Homeless man buys cottage for €41k after raising money through GoFundMe page

Cian Murtagh (30) from County Meath had been homeless since he came out of State care at 18, living on the streets of Dublin while working full time in the construction industry as he tried to put a roof over his head.

The high cost of rent in Dublin never gave him a chance to fulfill his dreams of having a home, instead his employability made him a target for other homeless people who thought he had loads of money because he worked.

Running away from day-to-day assaults he moved to Cork, in the hope of a fresh start but ended up sleeping rough on the streets there as well.

After spending more than six months rough sleeping in the Southern capital, Cian says he had enough of the life and decided that he wanted to die.

He was going starve himself and give up on life in a secluded place where nobody could would find him or try to save him.

Although it didn’t work as planned it changed the course of his life in a completely different direction.

The community came together both in Cork and Limerick to help Cian get the home he craved and organised a fundraiser on Go Fund Me to buy him a derelict cottage in South Sligo for €41,000.

Cian has now moved to Sligo and is camping outside the cottage until he gets planning permission and further funds to renovate the home.

“This is more than what I had dreamed of for so many years living on the streets but it still needs a lot of investment to make it good enough for residing in.

“I think the house was last lived in more than 20 years ago and has not been taken care of afterwards. There is no water supply or electricity or even a bathroom.

“There needs to be a lot done before I could actually move in.

“The regulations are really funny when it comes to homelessness. I own a house now but I still have to be homeless because my house is not safe enough to live in.

“One would have to rent a place and spend money if they want to renovate their place, which is crazy.

“The problem is that these regulations are made by people who have never faced any actual issues. They have never been in such situations to understand what a person like me has to go through.”

It was almost the end of last year when Cian decided to give up on his life and he stopped eating.

He was living mostly on liquids like soup, water or his favorite hot chocolate provided by the members of Kindness Krew, a charity that helps homeless people in Cork.

In the first week of January 2024 he decided to stop drinking water as well and started on a journey towards the Galtee Mountains, where he was spotted by a local woman Maeve O’Brien.

“I had given up food but I was still healthy and I felt like it’s not working. So, I gave up water as well.

“I wanted to go somewhere hidden so nobody could find me as I didn’t want to be taken to hospital or saved.

“I was near Kilbehenny in County Limerick when a woman suddenly stopped and offered me a lift. I thought it was weird because I wasn’t even thumbing up.

“I would have looked a well dodgey, skeletal man with a haggard effect, just carrying a bag and walking through.

“I went to her and told her that many people would think I am a serial killer and she was like what and I said don’t worry, I am harmless.

“Later, she found out through social media that the soup run group had reported me missing and they were concerned about my whereabouts.

“The soup group knew me well for not eating but they used to bring me a cup of hot chocolate which I could never refuse.

“Each morning, I would get up and look forward to hot chocolate. I think when you are starving yourself your mind will only think about food.”

Carmel O’Gorman from Mitchelstown in County Cork is friends with Kindness Krew members and was informed by them that Cian was last seen in Mitchelstown.

They put together a search party which also included Maeve O’ Brien, the woman from Kilbehenny, Co Limerick, who had offered Cian a lift.

Carmel said: “Cian had lost all hope and had completely given up on food and water. We found him on January 14th and brought him to the hospital while he was refusing any kind of help.

“He was in hospital for three weeks and then he stayed at my place for five weeks. We set up a fundraiser on Go Fund Me to buy him a house.

“We couldn’t find anything affordable in Cork but we found a derelict house in Sligo and our offer of €41,000 was accepted.”

Cian feels overwhelmed with all the help and support he received in the last six months.

“I was in the mountains for almost six days before I was found and brought to the hospital.

“I had to stay in the hospital for almost 20 days and people used to visit me. Carmel, John and Maeve and others as well.

“This was rare for me as I have been in hospitals before but I have never had any visitors.

“After 20 days I was taken in by Carmel and John O’ Gordon for a few weeks and then I stayed with Maeve for a few weeks before we found this place and I moved here two months ago.”

