Residents plagued by student parties take protests to home of landlord 

MAGAZINE Road residents have held a vigil outside the home of a landlord who owns a number of student properties in their area in an effort to highlight their anger at regular "Covid parties" in rented accommodation.

Catherine Clancy, Chairperson of the Magazine Road and Surrounding Area Residents' Association, told The Echo the residents decided to go from protesting near their own homes to the landlord's, as they were into their fourth or fifth week of noisy, all-night student parties in the college area.

“He owns numerous houses in our area. He has been spoken to by the HSE, Gardai and Cork City Council, nothing has worked," said Ms Clancy.

Forty landlords with 200 properties have been contacted by Gardaí, City Hall and the HSE following a spate of 'lockdown parties' that have angered local residents in college areas of Cork.

Ms Clancy added: “We are desperate. We want him to run his business in a manner that is in keeping with a residential community.

“It is awful, we are very upset and very tired.” 

Ms Clancy said that some of the house parties can last all night, with people continuing to drink and play loud music after Gardaí have visited the premises and requested them to stop.

The dirt and filth of the area has left locals ashamed of the community, she added.

“Ultimately we want legislation and for Cork City Council to keep a record of landlords in the area. We will be taking this to the PRTB, but right now, we are at our wits end.”

Ms Clancy has also called for an NCT style system for landlords.

"There should be something along the lines of an NCT for rented properties where there is certain criteria to be checked and approved before they can be rented out," she added.