"Dublin City Council acquired 28 Abbey Street & 109 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1 (formerly The Plough Public House) in 2017 as 109 Marlborough Street is a protected structure and after years of neglect it was in a derelict condition and infested with rodents and pigeons. The property comprises two interconnecting four storey over basement buildings and since acquiring it the Council has cleaned out the property and made roof and wall repairs to prevent further pest ingress. Currently the building is only accessible using full P.P.E and there remains some water ingress from the roof.

"In January 2020 the property was brought to market through a tender process. A number of submissions were received and Robert McCarthy and Michael McCarthy were the successful tenderer based on the specified award criteria for the competition including; Professional team and the inclusion of conservation architects, Financial offer, Proposed use and Previous conservation experience. Robert McCarthy and Michael McCarthy (The Tenderer) propose refurbishing the property to provide a single ground floor and basement retail unit together with self-contained residential units on the upper floors.

"… it is now proposed to dispose of the building at 28 Abbey Street and 109 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1 to Robert McCarthy and Michael McCarthy (The Tenderer), subject to the following terms and conditions, which the Chief Valuer has recommended as fair and reasonable: … The consideration shall be the sum of €550,000 (five hundred and fifty thousand euro) plus VAT in full and final settlement …"