Sixteen pyrite homes in Mayo have been rebuilt to date  

A total of 16 homes in Mayo impacted by pyrite have been demolished and rebuilt under the Defective Concrete Block Scheme, according to Mayo County Council’s Director of Housing Tom Gilligan who briefed a meeting of the council’s Housing Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) last Friday.

Mr Gilligan said 370 Stage One applications were received by the end of March with 332 approved. A further 170 applications were received under Stage Two with 168 approved.

“That’s a very high and significant turnaround,” he stated. “There are still a lot of properties out there that have issues with defective concrete blocks. We are dealing with and discussions are ongoing with the Department."

It was recently revealed that Donegal County Council’s Defective Concrete Block Grant Office has processed and issued 69 payment claims to the value of €1.5m throughout March 2024.

Cllr Michael Kilcoyne raised the issue of another housing estate in Mayo suspected of having pyrite. Mr Gilligan said there is "no scientific evidence yet" to corroborate that.

Cllr Christy Hyland said some homeowners cannot afford to access the scheme. 

“The compensation is great but it just doesn’t cover them. They just can’t afford to avail of the scheme. They don’t have the €40,000 or €50,000. Who does?

“It’s heartbreaking. I sat in a house in Westport and they were in tears looking at the condition of their lovely home,” he added.

Mr Gilligan acknowledged how painful it is for homeowners.

A large crowd is due to attend a public meeting in the Great National Hotel, Ballina, next Monday, organised by the North Mayo Pyrite Group on behalf of those impacted by defective concrete products.

The group said over the last number of years, homeowners in the county have engaged with the government on two separate schemes, but neither scheme has resulted in an effective solution for homeowners to fully remediate their homes.