Donegal County Council To Purchase 5 Bedroom House Worth €230000 For Traveller Family

marksman74

I read earlier on today that Donegal County Council is purchasing a 5 bedroomed house for €230,000 for a traveller family.

I, like many others on here have worked legitimately my whole life and am not immune to the hardship that has come with this recession.
My wife and I worked every hour that God sent us to get a deposit for our home and then we borrowed dearly to pay for it and will continue to pay for it for the next 20 odd years.

Is it just me or am I being "Racist" or "Picking On A Minority" when I say that I'm completely disgusted that this family are being handed a house worth €230,000 for absolutely NOTHING when familys all over the country who have been made unemployed are under direct threat from the banks of repossession because they cant keepup their repayments.

I know this property will remain the property of the county council but will remain the residence of these travellers if the behave for as long as they require it.

Am I being bad here or is there something intrinsically wrong with this ?

Travellers dont pay PAYE, PRSI, USC on a weekly basis, they receive every benefit and handout available in the country and contribute nothing to society financially yet they receive free houses with €230000
On top of this we've all seen housing projects where travellers have been given houses in the past and inevitably they destroy them.
Here in Waterford, they had a little estate built for them, and what did they do ??? Took the slates off the rooves and sold them !!! Lettung the rain in and completely destroying the homes WE payed to build for them.

F**K me I think I'll give up work and go on the dole !!!

NegativeCreep

I'm sooo jealous right now.

squod

Just thought about this. €230k would get you two big houses in Cavan at the moment. House was probably bought off a dodgy politician.

Boombastic

Houses by there very nature inhibit travelling. Why are we denying them their culture by housing them?

shedweller

This nonsense has gone on long enough.

JDunphy

Fair play to the travellers. They just live an non mainstream kind of lifestyle. OP if you used your brain you wouldn't have bought a house in the first place. I bet you have a great big flatscreen tv and pay for sky or upc too.

squod

http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/oran-na-mara-an-caiseal-ard-ballyshannon-co-donegal/1837733

Substancial 5 bed detached yoke ASKING €215K in Ballyshannon. There's not a hope in hell any reasonable person would believe this guff.

Looks like Donegal CC paid way over the odds for a four bed house. Tribuneral anyone?

DrumSteve

The key is not to care. You'll lead a happier life.

Lone Stone

sure wont they make it all back eventually with the house hold charge/tax and water charges you see their clearly just thinking the long term net gain !

Its this type of forethought that keeps this island from sinking to the bottom of the sea.

franktheplank

Link OP or is this another of those urban myths?

mikom

DrumSteve wrote: »

They key is not to care. You'll lead a happier life.

A quote from Oskar Schindler, I believe.

Thrill

franktheplank wrote: »

Link OP or is this another of those urban myths?

http://www.thejournal.ie/fianna-fail-councillor-sean-mceniff-traveller-comments-758655-Jan2013/

http://www.donegaldaily.com/2013/01/17/donegal-travellers-project-outraged-at-mceniff-comments/

Mentioned in both links.

franktheplank

Thrill wrote: »

http://www.thejournal.ie/fianna-fail-councillor-sean-mceniff-traveller-comments-758655-Jan2013/

http://www.donegaldaily.com/2013/01/17/donegal-travellers-project-outraged-at-mceniff-comments/

Mentioned in both links.

I've looked at some other articles also and it seems the original source of this is the same Councillor whose making all sorts of nasty comments that travellers should be kept isolated from the rest of society. Hardly a reputable source.

That's not to say it's not possible but the only outrage i would have is that a) Donegal Co. Council is paying that money for a house for anybody in this market and b) that Councillor McEniff isn't kept isolated from the rest of society :eek:

DrumSteve

mikom wrote: »

A quote from Oskar Schindler, I believe.

He was a wise man.

Fizman

DrumSteve wrote: »

He was a wise man.

Did he bring the gold, frankenscence or myrrh?

DrumSteve

Fizman wrote: »

Did he bring the gold, frankenscence or myrrh?

Nah, just the jews.

franktheplank

Aside from being an ignorant bigot you have to give this Councillor some special 'calling the kettle black' credit on this one.

He's ranting about traveller's 'wrecking homes'.

Ahem, Fianna Fail 'wrecking' entire countries?

Duiske

marksman74 wrote:

I'm completely disgusted that this family are being handed a house worth €230,000 for absolutely NOTHING

Your feeling disgusted over nothing. The family are not being handed this house for nothing, as the council will retain ownership and the family will be charged rent at 20% of all income.

JonEBGud

Do the neighbours and locals have any say in how the council spend their household charge tax?
Doubt it, but it will mean that property prices in the area will most likely drop and so should their household charge contribution. . .

mikemac1

230k is nothing :P

Tipp North spent 465k on a house a few years back

North Tipperary County Council bought the home for €465,000 and approved the house for the O'Reilly family, who live in a nearby laneway

Maybe this will happen the Donegal house too?

A GARDA investigation is under way after a house which was controversially designated to a Travellers' family was gutted in a suspected arson attack.

indo

The family wanted the house rebuilt

Solicitor for the O’Reilly family, Tony O’Malley said his clients wish was that the house would be restored or rebuilt for them.

