My derelictsites.com/ website has just gone live.🏚️⚡️🎉 I've created a data-led project focused on vacancy and dereliction in Ireland as part of the wider housing and town-centre crisis. This regeneration project examines the scale and impact of derelict and long-term vacant properties. The public-facing landing page at derelictsites.com/ reviews derelict sites currently on the register across five local authorities—Cork County Council, Cork City Council, Dublin City Council, Limerick City & County Council, and Mayo County Council. I've built a digital database to increase transparency and visually identify dereliction hotspots across each county. This map-based public register tracks locations, enforcement steps, and estimated values. It includes photos of derelict sites and Google Street View links to make the records easier to understand. I've also included useful links and available grants explaining the Derelict Sites Process Workflow. This is a public-facing landing page for draft demonstrations built by me. It provides an overview and links to each register and supporting information. This is a demonstration platform and portfolio project that shows how statutory register data can be structured for public transparency and internal decision support. This website is a regeneration-focused initiative documenting and analysing derelict and long-term vacant property in Ireland. Built as a structured, evidence-led platform, it converts fragmented statutory registers into a clear, map-based resource revealing the scale, geography, and real-world impacts of vacancy, underuse, and town centre decline. The project does more than highlight dereliction as a problem. By combining clean, structured data, mapping, and accessible communication, it helps local authorities, practitioners, and the public understand where dereliction is concentrated, what stage cases are at, and what opportunities exist for regeneration. Through developing this platform, I am building practical expertise in vacancy classification, data cleaning and standardisation (including address and Eircode quality), mapping and visualisation, and stakeholder-focused reporting. My goal is to contribute to a local authority or housing regeneration teams working on Town Centre First delivery, vacant homes activation, and sustainable reuse strategies—bringing a strong digital and data-led approach to real-world implementation. 🔮 Future plans: Expand coverage: Add more local authority registers while maintaining a consistent structure and terminology. Include vacant sites in the register database. Improve data quality: Standardise addresses, add Eircodes where missing, and document a repeatable QA workflow. Richer enforcement timelines: Track key statutory stages and dates more consistently, so progress and delays are visible. Better analytics: Add district and town breakdowns, CPO numbers, trend views such as dereliction clusters, and "time on register" metrics to highlight long-standing cases. Case studies: Include short, evidence-based examples of successful reuse (before/after, costs, barriers, outcomes). Decision-support outputs: Create exportable reports and summaries that support internal briefings and member queries. For collaboration, feedback, or demonstration requests, please get in touch. Regards Rob Cross

Bringing Ireland's History to Life. 🇮🇪 v 🇩🇪⚽️ My restored, colourised aerial photograph of 40,000 in Dalymount Park, Dublin, watching Ireland’s 3–0 victory over West Germany in an international friendly on 25 November 1956. The result was especially notable because West Germany were the reigning world champions, having won the 1954 FIFA World Cup. Ireland’s victory remains one of Dalymount Park’s most memorable. Ireland's goals were scored by Paddy Ambrose, Tommy Hamilton and Albie Murphy. #Dublin #Ireland #History #COYBIG #TheColourOfIreland

Bringing Ireland's History to Life 🇮🇪 v🇩🇪⚽️ My colourised footage of the 1936 match shows huge crowds at Dalymount Park in Dublin as Ireland secured a famous 5–2 victory over Germany. It was a dramatic reversal: Ireland had played Germany only once before, losing 3–1 in Dortmund in May 1935. Hitler’s Nazi regime was in power at the time. The German delegation arrived at Baldonnel Aerodrome the day before the match, with swastikas visible on its aircraft. Before kick-off, the German players performed the Nazi salute during the national anthems. The original black-and-white footage is by BRITISH PATHÉ. Date: Saturday, 17 October 1936 Venue: Dalymount Park, Dublin Competition: International friendly Attendance: approximately 28,000–30,000 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Referee: Willie E. Webb (Scotland) 🇮🇪 Ireland's goals: Joey Donnelly — 25' Tom Davis — 35' penalty Mattie Geoghegan — 59' Joey Donnelly — 69' Tom Davis — 76' 🇩🇪Germany: Stanislaus Kobierski — 26' Fritz Szepan — 32 #Dublin #Ireland #History #COYBIG #TheColourOfIreland

