Republic set to pay out over defective blocks

advised to get out but by this stage we had two young children and no spare cash to start renting.

“We were stuck. We suffered so many sleepless nights, so many tears.

“Our children – Molly, 16, and Jack, 12 – have spent most of their childhood in a crumbling, messy, horrible house – we don’t even call it our home anymore.

“The situation has been devastating. We’d doubled up our mortgage and paid it off and then suddenly we had a property that was literally worth nothing, uninsurable and really it should not have been being lived in.

“If it hadn’t been on our family farm we would have closed the door and walked away.”

Donegal TD Joe Mchugh joined the families’ struggle at the heart of power to have their voices heard.

Last Friday he told the Gormans that the scheme had been formally progressed, meaning their Carndonagh home would be replaced. Ann said: “We were the first to discover we had Mica in our house and I’ll get right on to the council with our application for redress the moment website opens. It is fantastic news and we owe so much to everyone who worked so hard for us.

“At the moment I just can’t imagine having a proper, safe, secure home.

“A family’s home should be a place of absolute safety and security, a place to retire form the stressed of life, a place to relax. Well ours has not been like that for most of their childhood and a lot of other families are in a same position.”

Over 1,200 people have registered with the Mica Action Group but it is thought another 3,800 properties may be affected.

It is understood the Republic has set aside between €600,000 and €800,000 to date to pay for the programme.

Eileen Doherty from the group said: “Donegal County Council will run the application system from a website currently under construction.

“So it’s hoped to be ready to go within two weeks. Families have waited so long