Closure of Dublin’s Last Public Toilet Is shortsighted and Discriminatory

The decision by Dublin City Council to close the last public toilet in the city centre is nothing short of disgraceful. It is a deeply discriminatory move that will disproportionately affect people with disabilities, homeless individuals, older citizens, and those with medical conditions. These are people who rely on public sanitation facilities daily, and stripping away even this basic provision is an appalling failure of leadership.

The facility at St Stephen’s Green – originally installed during the pandemic – still serves up to 1,500 people per week. That figure alone clearly proves there remains a need. Yet, rather than improve or replace the facility, the Council is choosing to remove it entirely, citing reduced demand and high costs. This is a short-sighted and damaging decision.

Let’s be clear: this is not just an issue of convenience. For many, having access to a clean, accessible toilet is the difference between being able to move freely around the city or being forced into isolation. Closing this facility without a permanent replacement in place is not only unjust – it is a public health risk and an act of exclusion.

Tourists too will suffer. Dublin markets itself as a world-class destination, yet it cannot offer a single public toilet in the heart of its capital. Visitors will now be forced to queue in cafés or bars – often refused unless they buy something – simply to use the loo. That is both embarrassing and unacceptable for a modern European city.

The Council’s promise of future facilities is cold comfort when thousands are left without options today. Public toilets are not luxuries – they are essential infrastructure in any civilised city. The refusal to prioritise something so basic reveals a deeper disregard for public need.

We call on public representatives to reverse this harmful decision immediately and to commit to installing properly funded, fully accessible toilets throughout the city centre. Dublin must be a place where dignity, inclusion, and basic human needs are respected.

Anything less is simply not good enough.