Homeless man gifted house in GoFundMe campaign ‘overwhelmed’ by public kindness

A homeless man on the verge of starvation who was gifted his own house following a GoFundMe campaign has spoken about the “overwhelming” kindness he has witnessed since moving into his own place.

It was only the end of last year that Cian Murtagh had completely given up on living, so much so that he moved out towards the countryside in Tipperary to be isolated enough to starve to death in peace.

Little more than half a year later, Cian’s life has completely turned around – he has his own place in Sligo and could not be happier, as CorkBeo reports.

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Cian’s new cottage in Lough Bo, Co Sligo was purchased earlier this year for just over €40,000 after the public heard his story and came together to donate exceedingly generous amounts of money to help save him – just under €100,000 was collected in total.

He says the property is still “in a bit of a derelict” condition – but added that he’s just happy to have a place of his own and has big plans for future renovations. The fundraiser was organised by close friends who got to know Cian after he was rescued following a major search operation earlier in the year.

The group of friends pledged that every last bit of the money raised will go toward turning Cian’s new place into a “dream home”, ensuring he never sees days as dark as his past.

Scores of Irish businesses have vowed to deck out his cottage with fresh flooring, bedding, furniture and more once the initial works are complete. After many challenging years on the streets across Ireland, it looks as though Cian’s struggles with homelessness are finally over, something he says seems “too good to be true”.

Cian was found in an emaciated state in a forest in Tipperary on Sunday, 14 January by community volunteers from Limerick who heard about his story and set about finding him. He had previously slept on the streets of Dublin while simultaneously working as a roofer, saving money in the hope of eventually securing accommodation.

He used to wake up early to build homes in the city before retreating to park benches or doorways to spend his evenings. He eventually travelled to England in search of a fresh start, but as things remained difficult, he moved to Cork to give it “one last try”.

While there, Cian got support from the Kindness Krew who provide freshly cooked meals, hot drinks, blankets and more to the homeless in Cork city.

In September 2023, Cian completely stopped eating. He decided to scrape together a final few cents to put towards one last meal in the hopes that fasting would give him some “divine inspiration” about what to do. But when he was unable to find any answer or a job to support himself, he finally gave up hope on turning things around.

After weeks without food, Cian said he could feel he was getting weak so he decided to travel far away from the city so that he could pass away alone in the countryside.

“I was waiting for divine inspiration in a way, I was waiting to see if there was any form of path I could figure out to take where I could have consistent food water and shelter until I could build a life, and then nothing came to me,” he told Ocean FM.

“I was getting to the point where I knew I was going to go soon, I flew off to the mountains to find a bit of privacy. If you’re dying of starvation you go unconscious before you die, and if I did that in the city then I’d just be taken to hospital, treated and then sent back out, and I said I didn’t want any of that.”

Luckily for Cian, the amazing team at the Kilbehenny Community Centre in Limerick saw his story and was eager to help. Their crew organised searches in the North Cork area before finally finding Cian in need of urgent medical treatment in the Bancha Woods in Tipperary.

While he was recovering in hospital, their team became close friends with the Cork man and launched a fundraiser to make sure he didn’t end back up on the streets. Member Carmel O’Gorman said: “We saw the Kindness crew saying that someone was missing from Cork City, and started to share it around Mitchelstown and Kilbehenny. On the 14 January I got a phone call from a lady saying she saw a tent that looked like the one Cian had, which was posted on Facebook,” she told Ocean FM.

“Myself and my husband as well as Joe and Maeve, the other two people who were involved, went up and found him. He was very weak at that stage, he ended up in hospital then for 20 days. He had just given up on life really, seen no pathway out for him. While he was in hospital, we visited every second day and held a meeting then in Kilbehenny Community Centre to try and set up some accommodation for Cian.

“We had a good relationship with him at that stage and we didn’t want to see him going back on the streets again. As soon as we started the fundraiser, money started pouring in.”

Cian said he never expected the GoFundMe to raise as much money as it did – adding that he is incredibly grateful to everyone who donated to support him.

He said: “I was completely shocked in a way because it seems almost like one of those cheesy American films – the protagonist has a harsh life and then it all turns around. I was very sceptical of the GoFundMe from day one, but at the same time I could see the kindness and niceness of all the people involved and I thought to let them have a go if they want.

“I never expected it to work it’s so mad. The cottage is in a massive derelict state but it’s mine you know? It’s like a complete u-turn. When I went to the mountains I was thinking the worst of the Irish people, and I realise now that everyone has their own struggles. I don’t know how to put it, but I am overwhelmed by the sheer kindness of the public,” he told Ocean FM.

Cian has already received offers from businesses across Ireland to help refurbish his cottage – but the Kilbehenny Community Centre team say they will still need more funds for further renovations. You check out their latest updates and find out more on their project GoFundMe page here.

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