Companies owned by the former Monaghan GAA manager Seamus “Banty” McEnaney and his wider family were paid more than €10 million in the first three months of this year for providing accommodation for homeless people to Dublin City Council, according to new figures.
In a change of policy, the council has begun to include data on the provision of emergency accommodation for homeless people in its quarterly list of purchase orders worth more than €20,000.
The data shows the council paid more than €50 million to private operators for homeless accommodation and food during the first three months of this year, with 14 companies from the McEnaney group among the 90 entities listed.
While the location of the accommodation is not disclosed, many of the companies listed own properties in the Gardiner Street area of Dublin 1, the North Circular Road area in Dublin 7 and Temple Bar in Dublin 2.
It was already known that the McEnaney group earned well over €100 million over recent years for housing Ukrainians and asylum applicants for the Department of Integration.
However, quarterly information about the group’s income from supplying accommodation services for homeless people in Dublin has not been published before.
The McEnaney group comprises a wide range of companies owned by different members of the extended family. The companies have acquired a substantial property portfolio around the State in recent years, including in Dublin. Mr McEnaney had no comment on the latest figures.
One of the McEnaney companies, Bluebros Hospitality Ltd, received €1.5 million in the first quarter of this year from the council, the new data shows.
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Bluebros, owned by Mr McEnaney’s nephews, registered a mortgage at 31, 31a Upper Drumcondra Road, Dublin. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times
With an address in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, Bluebros is owned by Mr McEnaney’s nephews, Conor (34) and Christopher (37) McEnaney, and was incorporated in 2023.
The latest filed accounts show the company bought additional property worth €11 million during 2024, bringing the total to €15 million. It saw its after-tax profit jump to €2.5 million in 2024, from €458,033 the previous year.
The company registered a mortgage with Permanent TSB in June in which the properties cited were: 74, 75, and 75A Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin 1; 31, 31A and 33 Upper Drumcondra Road, Dublin 9; and 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 67 Marlborough Mews, North Circular Road, Dublin 7, with the mortgaged property including contracts signed with the council for the provision of homeless accommodation.
Another McEnaney company, Brimwood Unlimited, with an address in Carrickmacross, was paid slightly more than €1 million during the quarter, the council figures showed.
The directors of Brimwood, which as an unlimited company does not publish financial accounts, are Seamus McEnaney (57) and his daughters Sarah (26) and Laura (32).
Tailte Éireann records show Brimwood, which is also involved in supplying accommodation to asylum seekers and Ukrainians, owns 34 North Circular Road, Dublin 7; 40-41 Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin 1; and 46 Cabra Road, Dublin 7.
Quarterly figures on the group’s income from supplying accommodation services for homeless people in Dublin has not been published before. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill / The Irish Times
Another company, Fernboro Ltd, which is owned by Mr McEnaney’s son, John (33), and his nephew, Gary (40), received €855,012 in the first three months of the year.
The company’s latest accounts show it acquired property worth almost €6 million during the year to August 2024.
Roseview Lodgings Ltd, owned by Mr McEnaney’s wife, Rosemarie McEnaney (56), was paid €520,125. The company owns 9, 12, and 13 North Frederick Street, Dublin 1, and 47 and 48 Hardwicke Street, Dublin 1, and made an after-tax profit of €567,239 in the year to the end of October 2024, according to its accounts.
Outside the McEnaney companies, three companies based at Sheldon Park Hotel, Kylemore Road, Dublin 12, and owned by Kevin Farrell (38), Leixlip, Co Kildare, and Thomas McNicholas (38), Swinford, Co Mayo, received €4.6 million for the provision of homeless accommodation to Dublin City Council during the quarter.
According to mortgage documents, property owned by the companies Forbairt Orga Tearanta, K&T Forbairt Developments Ltd and K&T Forbairt Properties Ltd includes 48 and 49 Gardiner Street Upper, Dublin 1; 25 Gardiner Place, Dublin 1; and 11 and 23 Cabra Park, Dublin 7. Security against a loan last year from Permanent TSB included contracts with the council for the provision of homeless accommodation at these addresses.
Mortgage documents cite an agreement with the council to house homeless people at 27 to 30 Parliament Street. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/ The Irish Times
Two companies owned by Kieran Hayes, Barrack Street, Cork, received €2.68 million, the council figures showed. One of the companies, Loux Ltd, of Finnstown Castle Hotel, Lucan, Co Dublin, was incorporated in July 2022 and reported an after-tax profit of €5 million in the 20 months to December 2023, at which time it had property valued at €1.18 million.
Ampbay Ltd, of 27/30 Parliament Street, Dublin 2, the directors of which are David Cullen (68), of Carrickmines, Dublin 18, and David M Cullen (39) of Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, received €1 million during the quarter from the council.
Mortgage documents cite an agreement with the council to house homeless people at 27 to 30 Parliament Street. Ampbay is the owner of the Turk’s Head pub, which is at number 27 Parliament Street.