Watch: Residents hold vigil over party concerns on Cork street

RESIDENTS of Magazine Road and the surrounding areas held a silent vigil on Magazine Road yesterday amid ongoing concerns of “persistent noise and anti-social behaviour”.

The Magazine Road and Surrounding Areas Residents’ Association, which took a stand last year against lockdown house parties, said there had been a number of issues with large house parties in the past week.

Speaking to The Echo, residents’ association chairwoman Catherine Clancy said that, whilst there had been positive change in the area, issues still persisted.

“A lot of landlords have taken on board the issues last year in the area and have put ‘no party clauses’ into their tenancies, but we had a change of tenancies last week of summer lets.

“We have a handful of landlords who haven’t taken on board our concerns nor have they taken on board their duty of care to their neighbours,” she said.

Ms Clancy said there was a “major house party” in the area on Thursday night and expressed concern that such gatherings pose a public health risk.

“The bottom line is Covid has not gone away,” she said.

“The message doesn’t seem to be getting across to the landlords and it doesn’t seem to be getting across in some houses to those who have taken up occupancy – that message of being Covid compliant.”

Covid restrictions state that people are permitted to meet inside their own home with one other household.

Fully vaccinated people can meet indoors with other fully vaccinated people, up to a maximum of three households. This can include one unvaccinated household if they are not at risk of severe illness. This provision is called the vaccine bonus.

However, Ms Clancy said that the majority of young people have not yet received a Covid vaccine.

She said the residents’ association had submitted complaints to the Residential Tenancies Board and intended to submit one more regarding another property of concern.

To comply with Covid guidelines, only a small number of residents attended the yesterday’s vigil.

“We hope that by drawing attention to it now that the landlords who haven’t taken our concerns on board will do so,” Ms Clancy said.