Rural cottages for rent to outsiders
GP was not aware his nurse wife was letting home
A RURAL GP has said he was ‘not aware’ that his wife, who is a nurse, was offering a house to rent during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Dr Michael Kelleher, from Lahinch Medical Centre, said any offer by his wife Sheila ‘shouldn’t have been made’ and ‘wouldn’t have been acted upon’.
Dr Kelleher told the Irish Mail on Sunday his wife, who works as a nurse and manager at his surgery, was ‘incorrect’ to tell this journalist on the phone that one of their holiday properties was available to let with immediate effect. The couple own a number of holiday homes in the west Clare holiday resort but both Dr Kelleher and Ms Kelleher told this paper that she is solely responsible for managing them.
Ms Kelleher offered the property at 10 Greenfield Park to rent from this week.
‘We would not be party to breaching the lockdown’
The doctor said: ‘I did check with Sheila and if she said that, that is quite incorrect. She wouldn’t proceed with that because it would be a breach of the lockdown.’
When contacted, Ms Kelleher said she also had a second property to rent from May 2, two days before the end of the current lockdown period and when that was put to Dr Kelleher he said: ‘I did ask her and she said early May. I believe the lockdown ends on the 4th but we would not be party to breaching the lockdown.’
When contacted, Ms Kelleher said two of the houses – Bar Tra Cottage and the Red House – are currently being rented to people working remotely during the lockdown period, while the third house at 10 Greenfield Park was offered to this journalist with immediate availability this week.
When enquiries were made in relation to the houses for rent, Ms Kelleher responded by asking: ‘Yes, for when?’ and when asked what sort of availability she had in the next couple of weeks she said she had ‘plenty of availability’.
One holiday home is located close to the doctor’s medical practice, a second is situated along the coast in Barrtrá, while a third home is situated in Lahinch town centre.
When told this journalist was looking to rent a holiday house ‘my own family and possibly my brother’s family as well’, Ms Kelleher said she would have two houses available from May 2 – two days before the lockdown ends.
And she added: ‘Greenfield is definitely empty because somebody just moved out of it. That’s three double beds and I have a roll out bed in each of the houses as well so that gives you an option of one more.’
Later she said: ‘10 Greenfield is free and is free through multiple cancellations, but anyway is free and today is the 16th and it’s free all of April and free right now.’
When asked about her third property at Barrtrá she said it is being rented to people ‘working in there’ and is not available until May 9. Asked about the facilities available in Lahinch during lockdown, Ms Kelleher said Lahinch is ‘like every other area’.
‘You can walk wherever you want. The beach, you can’t park at the beach, but you can walk there. The shops are open, Aldi, SuperValu…’
When questioned if there would be trouble getting into Lahinch during lockdown she replied: ‘No, I had somebody who left today and I mean I got a text from him to say he got home, a nice text thanking me and he got home fine.
‘But I think you might be better off waiting until May when things relax a bit. Last weekend there were guards everywhere. The weather was fantastic, but you couldn’t go anywhere without being asked where you were going. But that’s all relaxed, that’s all gone.’
It was later revealed to the woman that she had been speaking to a journalist and she was asked if she thought it was appropriate to be renting out holiday homes during a pandemic.
Ms Kelleher replied: ‘Well I have some people… I have two houses and they’re both empty at the moment but I have two other houses that are rented by people that are living there. They’re working, they’re working online.’
She later said her husband should be left out of the enquiries as ‘it doesn’t concern him’.
Dr Kelleher said his Ms Kelleher manages the holiday cottages and he has ‘no involvement in them’.
‘Sheila has been running those as her own little enterprise,’ he said.
He said anyone staying in the holiday homes was there since before the lockdown on March 27 and will be there as long as it lasts.
When it was again pointed out to him that we specified we were looking to rent in April he replied: ‘Okay, fair enough.’
But he added that we should all be adhering to the medical advice.
‘Have I view on whether people should use holiday homes or not? I think they shouldn’t,’ he said.
‘People shouldn’t be using holiday homes’