Toome’ native hit by mica building block controversy
A Toomevara native is among thousands of homeowners impacted by defective building blocks containing mica in Donegal.
Several protests have taken place in recent weeks over the mica controversy, with the organiser of one of the campaign groups warning that Tipperary homes could also be affected by mica or pyrite materials.
Debbie Curran (née Egan) from Toomevara has been living in Inishowen, Co Donegal, since building a new home there in 2006. Around 2014 she and her husband and two children noticed a change in the appearance of their house. They were informed that blocks used in its construction came from a quarry where mica - a naturally-occurring mineral that can lead to weakness in building material - was present.
“I cried myself out then, thinking ‘what am I going to do?’” Debbie said of learning this news. “I was sick”.
Following an engineer's assessment, she was presented with a 64-page report stating that her house would have to be demolished. She is among the occupants of an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 homes affected by mica-related cracks and fissures, primarily in Mayo and Donegal, the owners of which face a similar situation.
“My house is by no means the worst,” Debbie said. “I'm lucky in that I have pebble-dash on the front of my house but I have re-dashed one side of my house already because of the cracks. The conservatory is dropping, the sills are all dropping, the cracks are all up by the cornerstones...”
She joined the Mica Action Group, which is campaigning for a 100% government redress scheme, as was offered to Dublin homeowners over the similar pyrite controversy several years ago. A mica redress scheme was agreed in 2018, though homeowners are expected to pay 10% towards the cost of rebuilding their home.
“Ten percent I can't afford, and no one else here can,” said Debbie, who pointed out that her family has already paid for their home. “Realistically, you're looking at €300,000 to rebuild my house and it's not extravagant or anything like that, and 10% of that is €30,000. In the real world, it's better than forking out for a new house but my mortgage matures next year.”
She further made the point that her family would have to find alternative accommodation while their home is being rebuilt. D
ebbie, who works at her local Lidl supermarket, joined around 15,000 people protesting over the situation in Dublin last June, after which Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien set up a working group to consider redress and associated issues. The group is due to report to the minister at the end of this month.
‘DISASTER COMING’
Mica Action Group spokesperson Paddy Diver said the problem affects not just houses but everything from local government buildings to doctor's surgeries and farm buildings. And he warned that buildings in Tipperary may also be compromised following concerns raised over pyrite in a quarry in Co Clare.
“There's a disaster coming your way,” Mr Diver claimed of Tipperary and several surrounding counties. “Keep an eye out for the cracks.”
North Tipperary TD Jackie Cahill met with the mica campaign organisers earlier this month and said he fully supports their call for 100% redress. “This is a calamitous situation for those involved,” Deputy Cahill said. “It's absolutely horrific. Their ask for 100% compensation is completely and utterly legitimate.”
The Fianna Fáil TD was aware of “rumours” of houses in Tipperary being similarly affected, though he had not been directly contacted by anyone concerned. He understood that a number of homeowners in Co Clare have had problems similar to those in the northwest of the country, and said it is likely that the same material was used in the construction of some buildings in this county.
“But as of yet, no one has come to me with that issue in Tipperary,” he said. text ,p;re texst