It has been a long time since there was a parade in Ennis. The pandemic put paid to so many public celebrations. That’s why, on Saturday last when over 200 people took to the streets, there was a very brief sense that normal life was returning.
There were people of all generations with banners and flags flying, grandparents gently steering small children along in the colourful crowd of marchers that set off, behind a Garda escort, from Áras Chontae an Chláir.
But this parade was far from normal. There were no smiles as the gathering assembled at its focal point at The Height, in the shadow of The O’Connell Monument.
Instead, stress and worry were clearly visible on the faces of children, parents and grandparents as they heard calls for action on their pyrite-damaged homes.
They listened to stories of others whose homes, like theirs, have started to crack and crumble. They heard of the fear and insecurity for those living in homes with defective blocks. Sadly, these stories are not new.
It is almost a year and a half since Dr Martina Cleary took the courageous decision to speak up. In the meantime, more and more people have come forward. They have recounted their experience of trying to plaster over cracks, of having to take down chimneys and gable walls, of lying awake in storms wondering if their homes would survive the night.
They have spoken of the toll on their family lives and on their physical and mental health. But not only that. They have painstakingly gathered expert evidence to prove the presence of pyrite. They have made their case to the local authority, who in turn have appealed to the Department of Housing.
Last June, Clare homeowners joined thousands of people who brought Dublin to a standstill as they called for 100% redress.
They supported those in Mayo and Donegal as they continue the long fight for proper support and a grant scheme that doesn’t discriminate on the basis of geography.
But not only that. Clare homeowners have had the Housing Minister visit to see first-hand their situation. At the home of Mary and Séamus Hanley, on a blistering August day, Minister Darragh O’Brien was treated with the hospitality and courtesy characteristic of the people of this county.
He held a formal meeting with the council and representatives of The Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG). He was, in the words of Mary Hanley “a lovely man”. And he gave the distinct impression that help would arrive for Clare in a matter of weeks.
So homeowners here held their breaths and waited patiently. They had grown used to waiting during the long weeks and months of pandemic lockdowns. Many had had to cocoon in their cracking homes. Now, thankfully, the restrictions are disappearing and a new sense of energy becoming apparent.
As the Department and the Council continue to weigh up the evidence needed to give Clare access to The Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme, patience is wearing thin. It is hard not to feel someone somewhere is asking how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, or where exactly the haystack is hiding the needle.
In the meantime, many of those suffering are grandparents who raised their children and worked hard to pay for their homes.
At this stage, several are wondering if they will have anything more than a pile of rubble to hand down. On Saturday last, our politicians were told, in no uncertain terms, that the time for waiting is coming to an end. A proper scheme is needed in Clare, Mayo, Donegal and every county blighted by defective building materials. With every week’s delay, more cracks are appearing and they cannot be plastered over.