The northern lights were visible even from the suburbs below the Dublin mountains this week, with people all over the capital turning their gaze to the sky. In Rathfarnham, however, people have spent the past year gazing on a far more depressing light-related sight: a brand-spanking-new apartment block with just a few lights turned on each night. Despite being bought with taxpayers’ money in the midst of a housing crisis, the pristine apartment block has yet to be occupied. The administrative delay in taking over the 37 apartments in the Loreto Gate complex has been described by local council officials as “extraordinary”.

Source: Irish Independent January 24, 2026 21:06 UTC