BOMB DISPOSAL EXPERTS were called in after suspected explosives dating back to the Civil War era were found in what’s believed to be one of the oldest occupied houses in Dublin.

The items were found under the floorboards during renovations at No 26 Fishamble Street, in the heart of the city centre.

Essex Street West in Temple Bar was closed off for a period yesterday evening as bomb disposal experts responded to the scene.

Gardaí were immediately contacted after what appeared to be explosive ordnance and bullets were found in the basement of the property at approximately 4pm. Gardaí requested help from the Defence Forces which tasked specialists.

Following a technical examination by an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, the munitions were removed from the house.

James Casey – estimated to be at least the fifth generation of the family to live at No 26 – told The Journal that it was a “mad few hours” until normality returned to the area.

He said they were examining the basement for potential renovation works when they made the find.

It’s less clear how the explosives ended up in the basement, and whether it may have been used for safekeeping by some factions during the revolutionary period of Irish history.

These finds crop up from time to time – a live grenade was discovered amid a suburb in Clontarf five years ago.

“Most of my ancestors were military men and certainly had a keen interest in all things military, so there’s every chance that there was something like that [from that era], or maybe someone landed them in here some time back in the day,” Casey said.

Historic building
Of the house itself, it’s believed to one of the longest occupied buildings in Dublin. Casey stays on the top floor with his wife and family, with the building also home to his architects office.

it’s also the only surviving intact 18th century house within the old city walls.

He likened it “Trigger’s sweeping brush from Only Fools and Horses”, with the property now a collection of numerous eras from Irish history.

It’s dotted throughout with family heirlooms curated by Casey’s grandfather Patrick and granduncle Michael to act as a time capsule for younger generations.

Casey paid tribute to his neighbours around the city centre who helped his family as they waited for the army’s specialists to conduct the operation.

“We had people offering us everything and anything to help – a pizza place around the corner told me to just sit the family down and stay there as long as we like while it was sorted,” he said.

“It was all done and dusted in about four hours,” added Casey, who praised gardaí for how they handled the situation.

“Within minutes of ringing they were here. it was a stressful situation given the nature of it but they dealt with it very quickly and very safely. They were really informative about what was happening and how they were going to do it too.

Any discretion was soon done away with given the arrival of the bomb disposal team as it carried out its work.

According to a Defence Forces spokesperson, the “suspected explosive ordnance and ammunition” recovered from the house will be disposed of in time.

“The area was cordoned off and following a technical examination by the EOD Team several items of historical nature were removed from the location for disposal,” the army spokesperson said.

Despite this, the excitement seemed to pass many by. One man who works on the street told The Journal that he didn’t “catch a minute of it” having headed straight for home after finishing work yesterday.