‘Donegal has the most profound housing crisis in Ireland’

The issue of defective blocks and a shortage in affordable housing was highlighted at the Sinn Féin cost-of-living meeting

Published 6th Jun 2026, 19:09 BST The Sinn Féin cost-of-living public meeting in Letterkenny | Sinn Féin The issue of defective blocks and a shortage in affordable housing was highlighted at the Sinn Féin cost-of-living meeting Sign up to our Donegal Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Donegal Live within your account.

A combination of a lack of affordable housing and a defective blocks crisis has left Donegal with the “most profound housing crisis in Ireland”, according to Padraig Mac Lochlainn TD.

The Sinn Féin TD and Spokesperson on the Marine and Fisheries made the statement at a cost-of-living crisis public meeting held in Letterkenny.

The lack of available affordable housing was a prominent issue, with several individuals outlining that they cannot afford to rent or buy a home in the county.

“We have a huge societal crisis; we told young people if they go to work they will have a roof over their heads,” Teachta MacLochlainn said. “We don’t have that now, even with two incomes.

“As a society, we have to say out loud we cannot live in a country where two people who are working can’t put a roof over their heads.

“We have raised the issue for the need for affordable housing in Donegal. In Donegal, there is nothing in the entire county. The government have told us that Donegal doesn’t meet the criteria for building social housing because there aren't enough families.

“Sinn Féin will prioritise working families, building affordable and social housing. In 2002, Donegal County Council built 560 social houses. Then from 2010-2021 we built less than that.

“You have a combination of factors in Donegal: ten or eleven years of not building affordable housing, and the defective concrete blocks crisis. Together, Donegal has the most profound housing crisis in Ireland.”

Read More ‘There can be change and we have to hold on to that hope’ Father-of-three raises issue of rising childcare costs at Letterkenny meeting Department of Education to enter into conversation with Donegal's DCB schools Calls for homeowners within DCB scheme to receive upfront funding Homeowners with defective blocks took to sharing their concerns, especially in light of the new revelation that the root cause of the defect had been misdiagnosed.

The IS 465, published by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI), is the testing protocol that underpins the State's defective blocks grant scheme.

The industrial standard now acknowledges pyrrhotite as a primary cause of degradation in defective blocks, which will lead to a review of the defective concrete blocks scheme.

“It was not mica at all that was the cause,” Teachta Mac Lochlainn said. “This is huge; families have been through trauma seeing their homes crumbling around them. They then were asked to trust the state and it was nonsense.”

The NSAI says the revised standard, which was ordered by the Government in November 2021, is the product of detailed examination of evolving scientific and engineering evidence, alongside extensive engagement with a broad range of stakeholders.

While the original IS 465, drawn up in 2018, focused on mica and pyrite as the causes of defective concrete, the 2026 revision acknowledges that iron sulfide minerals such as pyrrhotite cause cracking in blocks and concrete.

READ NEXT: Revised defective blocks standard finally acknowledges pyrrhotite as primary cause of crisis

Professor Paul Dunlop, a Quaternary glaciologist at Ulster University and a defective homeowner, has been researching the impact of the minerals on concrete.

“Paul Dunlop reached out to other scientists and began a research programme at Ulster University. They had internationally peer-reviewed evidence published in journals; they still were not fully endorsed. This is why what has happened is absolutely huge.”

Marty McElhinney, who has experienced the impact of defective blocks firsthand, said: “We had scientists, engineers and geologists who stepped up very quickly.

“Paul Dunlop looked at the report and knew the science was wrong. In 2021, I had to engage with engineers at a high cost who told me my home had to be demolished. Then, in 2024, I found out that you could remove the outer leaf. Up until now, my home has continued to deteriorate; all of my internal partition walls are cracking. My daughter has had to move out of her bedroom because it is so cold and there are mould issues. These conditions are getting worse daily.

“We made an appeal in 2023, which is only being adjudicated now. All until now have been annulled due to serious errors of law and fact, significant errors made by the body responsible for the scheme. Now we wait, but we know that every appeal will be annulled because they are flawed decisions.”

Another man, from Raphoe, highlighted how in 1999 he got a €50,000 mortgage to build a four-bedroom bungalow, which is now going to cost €400,000 to rebuild as the concrete has pyrrhotite.

Related topics: Defective blocks crisis Housing Housing crisis Sinn Fein Letterkenny Donegal Sign up to our Donegal Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Donegal Live within your account.