Local Sinn Féin TD Joanna Byrne has voiced her frustration after receiving a response from the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration which refused to consider reopening part of The D Hotel in Drogheda for tourism use.
Deputy Byrne said she raised the matter following a departmental inspection report which found that only 89 people were staying at the hotel — despite its capacity for up to 500 guests.
“After reading the last Department inspection report that stated there were only 89 people staying there when the hotel has room for 500 people, I thought it the opportune time to raise the matter directly with the Minister,” she said.
The Louth TD said the Minister declined to provide updated figures on current occupancy, but argued that if four-fifths of the rooms remain unused, a dual-occupancy model — with some rooms allocated to tourism — should be reconsidered.
“I was not seeking to have all the IPAS applicants moved out,” Byrne explained. “I was trying to explore the option of having the D Hotel used for dual occupancy, which was discussed at length last year.”
Byrne said the ongoing lack of tourist accommodation in Drogheda is having a direct knock-on effect on local businesses.
“Drogheda needs to have a large hotel if we’re to sustain a tourism industry. The impact of not having adequate tourist accommodation has been felt by local businesses — that much is clear to everybody.”
She also criticised Government parties for publicly supporting the idea of reopening the D Hotel for tourism while continuing to block progress at national level.
“Government representatives locally have been issuing statements on the need to bring the D Hotel back into use for tourism, but it is their parties that are refusing to do so.”
Deputy Byrne said she will continue to seek greater transparency on the issue, including more recent data on occupancy and future plans for the hotel.
“The report I read was published at the end of 2024, and I will be pursuing the Minister and the Department for a more up-to-date report,” she concluded.
