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DUBLIN CITY COUNCILLOR Gary Gannon has said that the “preferred bidder” for the Magdalene Laundry building on Sean McDermott Street is the Japanese hotel chain Toyoko Inn.
The hotel chain, which bought Abbeville in 2015 – the grand mansion and estate of the former Fianna Fáil Taoiseach Charles J Haughey – has an unusual staff policy.
In Japan, the chain has a policy of hiring workforces almost entirely made up of women; it’s been reported that 95% of its approximately 8,500 employees are female.
One English-language flyer described its approach as “the feminine touch in hotel management” that provides “care and hospitality to the weary traveler”.
On the company website, its president says that its “Toyoko Inn’s dream is to build 10.45 million rooms all over the world”. It also states:
The key to making this vast dream come true lies in each member of our employees. This is why what I envision for this company is, “to build 500,000 rooms in the next 30 years”, “to become the most popular name among females in Japan” and “to become the most respected name throughout the society”.
Gannon, who’s a member of the Social Democrats, said that it was inappropriate for the hotel chain to purchase the premises given the premises’ dark history if abuse.
“How can we in all conscience allow this site to once again become a place where women will be paid relatively little to clean and serve the needs of others in order to generate enormous income for a wealthy institution?”
Plans for the derelict site include the building of a 351-bed hotel, a 140-bed student residence, a private cultural amenity and ten residential units, four of which are earmarked for social housing.
Gannon has requested that it be clarified where the promised memorial for the Magdalene survivors would be placed, and called it “reprehensible and unforgivable” that it seemed to be an “afterthought” in the process.
This is the only Magdalene laundry of its kind that is currently in the possession of the State and its disposal cannot be treated as just another commercial transaction.
The councillor has said previously that the site should be preserved as a centre for commemoration and remembrance, and not sold off for private interest.
A family member of one prominent and vocal Magdalene survivor, Mary Merritt, told TheJournal.ie previously that a memorial garden would be a fitting gesture.
“When Mary gave a three-hour speech to the UN in Geneva about what happened to her,” her husband Bill said, “there was a beautiful garden which pumped water around – you could have that here.
“You could have a statue of an ordinary woman, no church, at the front.”
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Imagine there was a hotel chain coming to Ireland that had a policy to hire almost entirely men, with a workforce 95% male. I am interested to hear people’s comments on that hypothetical situation.
@Mary Murphy: should women not automatically be given preference in this situation given the decades of atrocities carried out against them in this very building?
@Mary Murphy: My thoughts exactly, there would be uproar. I’m all for equality, this is definitely discrimination. Unleash the male comments …
@Ebony: No. Quite simply
@Ebony: Disregarding this particular building. Just in general if a hotel chain came to build a new building and wanted to employ pretty much only women what would you say?
@Mary Murphy: Sounds like a brothel to me.
@Mary Murphy: I personally wouldn’t stay at such a hotel because its weird and unnatural but it obviously makes money so theres obviously some kind of market out there for it and each to there own. I wonder with such a public discriminatory employment policy will anyone challenge this company in the courts on equality grounds – it’ll be interesting. Then again you can have women only gyms but men only gyms are against the law so who knows!
Many parts of Dublin and all cities have had “grisly” pasts but that does not mean we leave all these areas derelict. Yes we should protect the building’s façade and create a memorial of sorts but to stretch the argument to women’s wage rates on the future site is Frankly silly.
@winston smith: Hundreds of homeless women were given a fresh start in life at the Magdaline Mother and Baby Homes/Hostels before the state introduced the Single Parent Allowance. This part of Dublin needs jobs, let’s hope their are no objectors.
Most people would avoid walking down that part of town at night so putting a hotel there is questionable.
@Kal Ipers: Walking down the quays was once questionable.
@Boo!: Never had any qualms walking down any Dublin street I’m 5’4 and a woman
@Kal Ipers: would upgrading the area not make it safer to walk down!!!
@Joy Birthistle: Are you going to knock down the council flats across the road and move all the locals? This is one of the roughest place in the entire country. They have completely refurbished them flats 3 times in my life time. There is an office block built beside there that companies keep leaving due to the anti social behaviour. So the answer is no the hotel will not bring up the area.
@WynnnerZ: I said once.
The Japanese, a grand bunch of lads!
Why always the negatives how about the positives that the hotel will orovided much needed employment in a deprived area amd even if it is staffed mostly by women does it not show the progressive society we have become where women have the right to work vote etc compared to the way those poor women who previously walked through the door of what was a hotel transylvania run by the religous rich to keep the poor women in servitude.
@Sean taoiseach: they aren’t going to hire the locals to work there in any meaningful way.
@Kal Ipers: that’s a good thing not hiring the locals.
@Michael Geraghty: Then you want to displace the locals and gentrify the area. The problem is you can’t the hotel is surrounded. I actually think it would be a good idea but both difficult and expensive to do. If it was gentrified it would certainly make better use of very valuable land. It won’t happen though way way too difficult.
Another NAMA cheap sell off to private investors……
@Charlie Melia: If it’s cheap why don’t you buy it. The bank will lend you the money no problem if if is a dead cert.
@Charlie Melia: private investor who will create jobs and redevelope a derelict site. It must be so hard for you to walk around with such a chip
@Michael Geraghty: State property sold off for knockdown prices to investors with no emotional contact to here…. Its just a cheap deal to them……. And its not walking with a chip. Its walking with my eyes open seeing things for what they really are……
@Charlie Melia: more like walking full of lsd. Your tripping if you think this location deserves anything other than destruction
We are far too much into memorial in this country. As far as I’m concerned Gannon can shove this one – you know where.
While I’m a big fan of Catherine Murphy, I fear a party that initially showed great potential will not exceed 2 representatives in the dail. Some of the opinions of individuals on the periphery are seriously questionable and at times contradictory.
I’m planning on starting a sewerage cleaning company staffed only by women. I expect to be championed by feminists as a beacon of equality.
Why are we selling these state assets to a hotel group when we have a housing crisis?
Much as I’d like to see that place burnt to the ground because my granny’s sister was in there, could it not be used as a homeless shelter or something like that..
seems they will be employing female slaves.
Everything is for sale in Ireland…
The Femnazis will start kicking off about hiring majority women…oh wait no they won’t
Probably not a capsule hotel though. Would one work in Ireland?
I admire Gary and Social Dems. But this worst form of political opportunism and grand standing. A hotel for the area is a huge vote of confidence in an historically challenging part of the north inner city. Site derelict. Too conflate the awful local irish history with the ethos of this Japanese hotel is simply ridiculous and short changes his local community.
Handy for the Conference centre too.
As a last comment.That door had a opening which meant I could go in and have lemonade and mikado biscuits,
Still feel not so good about this but I was a child.Really hope life is better for my grandkids which I know it is.
Could write a play about that door….t.
I have so many memories about that door as a child.
Welll I am the last to make a comment.So many memories and I suppose so many misconceptions.
We as young children put on plays here and I remember those women just touching me…….no inappropriate touching obviously.They must have have missed their little ones so much.t.
have your say