may be a small number,” he said.
Mr Boylan said that he supported the sentiments of protests, but claimed that some involved were “clearly racists” who “stir up hate.”
Mr Steenson told the podcast that the Irish political class “don’t want any debate or discussion” over the government’s immigration policy. He blasted RTE and other mainstream platforms failing to open up debate and invite those critical of the government’s immigration policy onto programmes like PrimeTime.
“They haven’t invited us on, and they’ve done that purposely so the debate doesn’t take place,” he said. “Let’s have the debate,” he added.
If you missed today’s Podcast, we spoke to @MalachySteenson and protestors who are objecting to immigration policy and asylum seeker accommodation. Callers were very vocal and you won’t believe what some said. Listen to the whole show here: https://t.co/jlG3IJYBK1 pic.twitter.com/zZhmBwabx4
— Niall Boylan (@Niall_Boylan) July 20, 2023