Despite Promise to Wait For Appeal, Gardaí Evict Tenant

Just before 9 AM on the 27th of April, a man from the Dublin City Council arrived outside of a home in the Fairview-Marino area with several guards and a court order for an eviction. The allegedly empty and derelict house had been acquired by the City Council and after some courtroom maneuvers it had been decided to evict the people who were in fact living within. However, an inhabitant informed them that they had filed an appeal. After some deliberation, the council worker told the inhabitant that he would return in a week as agreed. The guards left the area with the council worker sticking around to talk to neighbours.

After roughly one hour had passed and those who had arrived to support the evictees (including us) had dispersed, along with the residents, the guards came back and took the property as we scrambled to get back.

According to local housing activists that were spoken with, this is part of a wider wave of evictions. This may be tied to a wave of compulsory purchase orders of derelict properties from Dublin City Council with the stated aim of turning them into social housing, which was recently paused [1]. The council has not, however, done much with many of the properties it has purchased or seized [2]. Many continue to stay empty, while others, as we have witnessed, are forcibly emptied out.

[1] Coates, Liam. “‘Really Disappointing’ – Dublin City Council Pauses Purchases of Derelict Properties in City.” Irish Independent, April 27, 2026. https://www.independent.ie/regionals/dublin/dublin-news/really-disappointing-dublin-city-council-pauses-purchases-of-derelict-properties-in-city/a213218511.html.

[2] Ibid.