OPW have held discussions about housing Asylum Seekers in this historic Phoenix Park mansion - right next to where they are giving current and former civil servants 'sweetheart rent deals'

Published: 13:23, 18 July 2026 | Updated: 13:23, 18 July 2026 The State has considered locating an asylum-seeker reception centre at an historic site in the Phoenix Park, the Irish Mail on Sunday has learned.  The MoS understands that internal discussions have already taken place in Government about locating a reception centre for International Protection Applicants on part of the 14-acre site where the Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI) currently is. The OPW yesterday moved to deny a refugee centre was being considered, but a senior civil servant with knowledge of informal discussions with various agencies about moving onto the underused site told the MoS that as there was no outcome to these negotiations, consideration was being given to locating a reception centre there.  The source said: ‘We are looking for a tenant, this is a seriously underused but brilliant site. There are listed buildings there, and because of its location in the Phoenix Park you can’t have apartments or anything like that. ‘So we have already had discussions with different agencies at various levels, but there has been no solid conclusion.  'At this stage, we are going to have to consider some drastic options – and one of those is an international protection centre and maybe some longer-term accommodation for asylum seekers.  'It is up in the air for now, and we know it will be controversial.’ The site in question is a 14 acre site which houses the organisation that was until recently known as the OSI, now renamed Tailte Éireann.  However, the organisation only occupies one building, Mountjoy House, which has been its headquarters for nearly 200 years. There are other listed buildings there, but there is no intention of opening it up to become part of the wider Phoenix Park, the largest enclosed urban park in Europe.  The site, which is right next to An Garda Síochána’s HQ, has also proved controversial in the past. The MoS revealed last year that retired and current civil servants are living effectively rent-free under a sweetheart deal in secret ‘ghost houses’ there.  The site, which is right next to An Garda Síochána’s HQ, has also proved controversial in the past As new legislation was fast-tracked in a bid to ease pressure on tenants across the country, it emerged that there were six residential properties on the Ordnance Survey site that did not exist on any publicly available official asset register. The OPW refused to confirm the rents paid by current and former State employees living in the compound, but overall figures released in 2021 suggest that the average rent for such houses could be as low as €135 per month.  Despite having individual Eircodes, the terrace houses are not listed on the Land Registry.  A seventh property, a detached four-bay two-storey house, is occupied by a retired civil servant. A senior OPW source confirmed that several tenants previously revealed by this newspaper to be living at the site are still there. They told the MoS: ‘Oh they’re still there alright, at the rear of the site; they are quiet and they don’t take up much room. But there is no sign of them being shifted.’ OSI, now Tailte Éireann, is responsible for the country’s mapping records.  The homes are inside a compound with 24-hour manned security that is not accessible to the public and requires advance approval to gain access. A rear entrance for residents is guarded with CCTV, a security fence and a code-accessed security door.  The detached four-bay two-storey house was formerly named the ‘Chief Superintendent’s Residence’ but is now a listed building.  We previously revealed that significant taxpayer-funded renovations were carried out to the roof of the property, which was built in 1894. It was the latest in a series of controversies involving the OPW, which found itself in the public spotlight in recent months over €336,000 spent on a Dáil bicycle shed, €1.4million spent on a security ‘hut’ at an entrance to Government Buildings, and the use of another €490,000 of taxpayers’ money on a 70m ‘wall of shame’ outside the headquarters of the Workplace Relations Commission. However, sources at the OPW concede the location of a reception centre in the historic Phoenix Park could prove its most controversial move yet.  Áras an Uachtaráin, the US Ambassador’s residence and the State residence, Farmleigh are all in the 1,750-acre park.  The MoS has approached President Catherine Connolly’s spokespeople to ask if the outspoken human rights campaigner would support the location of an asylum centre near her residence. An OPW spokesperson yesterday denied any plans for a reception centre for asylum seekers at the site, telling the MoS: ‘The future use of the site remains under consideration by the Office of Public Works.  However, future uses under consideration do not include a Reception Centre for International Protection Applicants.’ Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.