Episode 2 – Priory Hall
Ten years ago, some 240 residents were evacuated, by court order, from the controversial Priory Hall complex in Donaghmede over fire safety concerns. Marketed four years previously as a modern, desirable development in a prime Dublin location, the apartments were mostly bought by young, first-time-buyers. Dublin City Council purchased 26 of the apartments that were to be used for social housing. In 2009, the development was found to have a litany of structural defects as well as major fire safety concerns. Dublin City Council promptly evacuated its tenants but those who had bought their homes privately were left in limbo, living in an apartment complex they knew to be unsafe. Two years later, in 2011, Justice Nicholas Kearns ordered the remaining residents to evacuate the premises. They were given just two days to pack up their belongings and move to temporary hotel accommodation.
What followed was a two-year battle by the former residents for justice. A bittersweet resolution would be reached eventually, albeit under tragic circumstances. The tragic death of former Priory Hall resident Fiachra Daly, and his partner Stephanie Meehan’s subsequent appearance on the Late Late Show, was a last desperate cry for help on behalf of the residents. The public anger and outrage that resulted from Stephanie’s emotional plea would lead to enormous pressure being put on Taoiseach Enda Kenny, and ultimately, a resolution that allowed the former residents to walk away from their Priory Hall homes and have their mortgages written off.
This episode of Scannal looks back at the story of Priory Hall, one of the worst examples of the Celtic Tiger building boom in Ireland. We examine how the case brought the practice of ‘self-regulation’ within the construction industry to light. Companies that were entrusted with regulating building codes and safety regulations with little or no intervention or oversight. We ask why this was allowed to happen, what has changed, and could it happen again? Former Priory Hall residents and those who supported them reflect on the traumatic experiences they endured.
QUOTES
“The lift wasn’t working … there were wires exposed, there were holes in the plaster boards, and this was all on the outside of the apartments. So, we just assumed that it would all be fixed, that these were snag lists. Little did we know how bad things really were.” – Stephanie Meehan
“Now I look back and I’m very proud of what a small bunch of people did. We took on the establishment and I won’t say we won, but I think we did right by the residents of Priory Hall and I’m really proud of us.”- Sinead Power
“Daoine óga a bhí iontu is mó … cuid acu páistí óga acu. Agus bhí siad ag tosú ar thuras uafásach i ndáiríre mar ní raibh teagmháil riamh acu le comhairlí, le polaiteoirí … nó le fadhb mar seo, agus ní raibh taithí againn uile ar fhadhb mar seo, mar ní fhaca mise a leithéid riamh …”
(They were mostly young people … some had young children. And they were starting out on an awful journey really, because they had no experience of dealing with councils, politicians, or a problem on this scale, and none of us had ever encountered a problem like this, because I’d never come across anything like it …)
Mícheál Mac Donncha, Comhairleoir Cathrach
2Is é an infheistíocht is mó a dhéanfaidh duine ar bith againn inár saol, agus má tá fadhb leis, ní féidir leat é a thabhairt ar ais chuig an siopa ar nós do ghluaisteán, nó do ghuthán póca, caithfidh tú cónaí ann.2
(It’s the biggest investment a person will make in their life, and if there’s a problem with it, you can’t bring it back to the shop like your car, or your mobile phone, you have to live there.)
Deirdre Ní Fhloinn
“If I’d have known how stressed about the whole situation he was, I would have maybe been able to deal with it better, so I carry a tremendous amount of guilt about that. It still hurts so much.” – Stephanie Meehan
Viewing copy available on Vimeo upon request
Scannal, RTE 1 @ 7pm Dé Máirt an 30 Samhain
Tá sé deich mbliana ó tugadh ordú cúirte do thuairim is 240 cónaitheoir an coimpléasc conspóideach Priory Hall i nDomhnach Míde a fhágáil mar gheall ar imní faoi shábháilteacht dóiteáin Rinneadh an coimpléasc céanna a dhíol ceithre bliana roimhe sin mar fhorbairt chomhaimseartha, tharraingteach in áit den scoth agus ceannaitheoirí céaduaire, daoine óga den chuid is mó a cheannaigh na hárasáin. Cheannaigh Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath 26 árasán san fhorbairt mar thithíocht shóisialta. In 2009, tháinig sé chun cinn gur bhain liosta fada lochtanna struchtúracha chomh maith le mórábhair imní sábháilteacht dóiteáin leis an bhforbairt. Bhog Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath a chuid tionóntaí amach as an coimpléasc árasán, ach fágadh iad siúd a cheannaigh na hárasáin go príobháideach idir dhá cheann na meá, ina gcónaí i gcompléasc agus fios acu nach raibh sé sábháilte. Dhá bhliain níos déanaí, in 2011, thug an Breitheamh Nicholas Kearns ordú do na cónaitheoirí a bhí fágtha bogadh amach. Níor tugadh ach dhá lá dóibh gach a raibh acu a phacáil agus dul chuig lóistín a bhí sealadach in óstáin.
Chaithfeadh na hiarchónaitheoirí an chéad dhá bhliain ina dhiaidh sin ag troid ar son an chirt. Thiocfaí ar réiteach do na cónaitheoirí, réiteach a raibh an brón ina orlaí tríd. Bhí bás tragóideach iarchónaitheoir Priory Hall, Fiachra Daly, agus an t-agallamh a rinne a pháirtí, Stephanie Meehan, ar an Late Late Show ar an tréaniarracht dheireanach thar ceann na n-iarchónaitheoirí cabhair a fháil. Bhí uafás agus olc ar an bpobal mar gheall ar an achainí mothúchánach seo a rinne Stephanie, rud a chur brú ar an Taoiseach Enda Kenny, agus faoi dheireadh, tugadh deis do na hiarchónaitheoirí Priory Hall a fhágáil ina ndiaidh agus díscríobhadh na morgáistí.
Ar chlár na hoíche anocht de Scannal caithfear súil siar ar scéal Priory Hall, ceann de na samplaí ba mheasa den bhorradh a tháinig ar earnáil na tógála in Éirinn le linn ré an Tíogair Cheiltigh. Déanfar mar a tháinig ‘cleachtas féinrialúcháin’ an tionscadail tógála chun solais a scrúdú. Comhlachtaí a cuireadh de chúram orthu cóid tógála agus rialacháin sábháilteachta a rialú agus ba ar éigean a bhí idirghabháil ná maoirseacht i gceist. Cuirfimid na ceisteanna seo a leanas – cén chaoi a bhféadfadh a leithéid tarlú, céard atá athraithe de bharr Priory Hall agus an bhféadfadh sé tarlú arís? Déanfaidh na hiarchónaitheoirí agus iadsan a thug tacaíocht dóibh machnamh ar a gcuid taithí trámacha.