The house has been bought but it is not in a condition to be lived in.

There is no running water, electricity, septic tank or toilet. Hence Cian still has to camp outside his house or sleep at a friend’s place sometimes.

The fundraiser has been extended in a hope to raise some more funds that can be used to renovate the house.

The group is also urging for tradespeople who might be interested in providing some help.

For now Cian has moved to Sligo, but it is not the first time he has come here.

He has been to almost every county and has climbed most of the mountains in Ireland.

“I have been living on the streets for almost 12 years now. I have spent most of this time in Dublin due to the easier availability of work, but sometimes when I would want a break or something, I would travel to other counties.

“I have visited Sligo before and have spent a few nights in Strandhill.

“One time I was sleeping near the dunes and next morning I woke up covered in sand due to a bit of storm. It wasn’t the best experience.

“One day I decided to climb Benbulben but I got my timings all wrong and I ended up wandering back towards the town of Grange.

“It was pitch black and I was walking on the country roads without any Hi-viz jacket and I was carrying all my stuff in a black bin bag.

“I thought it might be a bit risky to walk on the roads at night, so I stopped and knocked on the door of a house, to ask them if there is a chance to get a taxi.

“There was no response and I moved further. I had only just got around a few metres when the Garda car pulls up and they ask me what I was doing.

“I explained what happened and apparently I had scared a good few people by that time and they had called the Gardai.”

Although Cian never had a home for himself he never stopped working for one.

While working full time in construction in Dublin he was continuously trying to save money.

In a interview with Virgin Media last year he had talked about how ironic his situation was that he builds houses everyday knowing that he would not be able to afford to live in one himself.

“After working all day I would just go back to a bench and sleep. There were many breaking points for me over the years, as I was getting tired of this life.

“I was trying to make it better for myself but that trial mostly ended up in misery, cause I was often the target for other rough sleepers who would think I had lots of money because I worked.

“I was beaten up and robbed so many times. My teeth were broken, my ribs were broken and my money would either be robbed or go towards hospital bills.

“It’s not just the lack of houses in this country that’s painful when you are homeless, it’s also the lack of connectivity with your community in general.

“It’s horrible to be on the receiving end when you have never committed a crime in your life.

“I kept myself healthy and stayed away from any bad habits. I worked while I was homeless, but I couldn’t get any support. I couldn’t setup a ‘My Gov’ account or open a bank account because I didn’t have an address.

Cian was so desperate to change his life that he decided to move out of country and go to UK.

He lived there for a few months where he was able to rent a place.

“I had a roof over my head there but then all my money just went into rent and I had to starve myself. The situation didn’t get any better. So, I came back and moved to Cork.

“Being homeless in Cork was much different than being homeless in Dublin.

“Homeless people live like a community there and take care of each other. Nobody steals from another person or nobody robs each other.

“I felt safe and I think it’s the difference between living in a city and living in the countryside.”

The plan for now is to prepare his new cottage in Sligo with the help of his friends and the community.

The cottage has three rooms with the floor dug out in one of them. The roof is falling and will need repairing while there is no plumbing, so there is no toilet or shower.

“This is the best I could have dreamed of, at least I have shelter and a roof over my head.

“I have paid the ESB for an electricity connection and I am waiting for planning permission to start any work which would cost me another €40,000.

“I would first like to get a septic tank installed and plumbing done, so that I can stay clean and maintain hygiene. I also need to do the roof as it seems like it’s seeping, letting moisture in.

“As for food I would probably just get an air fryer instead of installing a big cooker for now. In the future when I have enough money, I would like to get the house extended to get an extra room for kids.”

The house has also come with a piece of land that Cian plans to use for growing food and become a little self-sufficient.

He is also ready to get back to work in construction.

For anyone who would like to donate to Cian’s home renovation organised by members of the Kilbehenny community, they can visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/finding-a-home-for-cian.

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