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Dublin City Council is investigating the circumstances surrounding the demolition of a former leader’s home from 1916.
O’Rahilly House, at 40 Herbert Park in Ballsbridge, was demolished early this morning to make way for luxury apartments.
Michael Joseph O’Rahilly, known as The O’Rahilly, lived there before he was killed during the Easter Rising.
It comes after city councilors voted to list the building as a protected structure last month.
In a statement, Dublin City Council said it is investigating the circumstances surrounding the demolition and that once it “has ascertained the facts, it will take appropriate action.”
An Bord Pleanála had previously given permission for the development of a € 66 million apartment block on the site, which will contain 105 apartments.
The authority granted the decision despite opposition from historians, An Taisce and the Department of Culture and Arts.
Sinn Féin TD Chris Andrews said: “It’s really disappointing. It’s a green light for developers to come in and hit our heritage and historic sites.
“Particularly in light of the fact that the city council had started the process to classify it as a preserved building, so there are question marks about its legality and that is something we will be investigating.”
There has been a mixed reaction from the locals to what happened.
One person who did not want to be named said: “Who can say now that the GPO will not become a Tesco, or Newgrange will be demolished and turned into a theme park?”
“All this is now possible thanks to the signal we are receiving from An Bord Pleanála.”
One woman who lives in the area added that if the O’Rahilly family had wanted it “they would have bought it. It’s gone, it’s actually an eyesore.”
The group Kerry’s Fight for Freedom also criticized the demolition.
In a Facebook post it read: “Goodbye my dear and goodbye 40 Herbert Park. This is how we treated The O’Rahilly house; a man who willingly gave his life for Irish freedom; a man who wound the clock and stayed to hear him hit.
“Shame, shame, shame of those who allowed this to happen.”
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