Old home for nurses should be acquired by DCC, local reps say

Local politicians have called on Dublin City Council to acquire the historic James Weir Home for Nurses in Dublin 8.

Fianna Fáil TD and Minister of State Catherine Ardagh and Sinn Féin councillor Ciarán Ó Meachair have said that it should be turned into a community space instead of being put on the market.

The James Weir Home dates back to 1903, and provided accommodation for nearly 50 nurses who worked at the nearby Cork Street Fever Hospital

The building later became part of St Brendan’s Hospital’s mental health services, and is a protected structure.

Ardagh, TD for Dublin South Central, said “the James Weir Home is an important part of the history of The Liberties and Dublin 8.”

“It has served generations of healthcare workers and patients, and I believe it deserves a future that continues to benefit the local community.”

Ardagh said she wrote to Dublin City Council in late June, asking the council to consider a purchase of the site.

“This is a rare opportunity to preserve an important historic building while delivering much-needed community facilities for local residents,” she said.

The HSE has confirmed that, following the completion of the state property circulation process, it intends to dispose of the building on the open market after no public body expressed an interest in acquiring it.

Ardagh said, “I will continue to engage with Dublin City Council and explore every possible avenue to see whether this landmark building can remain in public ownership and become a lasting asset for the people of Dublin 8 and the wider community.”

Ó Meachair said that a local petition showed strong local demand for the building to become a community asset.

The Sinn Féin councillor explained that the petition was presented to the HSE, who said they would “fully support” turning the building into a community resource, but legally they could only transfer ownership to another public body.

Ó Meachair said it was communicated to him that Dubin City Council’s party line that acquiring the building was “too expensive,” yet the Sinn Féin councillor has evidence that Dublin City Council was offered a transfer of ownership from the HSE, free of charge, yet the council refused the offer.

“Local organisations, including Solas Project, are interested in using it, have also said they would be open to fundraising to carry out repair works on the building if that is needed to bring it up to standard, so it seems the actual cost for DCC and the taxpayer to get this done is nothing,” he noted

Ó Meachair said that Dublin City Council needs to “urgently” clarify if they turned down the opportunity to get ownership of the building for free.

“Dublin 8 is crying out for community spaces, Cork Street is now dominated by Hotels and Student Accommodation blocks. The James Weir Home could be a gamechanger for the community, but Dublin City Council need to step up to the plate,” the South-West Inner City councillor said.