New SocDems Councillor Ellen O’Doherty targets 'social crime' of dereliction

New Social Democrats Councillor Ellen O’Doherty spoke to Dublin Live about continuing the work of Daniel Ennis and how to improve the everyday lives of people in the North Inner City

News Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 12:58, 29 Jun 2026 View 2 Images Social Democrats Councillor Ellen O'Doherty and Daniel Ennis TD

Newly co-opted Social Democrats Councillor Ellen O’Doherty aims to continue her predecessor's work after filling the Dublin City Council seat vacated by Daniel Ennis's election to the Dáil .

Speaking with Dublin Live, Cllr O’Doherty outlined her passion for politics and desire to tackle major issues like vacancy and dereliction, protecting social and sports infrastructure, and reforming waste management. Originally from Tralee, she’s lived in Dublin over a decade and says she knows first-hand the issues faced by those in the North Inner City.

“I moved up for college and never left - I fell in love with the place. I’ve always been quite an active person, seeking out litter clean-up groups and community work wherever I lived. I always wanted to be active in communities, to get to know my neighbours, and I think that’s why this is a very important job, and it’s one that I do take very seriously,” she said.

Cllr O’Doherty previously ran in the local elections in 2024 but was unsuccessful, gaining 5.3% of first preference votes, narrowly behind Mr Ennis’s 6.5%. With experience as an administrator in the HSE and spending the past eight years in the public sector, her background highlights a track-record of navigating complex state systems.

View 2 Images Social Democrats Cllr Ellen O'Doherty (Image: Instagram)

As a renter, Cllr O’Doherty has felt the effects of the housing crisis and worked alongside groups like CATU to address issues felt among communities in Stoneybatter, where she has lived for several years. Running uncontested in the Social Democrats co-option selection process, she points to housing as a key issue and a prime focus for her term.

Expressing shock at the recent upturn in evictions as landlords seek to leave the rental market, Cllr O’Doherty said she’s watched what should be “an incredibly rare and singular event in someone’s life” turn into a “common occurrence” in Dublin. “People kind of go, 'Oh, yeah, me too,' and it's like our whole world view has become just so skewed,” she said.

Her personal experience as a renter, paired with work as a parliamentary assistant with Rory Hearne TD on housing issues in the Oireachtas has shaped her views on the housing crisis and the need to address it. She explained this is compounded by the huge amount of derelict and vacant buildings around Dublin.

Witnessing the sheer levels of dereliction around the city centre, she described allowing places to remain vacant while so many are competing for space as a “social crime”. “It's a waste, especially when a huge proportion of the country's homeless population is on Gardiner Street,” she said.

In light of Tánaiste Simon Harris’s comments that local authorities have “failed badly” when it comes to addressing dereliction and collecting levies, Cllr O’Doherty said she believes local authorities are being “scapegoated” by central government who have not provided enough support. “Getting very serious about dealing with dereliction and vacancy in the city centre is going to be very important to me,” she said.

She expressed admiration for Daniel Ennis’s advocacy around retaining sports pitches like the Strand on Portland Row and said fighting to retain and gain infrastructure in the North Inner City is “a mantle I am 100% taking up”. One recent issue she’s determined to address is Cowtown Yard in Stoneybatter, which has been controversially denied planning permission by the council.

The popular food market and sauna was set up during the pandemic and transformed a vacant space into a thriving community hub. She described the space as “very close to my heart” and said she’s already issued council questions to try and overcome their potential closure. “I lived next to it for a long time, those pizzas they sell fed me for quite a long time,” she joked.

Another key issue that has sparked debate among the Stoneybatter community in recent years is the introduction of the council’s new waste management strategy . This aims to eliminate plastic bags from city streets and move residents to a wheelie bin or stacked caddy system.

Cllr O’Doherty said she has noticed huge issues with waste management in the area and that problems with illegal dumping or seagulls ripping open rubbish bags need to be addressed. It’s everyday problems such as these that end up having a huge impact on people’s lives, and it’s these kinds of concerns that Cllr O’Doherty hopes to address.

"Sometimes someone would be chatting to you on the door and they'd say, 'Oh, it's silly, but it’s an issue with a street lamp or the paths or my bins.' And, I would always say, 'Look, this is your home, this is your environment, this is your life, this is where you live every day. So these small things, they become big because it is your everyday life,” she said.

Cllr O’Doherty was co-opted onto Dublin City Council on Monday, June 22. She joins fellow Social Democrats Councillors Noelle Brown, Lesley Byrne, Mary Callaghan, Cian Farrell, Jesslyn Henry, Paddy Monahan, Cat O’Driscoll, Patricia Roe, and Karl Stanley.

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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