‘I have nowhere else to go’: Cuirt Eigis mother faces eviction deadline

After nine years of making Cuirt Eigis in Ballybane her home, a single mother in her 30s will present herself to Galway City Council as homeless this week.

Published 19th Sep 2026, 09:30 BST Cuirt Eigis Ballybane | Iconic After nine years of making Cuirt Eigis in Ballybane her home, a single mother in her 30s will present herself to Galway City Council as homeless this week. She is among the last residents remaining at the apartment complex following a mass eviction which originally saw Notices to Quit issued to 14 households, comprising 36 people, to facilitate substantial refurbishment works.

For months, she has lived in fear knowing that this day would come. What she still does not know is where she and her child will live.

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“I am in disbelief that the time to leave is here. I believed that hopefully something would happen. All hope is lost for this place.

“There is literally nothing else we can do. We are going through the motions and your nerves would be gone.”

Many were long-term tenants and over the years, neighbours had become friends, building a community around the complex. Some had lived at Cuirt Eigis for as long as 19 years.

The woman, who has asked not to be named, says she has tried to proactively prepare for the possibility of homelessness, but understands that Galway City Council will not deal with her until the day her tenancy actually expires.

“You try to get on top of things by being proactive but the council have said I still have to wait until the day my lease ends before any action is taken,” she explains.

“I’ve been in there for six months saying, ‘I am giving you the notice now’, but it’s not until the day the lease expires that you can actually do it. They won't talk to you about it until the day of.

“It feels counterproductive after trying to liase with them for so long.

“What happens when you call in the day you are evicted? Do you arrive with your suitcases and storage boxes. It is nuts.”

Galway's big hotel and B&Bs bill for homeless accommodation She says the reality of what is about to happen has only truly hit her over the past week.

“I just wish it was over and I knew what kind of reception we will get. This is a no fault eviction and we haven't done anything wrong.”

She has gathered references from work and from her child’s school in preparation for the date her lease ends, but says she still does not know what she is supposed to bring with her, or what will happen when she approaches the Council.

“I got my references from work and school to make a case for myself,” she explains.

“You don’t know what to do, so you do everything. We are all at that.”

If there is no solution this week, she believes she will have little choice but to remain in her home beyond the expiry of her tenancy. It's something she never imagined herself doing.

'It's not over' - Merlin Woods campaigners vow to continue fight as clearfelling begins Overcrowded buses 'leaving passengers behind them' across three Galway areas “According to everybody, we have to overhold, and that’s all we can do,” she says.

Cllr Alan Cheevers (FF) has previously publicly advised residents who cannot find alternative accommodation to remain in their apartments until a solution is found.

The woman says she met Cllr Cheevers again around two weeks ago as the deadline approached. She says five of the six remaining households are on the housing list, three have children, while another resident is elderly and has mobility issues.

But being told to stay does little to ease her fear about what becoming an overholder could mean. After nine years at Cuirt Eigis, she says she has a perfect record as a tenant.

Now, through circumstances she feels are beyond her control, she is contemplating remaining in a property after her lease expires, simply because she has nowhere else to go.

“I have never done anything like this in my life,” she says. “I am always on the right side of things. Now, I feel like I am doing something bad, but there is no other choice. I am nearly sure that everyone who is left will overhold.

“We have perfect tenant records. Now we could be blacklisted. What do you do?”

Doctors warning deficient GP referral letters causing diagnosis delays at Galway hospital She does not know whether her rent will continue to be accepted, whether legal correspondence will follow, or how quickly her landlord might seek to recover the property.

“We have to wait and see how it goes,” she explains. “I hope we don’t end up with bailiffs outside the door.

“Will we get bombarded with solicitors’ letters? Will they refuse the rent? It's things like that.”

The Notices to Quit were issued earlier this year to facilitate substantial refurbishment works at Cuirt Eigis. Housing charity Threshold subsequently confirmed that the notices were valid.

Residents had been informed that the planned works include roof reconstruction, full rewiring, heating upgrades and the replacement of windows, doors and internal fittings.

This past week has really hit me. I just wish it was over and I knew what kind of reception we will get. This is a no fault eviction and we haven't done anything wrong.

But for this mother, the uncertainty is terrifying. She worries about her child beginning to act out under the strain of what is happening and about the stigma attached to finding themselves in this position.

The woman says she was referred to the Galway Simon Community for assistance in searching for accommodation, but she has been unable to find a home within what she can afford, and the statistics are stark.

'Families carry shame through generations’ - Woman's justice for Galway men sentenced to death by hanging While new legislation ensures that existing tenants will have first refusal on a new lease when the complex is refurbished, her understanding is that will be offered at current market value, which she simply cannot afford.

For a mother who works every day, even the possibility of being offered emergency hotel accommodation brings another set of worries.

Her concerns are about the ordinary routines of family life - where their belongings would go, how she would prepare meals for her child and how they would continue with work and school while living in temporary accommodation.

“When you are working every day, you can't be living out of a hotel,” she says.

“With the cost alone I would not be able. I wouldn't be able to put down pasta for example as there are no cooking facilites. It is so nerve wracking.”

Yet she does not know if a hotel, other emergency accommodation or anything at all will be offered when she presents to the Council.

“I don’t know what we are going to do or how the next few months will go,” she says. “We have to wait and see.”