Dublin City Council (DCC) will inspect Aldborough House, a significant Georgian mansion with literary connections, to assess its condition for dereliction. The property has been vacant for nearly three decades, prompting renewed calls for its compulsory purchase by the state.
Aldborough House, located on Portland Row in Dublin's north inner city, was constructed in the late 18th century. It has previously served as a residence, a school, an army barracks, and offices for state bodies. The mansion is noted for its connection to Bram Stoker's Dracula, having inspired Carfax Abbey, and is also mentioned in James Joyce's Ulysses.
Councillor Niall Ring requested the inspection and has advocated for a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to return the property to state ownership, calling it a potential 'jewel in the crown in the north side.' Such an inspection could lead to the property being placed on the Derelict Sites Register, subjecting its owners to a levy and potentially allowing DCC to acquire it. A DCC spokesperson confirmed that the Derelict Sites Office will conduct an inspection and determine subsequent actions.
Records indicate that Reliance Investments Ltd, linked to Pat O’Donnell, has received over €100,000 in grants from the Department of Heritage and DCC since 2014 for restoration efforts. The current owners were granted planning permission to develop the premises as offices, but this expired in 2023. Councillor Ring expressed concern that if the property were located on the city's south side, action would have been taken sooner. Past suggestions for the building's use have included a nursing home for the HSE and a Garda headquarters.
Dublin Central TD Marie Sherlock emphasized the mansion's historical significance and its potential, stating it should not be allowed to crumble. Architect Rob Cross, who tracks derelict sites in Ireland, suggested that the state should intervene with a CPO to facilitate its cultural reuse.
The mansion was built for the 2nd Earl of Aldborough and designed in a Palladian style. Following its brief period as a private residence, it was leased to a school before being purchased by the British government in the 1840s and converted into a military barracks. After Irish independence, it housed Telecom Éireann offices before being put up for sale in 1999. Despite multiple private sales since then, the house has remained unoccupied. It was valued at €3.5 million in 2021 and has been subject to the Residential Zoned Land Tax since 2025.