{"id":645056,"date":"2026-08-19T07:37:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T07:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/645056\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T07:37:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T07:37:17","slug":"the-shutters-are-horrible-life-in-a-border-town-overwhelmed-by-dereliction-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/645056\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The shutters are horrible\u2019: Life in a Border town overwhelmed by dereliction \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

An older man moves briskly down an empty side street in Ballybofey. He is in a rush to get to Main Street in the Co Donegal<\/a> town, which sits a 25-minute drive from the Border with Northern Ireland<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Denis O\u2019Connor needs to buy more paint for the men clinging to the front of his house on nearby Glenfin Street. <\/p>\n

Painting the house is a positive step when you live in one of the most derelict streets in Ireland and your neighbours are five cobwebbed shuttered houses. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s horrible really. Them shutters are horrible,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

The street is so narrow he could high-five passing drivers without leaving his front doorstep. It also happens to be the gateway to west Donegal and 40-tonne lorries drive past every few minutes.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Connor has lived here since 1971. How has the street changed? <\/p>\n

\u201cHugely,\u201d he replies. \u201cWe had five in our family. This derelict house here had seven and where the shutters are, there was another seven. Now there\u2019s nobody. They\u2019re all scattered, married and moved out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The east Donegal twin towns of Ballybofey and Stranorlar <\/b>have the second highest commercial vacancy rate in the country at 33.6 per cent, according to the latest report by An Post\u2019s data company GeoDirectory. Only Shannon in Co<\/a> Clare<\/a> has a higher vacancy rate. <\/p>\n

\"AA house in a state of ruin on Navenny Street, Ballybofey, Co Donegal. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw <\/p>\n

As the percentage suggests, one in three buildings are empty in the Co Donegal towns. That\u2019s more than twice the national vacancy rate of 14.6 per cent. On paper the towns are near flatlining. <\/p>\n

On this bright August morning, though, Ballybofey is jolting itself into life. Open businesses are making as much noise as possible. The music of Beyonc\u00e9 can be heard loud and clear as sprightly pensioners flock to the town\u2019s raison d\u2019\u00eatre, McElhinneys department store. The road is busy, leaving some locals to duck and weave through the traffic.<\/p>\n

\"AA disused building on Main Street, Ballybofey, Co Donegal. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw <\/p>\n

The dereliction is discreet at first glance. Vacant buildings sidle up against occupied neighbours, their boarded-up windows either disguised in the same paint colour or covered with ads to mask the void within. <\/p>\n

A Victorian town house stands helpless against a tide of creeping ivy. There are takeaways, a vape shop, a quartet of barber shops and at least three betting shops and casinos. It\u2019s Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal. <\/p>\n

Down the side streets, the dust of decrepitude lies thicker. A roofless cottage sits down a lane; with overgrown weeds jostling for space inside its broken windows, like a packed subway carriage. <\/p>\n

What do other locals make of it? <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know why people don\u2019t fix them up,\u201d says Teresa Farrell. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s grants available now. Are they not aware or what? Is the Government not doing enough to find out who owns them? We don\u2019t know who owns some of the buildings. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not very nice coming up the street seeing all these empty buildings when you know there\u2019s so many people that haven\u2019t got a home. It\u2019d be so much easier doing up these houses than building new ones because the services are all there \u2013 the water, sewage and electricity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The distance from Leinster House \u2013 geographically and politically \u2013 means locals are used to getting on with it themselves. The well-maintained Jackson\u2019s Hotel brings a feeling of freshness to a nearby street. It will host a Christmas market later in the year that locals hope brings a sense of vibrancy. <\/p>\n

\"TheThe empty shopping centre in Stranorlar, Co Donegal, is one of many derelict sites in this part of Ireland. Photograph Nick Bradshaw <\/p>\n

\u201cBallybofey is a good wee town, we all want to see it thriving,\u201d says the hotel\u2019s marketing executive Owen McCrudden. <\/p>\n

He believes traffic is one of the reasons there\u2019s so much dereliction. The hotel\u2019s director of services, Emer Sweeney, agrees. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf they did the bypass that they\u2019ve been talking about, that might actually help. It might take traffic out of the town that doesn\u2019t need to be in the town.\u201d <\/p>\n

McCrudden adds: \u201cIt\u2019s desperately crying out for a central outdoor hub, where there can be a bit of atmosphere.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone\u2019s going from here to here and they\u2019re all in a rush. There\u2019s no nice green space within the actual town centre. There\u2019s no community space. There\u2019s no heart.\u201d <\/p>\n

Stranorlar, a former garrison town, emerged first. Its younger twin, Ballybofey, developed as a market town just across the River Finn in the 19th century. Nobody ever thought to build a town square, and so the towns evolved into a giant drive-through.<\/p>\n

The roadside on Main Street actually vibrates when heavy lorries thunder past. Surprised shoppers exiting McElhinneys catch a glimpse of animals\u2019 faces peering from livestock trucks at the zebra crossings. It\u2019s inch-by-inch tailbacks at peak times. Ballybofey is like an artery without a heart. <\/p>\n

Up the road, at Stranorlar Cattle Mart, the magnificently named Pearl Bustard remembers thatch cottages and the horse and cart. How does she feel when she drives through the town now? <\/p>\n

