Girl Guides tipped to be the chief buyers for landmark building
By Mary Dennehy
THE Irish Girl Guides has set its compass towards Tallaght’s direction, with the national organisation believed to be closing in on a deal to buy a landmark Tallaght village building – which could be the established organisation’s new HQ.
The Echo understands that the Irish Girl Guides (IGG) is finalising its purchase of the BP O’Reilly solicitors building, which went on the market last January for €650,000.
The Irish Girl Guides has around 12,000 youth and adult members, with the organisation, which has a paid workforce, offering a diverse programme of activities for girls and young women between the ages of five and 30.
With more than 500 units nationwide, The Echo understands that IGG is looking for a central hub or national head office, with reports suggesting that Tallaght has been chosen as the location.
When contacted by The Echo this week, a spokesperson for IGG could not provide a comment at this stage as no sale has yet been finalised.
Despite local speculation, Auctioneer Ray Cooke, of Ray Cooke Auctioneers, was also unable to comment on the potential buyer as the process was still at the “sale agreed” stage.
However, he did tell The Echo that a well-known ‘national brand’ was involved in the sale of the building, which generated a lot of interest from a range of buyers over recent months.
Mr Cooke said: “There has been a lot of interest in this building since it went on the market, which is good news for Tallaght as it is seen as a desirable location for business.
“I can’t comment on who has agreed a sale on the building, but I will say that it has the potential to be a massive boost for the area.
“They will also be bringing their own workforce with them, which will bring spend to the local economy and open other opportunities.”
Mr Cooke added that Tallaght was attractive to a lot of interested buyers due to its links to routes such as the M50, N11 and N4, alongside its easy access to the Luas and a well-connected Dublin Bus service.
It is believed that the building, which is around 6,000sq ft, went for slightly above the asking price of €650K.
Undergoing major extension work in 2003, the two-storey BP O’Reilly building came onto the market last January after well-known solicitor Brian Reilly, who established the business in 1989, sadly passed away the previous May.
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