Trócaire set to permanently close Cathedral Street office in Dublin

Trócaire has made the difficult decision to permanently close its Cathedral Street office in Dublin city centre from the end of this month (September).

The development agency recently reviewed the sustainability of the office, coming to the unfortunate but necessary decision that the centre – which has been in operation in Cathedral St since 1983 – is no longer viable.

Trócaire CEO Caoimhe de Barra said:  

“Trócaire constantly reviews its operations to ensure we are putting our supporter’s generosity to use as efficiently and effectively as possible.

“Our Cathedral Street office used to function as a hub for teachers and students seeking material on development and humanitarian issues, as well as for supporters to bring in donations. However, the external environment has changed over recent years and both footfall and income were down by almost 50% over the last five years.

“Our educational resources are now accessed mostly online and many of our supporters who in the past would have visited Cathedral Street are now donating by post, phone or online rather than in person. This trend has been underway for a number of years and will likely accelerate due to the Covid-19 crisis. Unfortunately, this means the Cathedral Street office is no longer viable.

“This was a very difficult decision to make, but we have an obligation to ensure we are using our resources as effectively and efficiently as possible.

“We will continue to engage with parishes and schools across Dublin through our church and education teams in Maynooth, and we will engage with our valued supporters to ensure they have the information they need to stay connected with Trócaire.

“In the meantime, supporters who would send donations to Cathedral Street are requested to now send them to our Maynooth headquarters instead. Every donation towards our vital and life-saving work is highly valued.”

Trócaire continues to work in support of nearly 3 million people in some of the world’s poorest countries, with a current focus on responding to the devastating Covid-19 pandemic in all regions where the development agency operates.