Mayo Pyrite Action Group urges councillors to back affected homeowners as testing delays causes frustration
The Mayo Pyrite Action Group staged a peaceful protest outside Mayo County Council Offices yesterday, ahead of the December meeting, to call for local support and reaffirm their commitment to calling for 100pc redress.
The group has called for a number of reforms to be made to the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme.
This includes extended timelines to complete remediation works, retrospective payments, flexible ownership rules to protect next of kin in cases of a homeowner's death, and permission for side-by-side reconstruction in certain circumstances.
They have also been vocal about the review of IS465, the standard used to determine whether a home meets the damage threshold to qualify for the scheme, which is now expected in the first quarter of 2026.
The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025 passed its second reading last week.
It is going to the committee stage on Wednesday night, where the opposition has made several amendments that correspond with what homeowners in the Mayo Pyrite Action Group are calling for.
Speaking outside the council offices, Margaret Walsh, a member of the action group, called on local representatives to support affected homeowners as the Bill progresses.
"We are a little disappointed about the engagement with our local representatives, and we are pleading with them to advocate for us regarding the Bill that is going through the Dáil at the moment," she said.
"We are asking them as our representatives in Mayo to please get onto their party colleagues in the Dáil and advocate for us because we are their voters," Ms Walsh added.
The group also wants a Defective Concrete Block Committee established within Mayo County Council to ensure all stakeholders are represented.
"We had our meeting in Ballina, and we had no attendance from any councillor, which was very disappointing – we did have apologies from people, and it is understandable that not everyone would make it," Ms Walsh explained.
"But when you have a council made up of 30 people, we would've liked to have seen at least five or six of them come and be with us and listen to what people are still fighting against.
"We want a Defective Concrete Block Committee in the council, and we want all the stakeholders in Mayo to be represented on that committee, so that we can all be on the same page and be included in something that affects us."
"Nothing about us without us. Stand beside us, stand with us and speak for us," she said.
Ms Walsh also expressed frustration at the delays homeowners face waiting for official confirmation of pyrite in their homes.
"We know for a fact that the test companies can do a turnaround of test results in six to eight weeks, for a private test," she said, "Yet the housing agency sits on the test results and people don't get their decision back for eight or nine months. That's just prolonging the torture."
"It's bad enough you have to pack up, move out and watch your house come down."
This concern was echoed by Neil McEleney, whose North Mayo home is affected by pyrite.
He described being in "total limbo" as he waits for official confirmation from the Housing Agency.
"I am on the scheme, and the cracks in my house were bad enough to go onto the next stage, but I am still waiting for coring to be done," he said.
Mr McEleney has had samples taken from his house: "I got the results back in six, seven weeks, but I'm told it's going to take six to nine months for the results to come back from whoever the Housing Agency is sending them to," he said.
"I can't get my head around that. Why is it taking six to nine months for someone to come back and say I have pyrite, or I don't have pyrite – I know I have pyrite."
"They talk about there being a backlog, but [there are] so many companies in the country that could easily wipe that backlog down. I have asked the questions why, but I can't get an answer."
Mr McEleney says he knew immediately what the situation was with his home: "I did my due diligence on it because I can't wait further down the line,
"I know I have pyrite, so I can begin to plan - [but] even though I know I have pyrite, I have to wait officially for someone to tell me," he explained.
He also criticised delays in coring by the Housing Agency. "My house was supposed to be cored in November, but there's been no coring done. I've been on the list since the middle of the summer,
"There are so many people in the same situation that I'm in, waiting for months for coring to be done. Best case scenario, it's going to be next June, July or August until I get verification," he said.
Mr McEleney described the process as leaving homeowners "in total limbo."
"You have the cracks outside, you have the cracks inside, and you're just standing there waiting for someone to tell you that you have pyrite or you don't have pyrite – but you can see it," he said.
As of the end of November, Mayo County Council had received 482 applications under the first stage of the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme, of which 434 have been approved.
At the second stage of the scheme, 270 applications have been received, of which 265 have been approved. In total, 121 properties have now had their remediation works completed.
During the meeting, the efforts of Clodagh Gleeson in Mayo County Council were recognised and widely praised.
Cllr Peter Flynn commended Ms Gleeson and the Pyrite Section within the council for doing a remarkable job processing applications and assisting homeowners across the county.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.