Storm fears for Clare homeowners affected by pyrite

NUMEROUS severe storms recently forced some residents of homes with pyrite to go to extreme lengths to secure their properties.

The harsh weather conditions have also prompted fears that the condition of some houses has deteriorated even further in recent days. 

Storm Eunice brought a Red weather warning for Clare recently and was followed by even more severe conditions during Storm Franklin the following weekend.

In Kilksihen, Danny Moloney whose home has tested positive for pyrite, said the situation has been very frightening for himself and the three generations of his family who share the house.

Mr Moloney’s home, which has been assessed by an expert engineer and had expensive core testing done to prove the presence of pyrite, has severe external and internal cracks. 

“Things got so bad, at one stage last weekend, with the high wind, rain and hail that I had to get foam to block the wind coming in around the frame of the patio door,” he said.

“Our back door frame has buckled because of the deterioration of the blocks. The hinges have now come off because of the pressure the door was under. We’ve now had to stop using that door. It’s not safe.”

Mr Moloney, whose daughter lives on the upper floor of the house, also had to secure and block upstairs windows. “My daughter called me to look at a room which has a velux window, a sky light,” he said.

“I went into the room and it was like an igloo with the wind and the cold. I had to get more foam to block the wind and weather coming in around that window frame.”

Mr Moloney said that, even in less severe weather, he can hear cracks in the house at night. “The roof seemed to be twisting with the strength of the wind last weekend,” he said. “It was an ordeal for all of us.”

In July of last year, the Moloney’s home was visited by Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald who voiced her shock at the condition of the building and the ongoing exclusion of Clare from the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme. 

Mr Moloney was among those to attend a protest march in Ennis last month to highlight delays in accepting Clare not onto the grant scheme. He reiterated his appeal to politicians to take action.

“We are waiting and waiting,” he said. “If we have to wait much longer, the politicians will get their answer when the elections come around. The Department is blocking Clare and it seems like they’re just putting more bushes in the gap to keep us out of the scheme.

“The thing is that there are lots of other homeowners out there who also need to speak out. People shouldn’t be embarrassed or ashamed about something that isn’t their fault. There are people trying to fix their houses by painting and plastering, but that’s like putting a plaster on cancer. Pyrite won’t just go away.”

Dr Martina Cleary, founder of the Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG) said the Mooneys were not the only family to suffer during the storms.

“We have homeowners in the North and West of the county who were also terrified last weekend,” she said.

“They were afraid their homes would fall around them. I posted a video from a homeowner which showed water coming in through the walls during the storm. That’s an intolerable situation for anyone.”

Eileen Downes from Oakwood Drive, Ennis whose council home was tested for pyrite, is a cousin of Mr Moloney. She said her heart went out to the family, and others with pyrite, during recent storms. 

“I feel so sorry for others,” she said. “We’re lucky that our homes are still solid. What about people who own their homes and they can put their hand right through the wall? They’re living in fear. The storms were terrible for them, because they don’t know if their homes would be standing in the morning. Those people are doing their best. They will have nothing left to leave their kids if this continues.”