Firefighters are tackling a large blaze at a vacant former religious order building in Dublin which was the subject of controversial housing plans. Dublin City Fire Brigade said it has five fire engines, including a turntable ladder, at the vacant building fire on Taylor’s Lane in Ballyboden, on the city’s southside. "We expect to have crews on scene through the night and have received great assistance from partner agencies as we continue to extinguish the fire," the brigade said in a post on social media.
Firefighting operations are continuing at the #Ballyboden St. Augustine's fire. We expect to have crews on scene through the night and have received great assistance from partner agencies as we continue to extinguish the fire. pic.twitter.com/iBOxQmrXYJ
— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) August 20, 2024
It also has three fire engines at the site of a fire at a derelict building near Ticknock. Smoke is drifting across neighbouring suburbs and the fire service urged anyone affected by smoke to close their windows and doors as a precaution.
Ballyboden Fire: False Claims Spread on Social Media
The building off Taylor’s Lane is on the former Augustinian order owned site which was sold in 2019 for some €20m to Shannon Homes, which in 2020 applied for planning permission through the strategic housing development (SHD) process for almost 500 apartments on the site. An Bórd Pleanála approved the scheme with conditions later that year but the decision was quashed by order of the High Court in 2022.
The Ballyboden Tidy Towns group had warned as recently as last month that the site needed to be secured following a spate of recent fires on the site. However, the fire has also sparked a wave of misinformation on social media, with many users falsely claiming that the site was intended for use as accommodation by the government in response to the refugee crisis. These claims have been widely debunked by local politicians and officials, who have pointed to the site’s history of fires and its current state of disrepair as evidence that it is not suitable for housing.
Local Concerns About Anti-Social Behavior
South County Dublin councillor Róisín Mannion has spoken of local concerns about anti-social behaviour, fires and graffiti at the site of the former Augustinian College in Ballyboden. A major fire broke out at the site on Tuesday night and Dublin Fire Brigade said that it expects to have crew on the scene at Edmondstown Road, throughout the morning. Cllr Mannion told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that the Georgian building, which was previously used as a church and a college by the Augustinian order, was sold in 2019 to private developers.
There had been a number of planning applications, including one for 400 apartments to be built on the site, which was going through a judicial review at present. "I know local residents have been in touch with the guards, with council management and with the owners of the site, around concerns for antisocial behaviour that have been ongoing. There's been a number of fires lit there, especially over the summer. There's graffiti, things like that." The site was over nine acres and included a number of buildings, a chapel, a seminary, a Georgian house and woodlands, she said. "There's also been videos circulating on WhatsApp from teenagers just hanging out in the vacant buildings. There has been a number of fires as my understanding."
Cllr Mannion also categorically denied that the building was going to be used to house asylum seekers. "That was the first I heard of this. Basically, I have no idea where this information is coming from. I can categorically say no one at council level, or I haven't heard anything about this. It's never even been suggested utilising the site in this manner," she said. "It's privately owned. It's been idle for a number of years. There's a number of planning applications have gone in. It's been referred through the courts. It's actually through judicial review at the moment. So I can't see how it would be feasible for using it as a migrant centre. I don't know how it would ever be considered for that in its current state. Like I said, there have been a number of fires and stuff in the properties already, so it just doesn't seem like it would be in any way feasible. So as far as I'm concerned, and to the best of my knowledge, this is just complete misinformation."
The Spread of Misinformation
The false claims about the Ballyboden site are part of a wider trend of misinformation being spread on social media about asylum seekers and refugees in Ireland. This misinformation often takes the form of inflammatory language and conspiracy theories, which can have a harmful impact on public discourse and on the lives of people seeking asylum.
One of the most common forms of misinformation is the claim that asylum seekers are a drain on public resources. This claim is often based on false or misleading statistics, and it ignores the fact that many asylum seekers make a positive contribution to Irish society. Another common form of misinformation is the claim that asylum seekers are a threat to public safety. This claim is often based on fear-mongering and prejudice, and it ignores the fact that asylum seekers are just as likely as any other group of people to be victims of crime.
Addressing the Problem
It is important to be aware of the misinformation that is being spread about asylum seekers and refugees, and to challenge it when you see it. You can do this by sharing accurate information, by reporting harmful content to social media platforms, and by speaking out against prejudice and discrimination. It is also important to support organisations that are working to help asylum seekers and refugees, such as the Irish Refugee Council and the Immigrant Council of Ireland.
Ballyboden Fire: A Symbol of a Bigger Issue
The Ballyboden fire is a reminder that misinformation can be a powerful force, and that it can have real-world consequences. It is also a reminder that we need to be vigilant in challenging the prejudice and discrimination that often target people seeking asylum. By working together, we can create a more welcoming and inclusive society for everyone.
