'We've tried to hide the gaps in the walls with Christmas decorations'

A number of families in the Republic of Ireland living in houses made with defective concrete blocks have said they are facing another Christmas in homes that are "unsafe and crumbling around them".

Thousands of homes, mostly in counties Donegal, Clare, Limerick, Mayo and Sligo are affected by the defective blocks.

Many homes are crumbling due to water-absorbing minerals, like pyrite, causing bricks to crack, which has led to some homes being demolished.

The Department of Housing said the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme is designed to help homeowners remediate affected homes and changes to the scheme through a new bill are "designed to improve supports".

Kathrina Kirk lives in her family home in Letterkenny, County Donegal, with her partner, John, and two sons, Lukas and Dylan.

The family live in a three-bed end-terrace house that has large cracks in its walls.

"We have lots of decorations up trying to hide the gaps and cracks in the walls, to try and make it less awful looking, but it's really hard.

"I'm just really looking forward to the day we can enjoy a safe and warm Christmas again," she said.

"We've two sons, aged four and 10, and one of their bedrooms is unusable due to the freezing conditions," she said.

"We tried putting thick foil over the walls, to try and keep heat in, but we've had to move the two boys in together.

"You're always concerned about whether the boys are safe, and we are just constantly making sure they are warm, because upstairs is so cold."

Kathrina said she bought the house when she was 23 to get her foot on the property ladder.

Now, aged 43 with a partner and two children, she said that because of defective blocks she has been "trapped there ever since".

"All we want to do is get out, but we've nowhere to go," she said.

"We can't rent it out because, for moral reasons, you couldn't let anyone else live in it, and we can't move out and rent anywhere ourselves because then it is not our primary residence and we would be off the scheme, so we're stuck in the house with no escape route."

Nicola Byrne and her husband Derek live in a rural area outside Castlebar in County Mayo, with their children Ross,13, Sophie,16 and Noah, five.

"We've holes in the walls and have stuffed them up temporarily because it's pointless putting more money into a house that's a money pit.

"We're just counting down the days off the calendar until it's demolished."

"I'm autistic and have ADHD, my husband has ADHD and all three kids are autistic," she said.

"We bought this house because it felt like a quiet bubble away from triggers, but it's now just a place that breeds anger and resentment," she added.

Ms Byrne said the family recently experienced a rodent infestation and had to leave their home for a time after mice entered through their walls.

"The whole house was covered in droppings. We woke up to a complete infestation and had to throw out the sofa and lots of the kids' belongings."

Ms Byrne said that incident has had a lasting impact on her children.

"My son is now worried the mice will get back in and get at his Christmas toys."

Phil and Michelle Boulton and their two daughters, Kitty and Kelly, will be spending Christmas together in their family home, which they bought in 2006.

"We have got damp and black mould in our downstairs rooms," Phil said.

"Our primary consideration all day and every day is trying to keep warm."

Mr Boulton said that, due to its current condition, they would try to spend as little time as possible in their family home during Christmas.

"We'll probably try to go out for the day if the weather is decent, just to get away from the place," he said.

Phil said their application for the government scheme was accepted in December 2024, but they are still waiting to hear the next steps after core samples were taken from their home.

"Our whole life is on hold, and the house is somewhere we no longer want to be.

"Our daughters will try and make the place look nice, but when the walls behind are covered in mould and damp, it's hard to feel very festive."

A government scheme was announced in November 2021 for defective homeowners and is capped at €420,000 (£357,500) per home.

In a statement, the DoH said Minister James Browne recently brought the Defective Concrete Blocks Amendment Bill 2025 to the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament).

"The amendments are designed to make the remediation scheme fairer, more practical and more supportive for families."