I’m delighted that my interview with The Southern Star has been published, and hopefully they'll convert this derelict building into a cultural centre for people to enjoy.🤞🗞️ #Clonakilty #WestCork #Cork #Ireland #Heritage #HeritageAtRisk #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland #LinenHeritage _______________________________________________ Clonakilty hall ‘ideal’ for cultural centre on history of linen trade BY MARTIN STEINMETZ AN AUTHOR and campaigner against dereliction has said Clonakilty’s Old Linen Hall is an ideal place for a cultural centre dedicated to the history of the linen trade. Rob Cross, who documents empty derelict buildings across Ireland on his website, made his case for the future of the building during an interview with The Southern Star. The creator of the Colours of Ireland books said he watched a recent episode of RTÉ Nationwide featuring the town’s Flax Linen community and was saddened to see the landmark building still derelict. He warned that once Ireland’s architectural heritage has gone it would be lost forever. “When I saw it on TV the slates had been removed from the roof, probably for safety reasons. But when the slates are removed the water gets in and a building deteriorates,” said Rob who was born in Limerick and has relatives in Castletownbere and Dursey Island. He said the protected building had huge potential to be brought back to life and to shine a light on Clonakilty’s rich history. Rob said the Old Linen Hall had only been added to Cork County Council’s Derelict Sites Register in mid-November 2024 with a market evaluation of €150,000, adding it was “a disappointing place intervention for a building of this significance.” The author and architectural designer pointed out that long-term vacancy and dereliction directly contribute to the housing shortage and homelessness. “The council have a duty to look after a protected building like the Old Linen Hall. It really should be restored, and it would be great to have it as a cultural centre. I would like to see it used on a daily basis, a place that gives a nod to Clonakilty’s linen industry,” said Rob. The two-storey former linen hall was built in 1817 by the Earl of Shannon and was the largest linen market in its day, with up to 600 weavers offering their wares inside. It was later used as a butter market, a weigh house, and in the 20th century as Sheehy’s and then Houl... (text continues as shown) “I’ve recently been in Belfast, in Lisburn, in Guilford and Hillsborough recently for our interactive flax project. They all have a centre or a memorial of some kind to celebrate the linen heritage in different ways. Lisburn’s Linen Hall has a fantastic heritage centre with weaving looms and artefacts, but there’s nothing like it in the Republic of Ireland. “A heritage centre could also focus on the lessons we can learn from the past in terms of sustainability. How can we use our heritage in Clonakilty and tell a story that can also inform our future clothing and environmental choice? The history of flax and linen in Clonakilty has influenced the richness and the vibrancy of the area.” Minister Christopher O’Sullivan has said he would fully support a linen heritage centre at the Old Linen Hall. “It’s an iconic building in the centre of Clonakilty and it means so much to the history of the town. If my department could help out we would, but I’m also respecting the fact that the building is privately owned at the moment.” Cork County Council was contacted for comment.

Dublin 1 time capsule gem: from warehouse to restaurant to grow-house raid to HSE reuse. Vacant for over a decade, this c. 1810 two-storey stone warehouse on Henrietta Place, Dublin 1, is one of the city’s hidden gems. In the late 1990s, the building housed the Transylvania Restaurant before it closed a few years later. In 2012, Gardaí discovered a cannabis grow house in the former restaurant: the reported seizure comprised 1,490 cannabis plants valued at €1.1 million. The HSE acquired the building in 2024 and currently uses it as a store, but plans are in place to expand its adjoining Social Inclusion and Addiction Service. In my visualisation, the red blocks represent derelict and vacant sites around Dublin City. Below is a webpage I built to highlight dereliction in Ireland, propose solutions, and showcase heritage buildings and structures at risk. The page includes quick facts, a summary, history and ownership, a dated photographic decline log, planning/enforcement history, vacancy/dereliction signals, reuse potential, recommended next actions, open questions, and sources. ℹ️My Research Page: derelictsites.com/3649-a-two… 👀Google Street View: maps.app.goo.gl/72ftTGeakDnE… #Dublin #Ireland #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland #BuiltHeritage #HeritageAtRisk

Once our heritage is gone, it is gone forever. It’s a shame to see Collooney Mills in such a ruinous state. The mill is a protected c.1830 industrial complex beside the Owenmore River in Collooney, County Sligo. The site embodies several phases of water-powered industry such as linen, woollen, corn/flour milling, and later hydroelectric generation, but much of the surviving mill fabric is now disused and visibly deteriorating. The mills reportedly closed in the early-to-mid 1950s. Much of the complex was demolished in the early 1970s, leaving selected buildings, riverworks, and boundary fabric. Below is a webpage I built to highlight dereliction in Ireland, propose solutions, and showcase heritage buildings and structures at risk. The page includes quick facts, a summary, history and ownership, a dated photographic decline log, planning/enforcement history, vacancy/dereliction signals, reuse potential, recommended next actions, open questions, and sources. 👀Google Street View: maps.app.goo.gl/ZRvY7pisfocz… ℹ️Research Page: derelictsites.com/81-CDP-Col… #Sligo #Ireland #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland #BuiltHeritage #HeritageAtRisk

Amazing if every 10k town had such visibility and then overlay infrastructure and housing for next 20 years, like Finland does, rather than cloak & dagger myopic planning in Ireland.

