Any Bloomsday visitor who made a pilgrimage to Ushers Island on the Dublin quays yesterday would have been dismayed to find that the "dark gaunt house" which inspired The Dead, James Joyce's most celebrated short story, is virtually in ruins.
But all is not lost. Last night the property developer who owns the building said he was delighted to announce that a contract had been signed that very Bloomsday for its "complete restoration for the benefit of the city of Dublin".
Last used in 1987 by John Huston as a set for his critically acclaimed film of the same title - shown on RTE television last night - No 15 Ushers Island is in a sad state, with its Georgian doorway covered up by corrugated sheeting.
There are buddleias in the basement area, weeds growing out of the gutter, windows broken or missing, and cracks in the brown-painted brickwork. If there was a strong breeze, the shutters of the first-floor saloon would be flapping in it.
The building has suffered fire damage, vandalism and the theft of architectural fittings, including its elaborate late-Georgian fanlight with a lantern in the middle.
Formerly the headquarters of Dardis and Dunn, seed merchants, the building - which marks the end of a major vista from Blackhall Place - had its top floor removed within the past 20 years, a practice all too common in parts of Georgian Dublin.
With no trace left of Leopold Bloom's home in Eccles Street (apart from the door) or of Barney Kiernan's pub, the house has been described as one of the most important landmarks of Joyce's work, second only to the Martello tower in Sandycove.
The Dublin City Association of An Taisce described its current condition as an "international scandal", especially at a time when Dublin was "wallowing in the Joycean industry", with numerous visitors coming here on their peregrinations.
In 1996 Dublin Corporation became so concerned about the deterioration of this listed building that it took a High Court action against the owner, Heritage Properties, in an effort to enforce compliance with planning conditions.
The company, which is run by Mr Terry Devey, had already built the Viking Harbour apartments on an adjoining site - including a large area at the rear of No 15 - and it was a condition of its 1992 planning permission that the house would be restored. The legal action was adjourned after Heritage agreed to make a fresh planning application to restore it "to a state which would substantially replicate its condition in 1904 in such a manner as to create a public cultural facility celebrating James Joyce".
A detailed scheme was submitted by architects Murray O'Laoire, who said their client was "most anxious to commence on site as soon as possible and to develop this cultural facility before further damage is done to this valuable piece of literary heritage".
Planning permission was granted by the corporation in March 1997, subject to several conditions designed to ensure that the work proposed would be carried out. Fifteen months later, however, restoration work has yet to begin.
Mr Devey, who is currently completing a scheme of more than 200 apartments on the old Jameson distillery site in Smithfield, said last night that compliance with building and fire regulations had been "extremely tedious and difficult".
But he said a full fire certificate was now in place as well as all the drawings and documentation. "We went to tender six weeks ago and appointed a contractor today," he said. "So I am delighted to say that No 15 Ushers Island will be restored for the benefit of the city of Dublin."
