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THE GOVERNMENT SIGNED off on plans to buy Dublin’s Citywest Hotel to use for international protection accommodation.
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan announced today that he secured Cabinet approval for the State purchase of the Citywest Hotel and Convention Centre at a cost of €148 million.
The minister said today that the move is part of a long-term strategy to develop a sustainable accommodation system which should deliver savings for the State.
The purchase of the property will also ensure the government meets its obligations under the new EU Pact on migration.
The site which is already being used for both international protection and Ukraine accommodation, currently has capacity to accommodate approximately 2,300 people between the hotel and the Convention Centre.
The hotel has 764 bedrooms and 12 meeting rooms and in the past has been used as a large multi-purpose convention centre.
The State is currently accommodating almost 33,000 people in over 320 International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres around the country including 9,500 children with their families.
Since 2020, the Citywest site has been used by the State, first as part of the Covid-19 response and subsequently since 2022 as a transit hub and accommodation centre for Ukrainian citizens and people seeking international protection.
The minister said there have been “extremely high costs in recent times” regarding accommodation, stating that purchasing Citywest makes prudent financial sense for the State compared to costs of leasing the site.
“The purchase represents a payback period to the State of approximately four years, and over 25 years, the purchase and operating cost model offer savings of more than €1 billion, while delivering a permanent State asset,” he said.
The minister said he is committed to reforming Ireland’s international protection system to ensure its efficiency and robustness.
“My goal is to improve processing systems so that people can receive a decision quickly and fairly, curtailing the need for constant growth in our accommodation system,” he added.
There are no immediate plans to increase capacity at the site as part of the purchase, with the minister clarifying today that his department is also in ongoing discussions to ensure the leisure centre on the site remains open to the public following the purchase.
The leisure centre has approximately 3,000 members and is a valuable amenity for the local community.
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Shocking waste of taxpayers money. I pity the poor residents.
@common sense: I am a resident and it’s heartbreaking. We’ve been well and truly screwed over here…
@Fat Bear: hundreds of jobless middle aged men from who knows where, with radically different values, ideology, morals beliefs and culture… in your community. What could go wrong?
@Joe Willis: fear mongering at its finest
@Rafa C: He’s right though
@Father Ted: nope
@Rafa C: Ehhh Yep. He is Ted.
@common sense: gutted. Born bred and buttered in the area. So disappointed in this government and what they’ve done to my area. It’s visible all day every day. Won’t happen in D4.
@Rafa C: Hard to ignore facts.
@Rafa C: good counter argument. Did it work in Sweden, England and France so far. Ghettos for everyone!
3 000 thousand children will sleep in emergency accommodation in Dublin tonight
Solve our own problems before taking on the world’s problems
@Gerry Kelly: They don’t matter. The EU said we must house these refugees from all over the world, or we will be fined millions. The EU tells us what to do. Ireland holds the EUs pocket like a little b***h.
@Joe Willis: use the 148 to pay the fine
@Gerry Kelly: Didn’t MM and Donal T have a good laugh at this.
@Joe Willis: and we already get fined millions for illegal VRT what the government is charging so what’s a few more million if it’s gonna save us a substantial amount in the long run it’s an absolute disgrace amount of money we are pumping out like a bunch of puppets for the EU
@Joe Willis: my legal immigrant slovak wife just reminded me slovakia is in the EU and they take NO migrants. They think little of the fines
@Fat Bear: well the globalist Finne Gael/Fianna Fail slogan – ‘Ireland for All’. We’re hopeless.
They had an opportunity to purchase this only a couple of years ago for a fraction of the price. There needs to be accountability in the government and also in the civil service.
@Eoin Grant: was the country swamped with scammigrints then
@Great Eagle: It wasn’t as bad, but was still bad. Ever since 2021, after first Covid lockdown, it has gone parabolic. The rats in the EU and a certain other small group are speed running their agenda at this stage.
Would they put the same amount into a border patrol service that had the ability to process asylum applications at airports and ports. Reception centres on site would mean people rejected could be returned to the point of origin.
Not sure what to do about the thousands crossing the border on buses and in taxis though. Maybe immigration checkpoints on the m1, n2 and n3 . The cost of the ipas system is abhorrent to the taxpayer. Was it michael martin that said 80% of applications were not successful?? The costs of repatriation are higher if they don’t follow my suggested model. Not racist, just hate seeing taxes so high and wasted on these people coming here unlawfully. Thanks
@Furious George – The Wasp: just know you can’t board a plane without passport, yet they arrive without one? God only knows WHO we are letting in? Call it racist all you like, I bet it’s gonna bite you in da azz for sure at some stage…….