Dereliction on Kildare Street! The former late-Georgian Kildare Street Hotel has stood boarded up and derelict/vacant since 2019, just metres from Dáil Éireann. In my visualisation, the red blocks represent derelict and vacant sites around Dublin City. Below is a webpage I built to highlight dereliction in Ireland, propose solutions, and showcase heritage buildings and structures at risk. The page includes quick facts, a summary, history and ownership, a dated photographic decline log, planning/enforcement history, vacancy/dereliction signals, reuse potential, recommended next actions, open questions, and sources. derelictsites.com/The-Kildar… It's worth noting that the latest homelessness figures, at 17,527, show that 11,868 adults and 5,659 children (a record high) were in emergency accommodation in July 2026. #Dublin #Ireland #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland #BuiltHeritage #HeritageAtRisk

This tragic story highlights a host of system failures in Ireland, including ineffective welfare checks, weak national dereliction data, boarding-up without internal safety safeguards, and fragmented public information. Timothy “Tim” O’Sullivan died alone at 9 Beecher Street, Mallow, County Cork in January 2001. His remains were not discovered until Cork County Council workers entered the house on 13 January 2023, approximately 22 years later. RIP Tim Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam Following the inquest, Tim’s family called for a comprehensive review of the legislation and procedures governing derelict properties and compulsory purchase. They highlighted the shortcomings of sending notices to an abandoned house, delays in ownership searches, the absence of an internal welfare check and the limited powers available to local authorities before acquiring a property. Research page below documenting the story, the system failures highlighted by the case, and possible solutions. I have also listed support and referral organisations such as Alone, Threshold, Age Action, and the Samaritans that people can reach out to. derelictsites.com/KMMD-DS-03… #Cork #Ireland #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland

FYI, I’ve updated the County Cork Council derelict sites register on my DerelictSites.com website, including market valuations and dates. The attached slides show some of the 32 derelict sites added to the register. At a glance: 📌Total sites on current register: 159 💰Total market value on current register: €13,515,000 ➕Added in latest register: 32 ➖Removed sites from the current register: 19 ✅ Current sites with valuation: 109 ❔ Current sites with no valuation: 50 🧾 Total 7% levy due on current register (from number column): €2,737,000 (sum across 101 sites), excluding interest 🧮 Current sites with levy calculated (number): 101 🕰️ Longest on current register (by Date of Entry): KMMD/DS/15 — Westside of road between Tullylease and Freemount - Site No 3 — entered 2002-08-05 (≈ 24.1 years as of today) 🗓️ Average years on current register: 4.2 📆 Average months on current register: 49.9 📆 Average weeks on current register: 217.1 4.0 Cork County Council — Derelict Site Register derelictsites.com/4-0-Cork-C… 4.1 Cork County Council — Derelict Site Register Database - 04-09-2026 derelictsites.com/cork-count… It's worth noting that the latest homelessness figures, at 17,527, show that 11,868 adults and 5,659 children (a record high) were in emergency accommodation in July 2026. #Cork #Ireland #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland

Your presence and incredible detail were very much welcome. Part of the theme of the #FestivalofIdeas was the lack of data and evidence. You have shown what is possible. If an ordinary citizen can compile such data, the question needs to be asked...what is the government doing?

I had a great time meeting so many people on Saturday at the Festival of Ideas in Drogheda, where I presented some of my work on dereliction and vacancy as part of the heritage and regeneration talks. Drogheda is a vibrant town with loads of hidden historical gems, and some areas have so much potential, waiting to be unlocked after years of dereliction. #Drogheda #FestivalOfIdeas #DerelictIreland

Who funds housing, regeneration and sustainable energy in Ireland? It's complicated! I’ve mapped the key departments, state agencies, local authorities, funding bodies, and EU support, showing how money flows from policy to delivery. Explore the guide and organisation map:👇👇 🔗derelictsites.com/f-Irish-St… #Ireland #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland

Ireland should take note! Scotland hasn’t enacted Compulsory Sale or Lease Orders yet, but it is seriously exploring them: 69% back sales and 51% support leases. This would be a game changer in Ireland if we introduced Compulsory Sale or Lease Orders. These tools could unlock long-term vacant and derelict properties and help turn them into homes. 🏘️Ireland Housing Crisis — Policy Options derelictsites.com/e-Ireland-… 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Compulsory sale and lease orders: consultation analysis report gov.scot/publications/compul… #Ireland #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland

Now, this is a first for me, but I’m delighted to have worked with Director Jo Mangan and her team to create some of the fly-through visuals for Tom Swift’s new musical play, Pretty Vacant, as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival. fringefest.com/festival/what… #Dublin #Ireland #FringeFestival #HousingCrisis

I’m delighted to be giving a talk as part of the Festival of Ideas, where I’ll present a visual showcase of my work documenting and mapping dereliction across Ireland. I’ll share examples from DerelictSites.com, including flyover mapping and visual case studies, and discuss how these tools can support public awareness, local authority action, and a more informed conversation about reuse, conservation, and place. The talk takes place on Saturday 19th at 2 pm in the former AIB Bank at 98/99 West Street as part of the Festival of Ideas. Admission is free. To secure your place: eventbrite.ie/e/talks-on-der… #Drogheda #Louth #Ireland #HousingCrisis #DerelictIreland #BuiltHeritage #HeritageAtRisk