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Hundreds of millions of euro paid to Irish companies for accommodating refugees and Ukrainians

Latest figures from Dept of Integration show hotel groups, the McEnaney family, and a US private equity group among those being paid for providing accommodation services

Mosney Holidays plc, which does not publish financial accounts, was paid €14.24 million during the period for housing IP applicants in the former holiday resort in Co Meath. Photograph: Frank Miller
Mosney Holidays plc, which does not publish financial accounts, was paid €14.24 million during the period for housing IP applicants in the former holiday resort in Co Meath. Photograph: Frank Miller
Colm Keena
Fri Sept 27 2024 - 18:41

The company accommodating Ukrainians and international protection (IP) applicants at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin was paid more than €20 million by the State in the three months to the end of June, new figures show.

Cape Wrath Hotel Ltd, owned by Tetrach Capital, has been paid more than €36 million since the start of the year for accommodation services. Founded by Michael McElligott and James Byrne in 2011, Tetrach, also the owner of the Mount Juliet Estate in Co Kilkenny, is an unlimited company and no recent financial information is publicly available.

The latest list of payments exceeding €20,000 made in the second quarter of this year by the Dept of Integration shows a wide range of companies being paid hundreds of millions of euro for providing accommodation to the department.

Mosney Holidays plc, which does not publish financial accounts, was paid €14.24 million during the period for housing IP applicants in the former holiday resort in Co Meath.

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Guestford Ltd, owner of the Red Cow Moran Hotel in Dublin, was paid €8.5 million for the provision of accommodation to IP applicants. It was paid approximately €9.5 million the previous quarter.

IGO Emergency Management, owned by IGO Café Ltd, of Sallynoggin Road, Dún Laoghaire, Dublin, was paid €13.37 million in the second quarter of 2024, having been paid €5.55 million in the first three months of the year.

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Owned by Ann Murphy, Borrisokane, Co Tipperary, and Cristina Andries, Sallynoggin Road, IGO Café made a profit of €882,126 in 2023, according to its most recent accounts.

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Companies associated with former Monaghan GAA football manager Séamus McEnaney, and his wider family were paid €16.68 million in the second quarter.

Brimwood Unlimited, Corvalley, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, which is owned by McEnaney and members of his family, was paid €10 million.

JMA Ventures, Tydavnet, Co Monaghan, owned by James McCarville (34), Monfort, Co Monaghan, was paid €4.5 million in the second quarter of this year. The company reported a profit of €1.7 million in the year to August 2023, having made a profit of just €124,000 the previous year. Mr McEnaney’s sister, Margaret McCarville, is a former director of the company.

Oakgate Ltd, Carrickmacross, was paid more than €2 million in the second quarter. The company, fifty per cent owned by Ms McCarville, reported a profit of €2.48 million in the year to April 2023.

Companies in the Tifco hotel group, including Travelodge, Hilton and Holiday Inn hotels, have been paid more than €50 million for the provision of accommodation since the start of the year, including €18 million in the second quarter.

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Tifco was paid €4.3 million in the three months to June, Hotel Inn Dublin Airport €5.6 million, Hilton Dublin €120,000, and Travelodge €8 million. The hotel group is owned by US private equity business, Apollo Global.

Total Experience Ltd, Canal Road, Dublin 6, owned by Brian McDermott, Canal Road, and Jamie Deasy, Dundrum, Dublin 14, was paid approximately €9 million in the second quarter.

DHGL Ltd, part of the Dalata Hotel Group, was paid more than €6 million, The D Hotel, Drogheda, Co Louth, was paid almost €6 million, and hotel business Windward Management Ltd, of Fleet Street, Dublin 2, was also paid almost €6 million.

Allpro Security Services, Galway, was paid €6.7 million, while Bridgestock Care Ltd, Co Roscommon, was paid €2.7 million.

Colm Keena

Colm Keena

Colm Keena is an Irish Times journalist. He was previously legal-affairs correspondent and public-affairs correspondent