Kilmore Celtic girls have to knock on doors for toilets after 35 years of neglect
Young female footballers playing for a northside club are being forced to knock on neighbours' doors to use their toilets.
And after more than three decades without water, electricity or toilets, Kilmore Celtic say their young players - and especially their girls - are being let down. For 35 years, Kilmore have trained at the same location, on the pitches along Oscar Traynor Road in Coolock, yet they still don’t have toilets.
Local councillors are backing the club’s push for basic amenities and an all‑ weather pitch, while Dublin City Council’s response to previous motions claim wildlife protections stand in the way. “We only have containers for storage, no water, no electricity,” said Dean Russell, chairman of the club founded in 1990.
“The most disgusting part of this is we don’t have any toilets for the underage girls, which in this day and age is unacceptable.” Mr Russell says promises of improvements have repeatedly fallen through.
During winter, when grass pitches are often unplayable, the club rents training time elsewhere, including at League of Ireland side Bohemians' academy facility across the road. Dean said: “We rent facilities off Bohemians on Mondays for part of the year. When the weather’s good, we’re back on Oscar Traynor Road, still with no toilets or facilities.”
At a recent tournament, the club hired portaloos, but visiting parents still struggled. Dean said: “People had to lift buggies and people in wheelchairs over the wall. They couldn’t believe we had no toilets.”
In another incident, Dean’s 10-year-old granddaughter needed the bathroom during a match. “Her mother had to bring her home, a couple of miles away, and they never came back,” he said.
Wildlife constraints have repeatedly been cited in the area, with brent geese identified as a protected species. However, Dean said he doesn’t understand why a workaround solution cannot be found. “Every public space that has amenities for sport should have toilet facilities at least,” he explained.
He added that while the club had been offered portaloos, they were told to place them at a nearby community centre that has been closed for almost two years. “We used to change there and use the toilets when we trained at the school, but that’s been shut down,” he added.
Local representatives say the situation is "ridiculous", and Councillor Gavin Pepper called it “unacceptable” that young girls are knocking on doors of nearby homes to use the toilet. “The least they deserve is proper facilities, toilets and changing rooms,” he said.
Cllr Pepper argued that comparable projects show funding can be found when there is political will. He said: “A prime example is the dressing rooms at Valley Park, they’re absolutely gorgeous. If they can put something like that there, they can easily put it here. The figures we’re talking about are not astronomical.”
He criticised how other projects seem to easily get funding while Kilmore Celtic are continually ignored. He said: “They expect us to pass things to borrow over €60 million to redevelop Dalymount Park . But once again, the working-class communities are forgotten about. If this was in Dalkey or Killiney this wouldn’t happen.”
Cllr Edel Moran said she has tabled multiple motions but finds it's just one obstacle after another. “I never get a straightforward answer. It's never just okay, it’s either funding or we don’t do that or there’s a law against this. They’ve been ignored for a long time and the Council just needs to get something done for them,” she said.
“The big issue is no toilets. It’s embarrassing when away teams come and there’s nowhere to go. That’s basic.” Cllr Moran acknowledged vandalism concerns around public toilets, such as an incident at St Anne’s Park , but argued that this cannot be a permanent barrier. “Toilets are a basic right,” she said, adding that adding facilities in the area could also benefit different Council-led community projects.
Dean said previous commitments haven’t materialised and that no matter how long he’s been pushing for this, he always ends up back at square one. “Every time you build a relationship with someone in the Council, they get moved, and you’re back to explaining everything again,” he said.
On match days, the absence of these facilities are a challenge. “Visiting parents are very understanding, but they can’t believe that after 35 years we don’t have basic amenities,” Dean said. “Surely underage boys and girls should be a priority for basic toilets.
“For us, it’s simple. We just want toilets, a proper pitch, and a place for the kids to play.” Dublin City Council has been contacted for comment.
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