Tag Archives: Technological University of the Shannon (TUS)

THE vice-chairperson of the Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG) has urged people to stop suffering in silence if they have defective blocks in their homes.  Mary Hanley told a major conference hosted by the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) last week that people must open up and share their experiences. Mrs Hanley, who showed the Housing Minister her badly cracked home in Drumline last August, made her comments during a special session dealing with the mental and physical health impacts of living in a house with defective materials.  Referring to a presentation from TUS’s Dr Lorcan Byrne on the impact of housing insecurity and the importance of collective action, Mrs Hanley said that encouraging people to speak up remains a challenge. “Dealing with officialdom is one of the biggest stressors facing our group of homeowners,” she said. “A lot of us in Clare – and in Mayo and Donegal – would love to just go home and close the …

EXPERT engineer, Simon Beale, has warned of aspects of the forthcoming defective blocks grant scheme which could penalise homeowners who have struggled to maintain their properties.  Mr Beale is a chartered engineer who has tested more than 250 pyrite-affected homes to-date, and has been working with Clare County Council to make the case for access for Clare to the grant scheme. At a major conference last week, hosted by the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), he outlined his concerns about some of the terms of the revised grant scheme. “The new requirement for a building condition report will prove difficult,” he said. “In some cases, homeowners have tried to hide the damage. This is almost a penalty for those who have tried to maintain and upgrade their homes. Another problematic aspect of the new scheme, which is due to come before Cabinet next Tuesday (June 14), is that of partial repairs to properties with defective concrete blocks. “Demolition, to …

TIGHTER regulation of building materials and processes must be introduced so that Clare’s pyrite scandal is never repeated.  Making the keynote address at a major conference on the impact of defective concrete blocks, Deputy Eoin Ó Broin said that those responsible for the pyrite and mica issues must be held accountable. The Sinn Féin spokesperson on housing is also the author of major study of building regulation in Ireland. “This is not simply about apportioning blame,” he told the ‘Losing Your Home’ conference, hosted by the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS). “It is important to understand who is responsible in order to cover costs and to ensure that families and homeowners get support. We also need to fix the system to make sure this never happens again. We have to use this opportunity to fix the mistakes of the past because no-one else should suffer.” The author of Defects – Living with the Legacy of the Celtic Tiger, said …

PYRITE-affected homeowners in Mayo shared their experiences with those in Clare during a major conference this week on the impact of defective concrete blocks.  Entitled ‘Losing Your Home,’ the event was hosted by the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) and organised by lecturer and Chair of the Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG), Dr Martina Cleary. The two-day interdisciplinary event brought together expert engineers and geologists, politicians and affected homeowners.  Co-Chair of the Mayo Pyrite Action Group (MPAG), Josephine Murphy outlined the emergence of the problem in 2013 in the home of north Mayo couple, Dorothy and Tom Keane. “They received a letter that December from the SEAI [Sustainable Energy Association of Ireland] to say that a cavity wall [insulation] service should not be delivered due to cracks in their walls, that was the first sign,” Mrs Murphy said. “It was not until 2020 that tests confirmed the problem of pyrite. Two samples taken from their home were described as …

THE traumatic impact of living in a home with defective concrete blocks is to be explored in a two-day conference hosted by the Technological University of The Shannon (TUS) in May.  The international event entitled ‘Losing Your Home – ‘The Impact of Defective Concrete Blocks in Ireland’ will hear from a host of experts in the fields of engineering and geology as well as mental health and arts specialists.  The event is being organised by the founder of the Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG), Dr Martina Cleary and Dr Rita Scully of the Department of the Built Environment at TUS. “The issue of Defective Concrete Blocks, containing deleterious materials, particularly Pyrite, Mica and Reactive Sulphates is one currently impacting thousands of homeowners in the western seaboard counties of Ireland,” said the organisers. “As walls crack and homes crumble, the financial, legal and psychological consequences on very ordinary people is becoming a widening crisis, affecting all parts of our communities. “In …