@peter willekens: bite us :)
Time to get rid if all the multi millionaires who, assisted by the Government, have cashed in on the refugee influx.
@Mary.E.: Plenty of them in the government Mary
@James Carolan:
Healy-Rae using his property in Kerry rented out to government to house immigrants.
Absolute neck of him!
@Denise Daly: absolutely shocking. I remember hearing when so many hotels were being built across dublin, that those purchasing them already had deals arranged to fill them with refugees for years, earning them heaps and heaps with near full long term occupancy. Where’s the sense in granting planning permission for a hotel, when it’s not fit for long term accommodation for individuals, couples or families? It’s a disgrace :( pure greed, and profits being made out of peoples pain and misfortune.
@S banter: and we paying for it all through exorbitant taxes
It was bought for €30 million back in 2013! This is absolute madness
@Sean Reddin: insanity. And all backed by an Israeli backer and funder in the US
€148 million would build a lot of affordable housing for our own children who are struggling to get a step on the property ladder. What an outragious waste of taxpayers hard earned money.
@John Merriman: that’s 590 houses. To actually meet national need and build for the future, you’d be talking closer to €250 to €275 billion over 15 to 20 years.
Hear we go again
@David O Brien: Here
Where are all the Rians, H Woos, Henry Murphy’s, Lance Taylors and Molloys on this article with their usual complimentary comments of the Government and saying the Government are doing a good Job now !!!
@Mary-Jo Lisa O’Callaghan/Murphy Jr.: They probably still on other articles complaining about immigrants, contracting themselves as per usual.
@Mary-Jo Lisa O’Callaghan/Murphy Jr.: don’t jinx it! The ćŕéťìñś absence makes for better comments & debate. (You write, ‘themselves’ when you know it’s one (ahem)…person? Nearly convinced he’s a journal plant anyway…
Disgraceful use of public money
148 million wow that would build three decent sized housing estates.
Using my hard earned taxes to pay for this unvetted sc um to be allowed live off the state is just another kick in the nuts for Irish people.
@Gerry Lamont: Another Fine Gael troll.
More FFG b-cr@p
148 million of tax payers money going to Tetrarch Capital a vulture fund. This government has done nothing for citizens while making vulture funds richer. Disgusting
What an absolute disgrace!!!
Wouldn’t fancy that on my doorstep. What services are in place for that number of people? Crazy .
@Michael Cummins: There’s a Centra and The Anvil Restaurant. Sure, what else do ya need!
They, in the last 2 years alone, have paid the Vulture fund Tertach 50 million for renting city west…and now paying triple that to buy…Lucky Tertach
Will there be room for the Iranian s?
@P. V. Aglue: there is enough of them here already sponging of
The state. wanna be refugees driving brand-new cars. Don’t speak English only when they’re signing the contract for the social house. Siri put my own eyes every day.
@Bren: Not great at the old English yourself Bren, I’d say you are a full-time scrounger.
Let’s bring in thousands of traumatised, undocumented single men, who have an Islamic view of women’s rights.
Sure what could go wrong?
In the Spectrum of Wokeness, Islamic rights out weigh womens rights to go unmolested.
@Paul: Said like a typical Fine Gael voter.
@Jacintha Dumbrell: I hate fg and agree with their comment
@Paul: …Palestinians, yet the mŏrons are wishing them here.. out ta fƙ
No one cares about Paul Murphy and his weekend away in Egypt
Glad the government know what’s the priority for Ireland right now.
It’s our ‘moral obligation’ to continue to support ever increasing numbers of no-skilled, uneducated economic migrants until.such point as it completely destroys social cohesion and our economy. Anything else is just bigotry.
Can Israel please stop ,because we’re getting all the leftovers of the country’s they attack , Palestine, Yemen, Libya, Syria, Lebanon and now Iran
@Dixie: they so nice grub.
This is not what it should be used for! Hotels are not fit for long term accommodation, for anyone. It’s ridiculous.
Well it has cost them 50 million a year.with the 148 million that’s 348 for the last 4 years.But don’t worry it’s saving us a billion over the next 20 years.I really can’t get my head around this.they are illegal economic migrants.
