Ó Meachair calls for clarity over Donore Community Centre future

Sinn Féin councillor Ciarán Ó Meachair is seeking urgent clarification from Dublin City Council regarding the future of Donore Community Centre.

The centre was seriously damaged by a fire in 2021, and since then efforts to reopen the building have been plagued by setbacks and delays.

Councillor Ó Meachair, who represents the South-West Inner-City has tabled a motion for the forthcoming meeting of the Dublin City Council, South Central Area Committee on 19 November, calling for a clear roadmap from DCC officials as to when works will commence onsite.

Cllr. Ó Meachair said:

“Earlier this year we were given a strong commitment by DCC that redevelopment work would begin in September 2025, however we have obviously missed that date and we are being met by a wall of silence from the council when we ask what the new date is.”

“It’s become a running joke locally that Notre Dame cathedral in Paris was rebuilt quicker than our community centre.

“We were informed over the summer that there was just one outstanding issue to be sorted out before construction could begin, which was the insurance. We are now being told that there are ‘several’ issues and Dublin City Council have declined to inform us what these several issues are”.

“The fact that DCC won’t even keep the local councillors for the area in the loop is very worrying and undermines our role as public representatives.

“There is a growing concern that these works will simply never begin, and the local community will continue to see increases in anti-social behaviour, criminal activity and drug use, as young people are not able to engage in the types of positive activities which should be taking place within Donore Community Centre”.