Mica protestors voice anger to council at Lifford demonstration

Hundreds of defective concrete block campaigners have voiced their anger at Donegal County Council’s handling of the crisis at a demonstration outside the local authority’s headquarters.  

Protestors held a heated demonstration outside County House in Lifford ahead of  Monday morning’s scheduled plenary meeting of the local authority.

Anger from affected homeowners has been mounting in recent weeks over the ongoing delays in the redress scheme and frustration at what is seen as a lack of clarity about solutions for people living in unsafe and unhealthy homes.

The beginning of the meeting was delayed for an hour and a half to allow campaigners to address councillors and officials in the chamber. 

Cathaoirleach of the council, Cllr Liam Blaney and director of services Liam Ward addressed the protestors outside the council headquarters.

Members of the crowd expressed their frustration to councillors outside the meeting before it was due to begin at 11am. Some councillors were subjected to booing and heckling as they made their way into the meeting.

Mica information night to be held in Buncrana this week

Speaking inside the chamber, chair of the Mica Action Group Lisa Hone, accused the council of having too blinkered an approach to the crisis, saying it needs “a whole housing infrastructure” to deal with what could be up to 24,000 people requiring housing.

The people gathered outside did not want to be there and were only there because they “are at breaking point,” she said.

“This is an exceptional crisis and it demands an exceptional response.”

Affected homeowners are being forced “into a corner and they don’t know what to do anymore”.

“The only thing they can do is to feel that they have to go and stand outside today to literally make themselves seen and heard.”

 Paddy Diver of 100% Redress No Less highlighted to the meeting the cases of 10 homeowners living in unfit homes who he claimed have not been visited by council officials despite the local authority being aware of the cases for up to a year.

He demanded the immediate release of the €15,000 grant promised in the enhanced redress scheme for homeowners who need to leave their homes and also called for progress on up to 400 stalled stage 1 applications.

He warned that the campaigners will take action if the demands are not met.

“If our demands are not met, we are going to have to cross the line, but we don’t want to cross the line.”

Homeowner Sharon O’Connor told the meeting that her elderly parents are living in a house that “you would not put a dog in”.

“It’s an absolute disgrace and you would not see it in a third-world country the way they are living.”

Yvonne Shevlin wept as she told the meeting that she and her husband had to flee their mica-affected home because their children were not safe.

“We have lost ten years of life trying to fight and educate the Government about what we are living in. 

“Me and my husband had to leave our home because no one would do anything for us.”

Ray Doherty told the councillors that he has had an application with the council since 2020 but is “stuck in limbo with three children”.

He said he had had to “go to a bank and beg” for a loan to carry out work to the family home.

“All of us people affected with mica are living a slow nightmare and no one wants to listen to us,” he said.

Addressing the demonstration outside County House, Cllr Blaney said the council would take the concerns on board, do what they can and open lines of communication between the council and the representatives of affected homeowners.

 He said “unfortunately there is only so much we can do as a council,” but he would “keep the pressure on”.

“Some won’t even be able to sit and have their Christmas dinner"

As we go deep into another winter, thousands of affected homeowners are in fear over crumbling walls and a protest has been planned ahead of a meeting of Donegal County Council on Monday

Director of services Liam Ward, who was standing in for chief executive John McLaughlin who was not at the meeting, told the demonstrators the council would reply in writing to address issues raised by the representatives of the homeowners in the council chamber by Friday.

He said the council acknowledged “the seriousness of the issue and the fears and concerns of the impacted homeowners and their families.”

Mr Ward said the local authority will “set out clearly where responsibility lies” in terms of moving forward and to address “the feelings of people today that there are undue delays and it is taking too long to move things on from one stage to another”.