Can Irish towns be revived?<\/p>\n

Derelict Ireland:<\/b> Dereliction is a blight at any time but it is particularly troubling in a housing crisis. Why are so many buildings left vacant, and what can be done? In this series, The Irish Times reports from towns in Wicklow, Roscommon, Cork and Donegal: examining the widespread challenges, as well as local efforts to bring boarded-up streets back to life.<\/p>\n

Part 2: A Celtic Tiger casualty comes back to life<\/a> Part 3: \u2018Why should the community of Mallow have to suffer such decay?\u2019<\/a>\"Photograph:Photograph: Dara Mac D\u00f3naill <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s impossible to drive through the town. The traffic is horrendous,\u201d she says. \u201cThe town has expanded, but the road network hasn\u2019t. The width of the streets has never changed. Progress is great, but some progress hasn\u2019t helped.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back on Main Street, Joe Alexander\u2019s shop sells a mixum-gatherum of everything from toilet plungers to Mass bouquets. <\/p>\n

\"JoeJoe Alexander in his shop on Main Street, Ballybofey, Co Donegal. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re discussing the bypass here since 1975,\u201d he says. \u201cEvery 10 years or so it comes up and they pick a route and then the route changes.\u201d <\/p>\n

An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la<\/a> is currently mulling over whether to hold an oral hearing into a proposed bypass and new bridge for the towns. <\/p>\n

\u201cOver the years, the only government money that has been spent in this town was on doing up the local Garda barracks,\u201d says Alexander. <\/p>\n

He\u2019s opened a cafe and bookshop upstairs to diversify and survive. The antique bookseller working upstairs agrees that \u201cplenty of houses are in bad shape\u201d here, but he won\u2019t give his name. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to buy a first-edition McGahern, you\u2019ll find me,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Why are there so many derelict properties here? <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a couple of vacant units there that would be held within wealthy families and it doesn\u2019t put them up or down if they\u2019re vacant or sold or rented,\u201d says auctioneer Martin McGowan, chairperson of the local chamber of commerce. <\/p>\n

Some businesses closed during Covid and never reopened. Some owners fell into ill health while others grew old and didn\u2019t have the appetite to tackle the houses. Others inherited the buildings. Some of these people are in a different country. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe headline doesn\u2019t reflect the reality,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s a difference between vacant and available. If you\u2019re actively trying to get somewhere in town, you\u2019ll be struggling.\u201d <\/p>\n

One group of people taking action is the Ballybofey and Stranorlar Integrated Community Company (Basicc). They set up a \u201ctown team\u201d subgroup of volunteers to tackle the dereliction, chaired by local Fianna F\u00e1il councillor Patrick McGowan. <\/p>\n

A recent survey by Donegal County Council found 96 vacant properties (none are included on its derelict sites register of 10 properties) which the town team are now targeting. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re giving owners the chance,\u201d says Sinn F\u00e9in<\/a> councillor Dakota Nic Mheanman. \u201cThey are giving owners the chance first before they go on the derelict sites (register).\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SinnSinn F\u00e9in councillor Dakota Nic Mheanman is hopeful progress can be made in tackling dereliction in Ballybofey and Stranorlar, Co Donegal. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw <\/p>\n

The group has discovered some derelict property owners just need a little coaxing. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not always hearing that the problem is financial,\u201d says vice-chair Leah Fairman. \u201cSometimes people get busy with other things in their lives. Maybe they\u2019ve inherited property and don\u2019t know what to do with it. Ultimately, if you own a property, it\u2019s up to you to do something about it not being derelict.\u201d <\/p>\n

A 2022 regeneration strategy and action plan aims to pedestrianise Glenfin Street among others, build community gardens and transform leftover spaces in both towns. <\/p>\n

A \u20ac9.8 million SEED project will turn the old Ritz cinema into an enterprise hub and convert the car park off Main Street into a civic green space. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat will deliver the heart of the town,\u201d says Elaine Bailey, director of Basicc. <\/p>\n

Not everyone agrees. <\/p>\n

\u201cTaking away this car park . . . is a huge mistake which will affect the little lady coming down to get her pension and the post office,\u201d says Sandra Devenney, general manager of McElhinneys department store. <\/p>\n

Do the towns deserve their ignominious ranking? <\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely not. We need a bypass but we still need an incentive for the people \u2013 the local people \u2013 to come into the town,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Within the twin-towns area, 53 applications were made to the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant scheme. So far, \u20ac1.03 million has been paid out in relation to 19 properties. The Government is also introducing a derelict property tax, of 7 per cent per derelict property, to be managed by Revenue from 2027. <\/p>\n

O\u2019Connor is hopeful the new tax will have the desired effect. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat should do something with them because they\u2019re not known to give up when they get a hold of something,\u201d he says, before dashing off again. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An older man moves briskly down an empty side street in Ballybofey. He is in a rush to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":645057,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[40],"tags":[9,10,6368,18,13,14,6,19,17,11,12,15,16,5,7,8],"class_list":["post-645056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-breaking-news","tag-breakingnews","tag-donegal","tag-eire","tag-featured-news","tag-featurednews","tag-headlines","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-latest-news","tag-latestnews","tag-main-news","tag-mainnews","tag-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topstories"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/117121033920649218","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=645056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645056\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/645057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=645056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=645056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=645056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}