No doubt a group of concerned citizens who are in no way racist will be around shortly to burn it to the ground
@Rui Firmino: keep it lit
Anybody remember Apollo House? This is a disgrace . The Gov all own property and getting rich .
The whole country don’t want ipas centres, it wasnt on any party election manifest,look after our own sons and daughters and families first,charity starts at home,absolutely disgraceful way to treat our citizens.
Absolute disgrace . No hotel is worth that. We can’t house our own . How many houses can we build for a 148 million non sensical. Government need prioritise.
I’m in the civil service. It makes me sick what people don’t know. I hate that I can’t say what I’d like to say. I’d lose my job. I will say that you delusional bleeding hearts are going to get a shock in 2026.
@Whispers Sssshhh: the shy te hasn’t even hit the fan yet, rude awakening incoming.
Citywest has a population of 8300 (2016 census). And now 2300 refugees. I’m sure the government is providing sufficient services and I’m equally sure the residents must be thrilled.
Great news and a common sense location, far better than having these poor people in far flung villages and towns around the country. It will still upset those racists who have made a hobby of dehumanising people in need.
@Jacintha Dumbrell: A group of refugees knock on your door; they are just looking for a better life and they have identified your house as a place to live. What do you do? Let them in, or advise/force them to leave your property?
@Science: It is up to the state, not individuals, to deal with them appropriately. There is no onus on anyone to house people.
@Jacintha Dumbrell: totally agree, but my fear is with a lot of buildings that the government purchase they will be allowed to run down into disrepair and eventually it will be sold for a huge loss comment. I don’t know what the answer is but I do not trust this government.
@Science: Wtf?!
@Jacintha Dumbrell: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/analogy
@Brendan O’Brien: So would you call the Gardai (the state) to have the refugees removed from your property?
@Jacintha Dumbrell: wtf is wrong with you, our country villages are good enough for our own but not the new arrivals?? Sure let’s put them up in 5 star accommodation for as long as possible and let’s keep the doors open because that makes perfect sense, when is it too much, we can’t even look after our own or cope with the amount of new arrivals atm but yea let’s carry on regardless. People like you with your idealistic views need to get real.
148m just to buy it,, how much a year is this going to cost taxpayers ,absolutely crazy money to be wasting
We have EU committments so we have no choice but to provide a certain allotment of IPAS. This will pay itself back in a few years. The cost of rental is only going one direction, so while it’s a lot of money, it’s cheaper in the long term.
I wouldn’t say the residents of Saggart are doing back-flips with this news.
That will be sold to a mate for a fraction of the cost.
Why is nobody mentioning Mosney.? It is full to the brim with people waiting on accommodation offers for years. Lots from “safe countries “ . Costs the tax payer millions. Maybe if they cleared that out, genuine asylum seekers cud avail of a decent start in our country with wrap around services as needed.
This area has 5 schpools. Have any government officials even visited City West
The Apple money will be gone in no time!!!
How long before they start putting in tents and modular dwellings to increase capacity?
If they do increase capacity, are all of the property’s vast lands available to expand into?
The costs to run the center should dramatically reduce now by the same amount as the annual rent, but will it though?
In spite of some comments this gerrybuilt “hotel” is no loss to the area.
@Banana: Ireland world leaders in athletics!
Thats one terrified banana! : )
@Banana: ah sure racists like yourself love råpïştș!
Martin and Harris, will be forever remembered as the Quislings who destroyed a country. So far, they have surpassed the deeds of Cromwell
and everything else the Brit’s imposed. Treachery from within.
What a legacy?
When will the people rise to take their country back? An entire country, Its people, its culture being totally destroyed by those Quislings in the Dail, led by arch traitor Martin and his messenger boy, Harris.
Mighty
Troika of Greed of FF the Builders Party with FG the landlord party with Business/Vulture funds
Brilliant
Why should foreigners bother into Ireland legally? (eg through visa applications; etc)
Just smuggle yourself here and claim asylum…you’ll get money and accommodation for free and them government goons and their acolytes will cash in as well …
The only people feeling the pinch are the goodie 2-shoes like us who work hard for our money and don’t claim social welfare … we’re paying for the fake-u-geez and FFG acolytes to profit from this whole scam !
Imagine if we were in a war scenario here and you wanted to save your family. What would you do!
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