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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
Dan Grennan & Anita McSorley

Woman living with seagulls in attic as Dublin tenants demand action over decade-long issues

A group of council tenants are furious over a raft of issues they say are not being dealt with – including one woman who has been living with seagulls in her attic for the last four years.

The residents of O’Brien Hall on Gardiner Street in the north inner city told the Irish Mirror they all have mould, damp, silverfish, malfunctioning windows and brown water coming out of taps and showers.

The group of angry residents said “all their kids are sick”.

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One added: “I am after having pneumonia twice since I moved in. I was hospitalised with pneumonia twice.

“Now I have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and my youngest has a heart condition while the eldest is a very bad asthmatic. The rooms are soaking since I moved in there.”

Sharon Ryan said: “There is no one listening. We know we are lucky to have a roof over our heads. We are just asking for basic needs to be updated.

“They are not up to EU standards. Just give us a home that we are warm and happy in.”

They say the issues have been going on for over a decade. The Irish Mirror was given a tour of two of the flats and saw mould, broken windows and cramped living conditions.

Shanada Cooke told how she has been dealing with seagulls in her attic over the last four years which has not been dealt with despite a number of complaints being lodged to Dublin City Council, she claimed. She said: “I have seagulls living in my attic. All the insulation is pushed over to one side.

“That’s been going on since 2019 and nobody has come near me.”

Many of the residents say they had to replace windows in their DCC-owned flats because it took too long for the council to come out and fix them.

The residents claim the living conditions in the flats are impacting on the health of tenants and their children.

Joanne Casey said: “You just don’t want to live here anymore. You don’t want to be bringing your kids up in it.

“Your kids are sick constantly.”

Dublin City Council did not respond to requests for comment.

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