Ireland's ambassador to Egypt was left “in shock” after part of the roof of his villa in Cairo collapsed.
The ambassador Sean O’Regan ended up having to move to the Hilton Hotel for several months after senior officials in Department of Foreign Affairs said they were concerned about his safety.
In emails, he said he was keen to stay at the existing villa – despite the roof problems – because there were so few suitable properties available in Cairo.
Mr O’Regan said he had viewed two properties already but said the “asking rent is much higher than we pay now”.
He said the deal for the existing villa on Shagaret Al Dor Street seemed to be “quite a bargain” based on his search for a new ambassadorial residence.
The saga began last May when Ambassador Sean O’Regan wrote to a colleague in headquarters saying: “I need to talk to you quite urgently.”
In a follow-up email, a senior department official wrote: “[The Ambassador] seems inclined to await repairs, which would mean replacement of some of, or the entire roof, which is a flat roof. That may take a couple of months or more. I expressed serious concerns about half measures and health and safety.”
A few days later in early June, Mr O’Regan wrote again to say he had spoken to the owners of the house who “have been in as much shock as we have”.
“From the nature of the communication from them, I have the impression that they are struggling to come to terms with the situation,” he said. “I will meet with them next week to have a more rational discussion about what realistically can be achieved and in what time frame.”
A copy of an investigation report explained how the villa had been built in the early 1900s and how a suspended ceiling above a restroom area had collapsed.
It said a thick layer of roof finishing had been placed atop an existing wooden roof, which had not been strong enough to bear the load.
The report said: “It should be mentioned that this kind of failure should not happen suddenly, and some signs should have been developed earlier, such as cracks … sound of falling debris, cracking timber, etc.
“Luckily, the tenant confirmed that he spotted some of these signs but he thought they were not of a serious risk.”
After the report was circulated, department staff said it was clear that the “building cannot be deemed safe for occupation”.
Ambassador O’Regan had later spoken with two structural engineers who said that any further collapse of the roof would be likely to be “well signalled” in advance.
However, they felt given the age of the house and the likelihood that beams were fragile, that the entire roof would have to be replaced.
Mr O’Regan told colleagues: “The best estimate for the length of time for this work to be done is about ten weeks [excluding work permits] … during that time, the house could not be lived in. However, furniture could be stored on the ground floor.”
He said that he had already tried to look for other suitable properties but that there was little “churn” of the type of residence that would be suitable.
Most of the embassies in Cairo owned a property outright, he said, and two properties with potential each needed about three months of work.
He wrote: “At this point, I am resigned to moving into temporary accommodation (rather than a permanent new chancery) from the beginning of July, but even that is proving challenging, if I am to continue to do representation functions.”
Mr O’Regan ended up staying at the Hilton Cairo Zamalek Residences for close to four months with €21,000 paid for the temporary accommodation.
A spokesman for the department said: “Following an extensive search the Department was able to find and rent an alternative property in December 2021, and the Ambassador currently resides there.”
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