An Irish landlord has been named among the worst in New York.

Buildings owned by Cavan native, Shane Curry, (43), in The Bronx were named as second and fourth worst in the list published by New York Public Advocate Bill De Blasio.

One of the buildings, is a 56 apartments block and was cited for 1,048 violations of the New York housing code, just one less than the worst building on the list.

Among the violations cited were  lack of carbon monoxide or smoke detection devices, broken or defective sub-floors and lighting, cockroaches, mice and rats infestation,lack of heating or hot water, lead paint, toxic mould, broken pipes, inadequate fire exits.

A separate 31 apartment block building owned by Curry was given  684 infractions.

However Curry, says he is no slumlord and buys distressed buildings and then renovates them.

He told the Irish Independent  he planned to renovate the buildings, which he bought last April.

“I don't do this to be a slumlord. I do it to improve the buildings. It's just what I do to make a living. I respect the tenants and try to make them happy. If you don't win the hearts and minds of the people you don't get anywhere.

"I've been going into the worst areas in the Bronx, cleaning up the buildings and getting the drug dealers out."

Curry says he lives eight months of the year in New York and four in Kerry, near Tralee.

However, conditions in one of the buildings were so poor that residents filed a lawsuit against its management company earlier this year.

Curry told the newspaper he had since employed "15 or 20 guys working night and day to improve the building".

However, records obtained by the Irish Independent showed that one of the Bronx properties on Bainbridge Avenue still  had 116 of its 1,048 unresolved violations listed against it.

"The city's worst landlords can no longer hide from responsibility while their buildings fall into dangerous disrepair," said public advocate Bill de Blasio when he published the list this week.