Abandoned Ireland

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Sirr suggests a novel use for some estates as a lesson to “evidence-free policy” pursued by government during the boom times: “Maybe it is no harm to leave one or two standing as a reminder of what not to do.

Ireland is going the way of other high-income countries: to earn a high wage you need to be living in densely populated cities. We have this sort of weird phenomenon where we have one-third of people living in the cities formally but two-thirds working in the city so we have got this middle third,” he says. Inmates were free to leave when they liked, but most of those who entered weren’t in the position to do so. Many children lived their entire lives there, not knowing any other existence. He bought the house off plans for €165,000, all with his own money. He estimates that it is worth between €40,000 and €50,000 now. The Property Price Register shows that just five houses have sold in the estate in the past four years, ranging in price from €17,000 in December 2013 to €40,000 in July 2016. Read more: Huge Irish home with massive garden and four beds hits the market for little over €300,000

Reenogreena, Glandore, Co. Cork

I’m right on the front line of it,” says the Dubliner, pointing to his nicely decorated home next to a house boarded up with sheets of metal. Brownlie’s interest in abandoned buildings began some 10 years ago, when she worked with a paranormal group, scouting locations for investigations, but her fascination with the supernatural was honed in childhood by her mum’s stories of the eerie Gill Hall Estate nearby in Dromore, Co Down. The stone cottages (or what’s left of them) stand in an idyllic and beautiful setting at the base of the highest peak in Achill. The village was one of the longest running booley villages - which meant that while it’s certain that some lived in the cottages all year, the village truly thrived in the summer months.

There could be a line from Derry to Kerry and everything west of it, outside a city, would get demolished. The market is going to dictate which ones get finished and which ones don’t. It is fairly straightforward,” says Lorcan Sirr, a lecturer in housing studies at Dublin Institute of Technology.The image — which can be seen below — confirmed her long-held belief in a supernatural world. However, it wasn’t the Co Down mum-of-two’s first brush with the paranormal. As for the legality surrounding exploring abandoned buildings, trespassing is more of a ‘civil’ matter in Ireland. Lost Ireland did explain that in their six years of exploring, they were only ever caught once — and thankfully, the person that caught them was nice about it once he realised what they were there for. O’Callaghan describes the estate as “a bit like Germany after the second World War – it is an abomination”. An effective property tax which will act as a financial disincentive for property owners to leave properties vacant.

I first started doing urbex after a photography assignment on the topic of “Before and after,”‘ they told Extra.ie. ‘I chose to photograph an abandoned holiday park in county Meath, and I was fascinated by how much was left and just kept going to new places.’ An urban explorer has revealed some of the craziest places they’ve explored in Ireland and beyond for social media. Pic: Lost Ireland/TikTok The author is interested above all, one senses, in... the stories and power retained by detritus and everyday objects – the crucifix on the wall, the dusty piano, assorted books, the bottle of cod liver oil It was always going to be the case that the ones closest to employment were going to be the ones that were going to be developed first after the music stopped in 2009,” says Lyons. The MV Alta, which was originally built in 1976, was on a voyage from Greece to Haiti when her engines failed and the crew were rescued by the US Coast Guard. She was abandoned in 2018 before washing ashore in Cork, where she remains to this day.

Kilree Estate, Kilree, Co. Kilkenny

In addition, changing consumer habits, out-of-town retail parks and the rise and rise of online shopping have had a huge impact on our town centres, particularly commercial/retail premises. There is no specific national plan to deal with these buildings and once vacancy takes hold, it becomes increasingly difficult for landlords to attract new tenants. Whilst doing this, I found a property in Larne called Cairndhu House. When I first laid eyes on it, I couldn't believe something like this lay abandoned in Northern Ireland: this Gothic looking mansion overlooking the sea was like a set out of an American Horror story with its peaked roofs, wrapped verandas and balconettes. From this moment, I wanted to know more.