Council agreed

North Tipperary County Council says it will rebuild the house in Ballina for a local family of Travellers, which was destroyed by fire in suspicious circumstances in the early hours of last Friday.

local paper

This wasn't boom times, it was 2009.
Killaloe might have a posh name but Ballina is just an ordinary town.

465K for an ordinary looking 4 bed?

Council got ripped off

dvpower

A council provides housing services? Isn't that one of the things they're there to do?

Up next: "Travellers use local park and library"

oldyouth

Duiske wrote: »

Your feeling disgusted over nothing. The family are not being handed this house for nothing, as the council will retain ownership and the family will be charged rent at 20% of all income.

Ah c'mon now! Do you honestly think that a single Cent will be declared to allow the Council collect anything.?????

Excellent post OP. However, I expect this thread to be closed down when you start to get support from like minded posters. When other reasonable people comment on this issue, it automatically becomes racist didn't you know

Ghandee

Travellers need to live somewhere too OP.

The details in the links are very thin on facts.

How many in the family (hence the need for so many bedrooms) does the family have some kind of specialist requirements (disabilities etc).

Travellers shouldn't all be tarred with the one brush.

xwave7000

Ghandee wrote: »

Travellers need to live somewhere too OP.

The details in the links are very thin on facts.

How many in the family (hence the need for so many bedrooms) does the family have some kind of specialist requirements (disabilities etc).

Travellers shouldn't all be tarred with the one brush.

I personally don't feel the issue is whether the family is one from the Travelling communities background. The councillor in question is an ignorant, racist bigot who should immediately be forced to stepped down in light of these comments. The issue I truly believe is the fact that a Co. Council would spend €230,000 on a house in today's economic climate.

There's a housing estate (that's right, an entire estate of 13/15 houses) available in my area for less than that. This is a prime of example of the morons who led us down the path to financial ruin in the first place.

Frank Black

So are you against the concept of social housing provision, or just social housing provision for Travellers?

If it's the former reason, then I'd hate to be part of a society that you believe in. If you go to places like India you'll see whole families sleeping on the streets. I count my blessings that I was lucky enough to be born in a relatively privileged society that can afford to provide social support to it's citizens.

If it's the latter reason, then you're a bigot.

xwave7000

black francis wrote: »

So are you against the concept of social housing provision, or just social housing provision for Travellers?

If it's the former reason, then I'd hate to be part of a society that you believe in. If you go to places like India you'll see whole families sleeping on the streets. I count my blessings that I was lucky enough to be born in a relatively privileged society that can afford to provide social support to it's citizens.

If it's the latter reason, then you're a bigot.

I oppose neither, in fact I think there should be more efforts made to ensure that people are housed in Ireland. My issue is the cost of the houses. There is no earthly way that house can be worth €230,000 in today's economic situation, in Donegal. Just no way that makes any sense.

martic

franktheplank wrote: »

Link OP or is this another of those urban myths?

From the horses mouth

http://www.highlandradio.com/2013/01/17/mc-eniff-denies-bigotry-after-saying-travellers-should-live-in-isolation/

2rkehij30qtza5

oldyouth wrote: »

Ah c'mon now! Do you honestly think that a single Cent will be declared to allow the Council collect anything.?????

Excellent post OP. However, I expect this thread to be closed down when you start to get support from like minded posters. When other reasonable people comment on this issue, it automatically becomes racist didn't you know

I agree. My cousin works in the Housing Section of a local authority and he has some stories to tell about topics like this.

The most recent one was a well known traveller family in the town he works in who trashed the kitchen that was installed in their house last year. He said that when they went out to look at the damage the woman admitted she trashed it because she didn't like it anymore and then gave them a magazine cut-out of the 'new' one she wanted!

I have worked hard and paid my taxes all my life and I get no freebies.

intellectual dosser

I try to exclude the fact that its a traveler family when reading this. County Councils have their duty but they're paying over the odds here.

Over the coming months and years, as economic circumstances remain tight its likely that the number of families defaulting on their mortgages will rise, I don't know enough on the current legislation but I'd imagine many of them will lose their homes, after them paying their mortgages and taxes for years.

Will the Government/County Councils be providing homes for all of these people?

Frank Black

xwave7000 wrote: »

I oppose neither, in fact I think there should be more efforts made to ensure that people are housed in Ireland. My issue is the cost of the houses. There is no earthly way that house can be worth €230,000 in today's economic situation, in Donegal. Just no way that makes any sense.

Go onto myhome.ie.
Select Donegal.
Select 5 bedrooms.

There's more properties with an asking price of over €230K than there are those below €230k.

What information do you have on the Donegal property market to suggest "There is no earthly way that house can be worth €230,000 in today's economic situation"?

Death and Taxes

Dillon Refined Computer wrote: »

I agree. My cousin works in the Housing Section of a local authority and he has some stories to tell about topics like this.

The most recent one was a well known traveller family in the town he works in who trashed the kitchen that was installed in their house last year. He said that when they went out to look at the damage the woman admitted she trashed it because she didn't like it anymore and then gave them a magazine cut-out of the 'new' one she wanted!

I have worked hard and paid my taxes all my life and I get no freebies.

Link to evidence or get out of it!
Another "urban myth" is spawned!

xwave7000

black francis wrote: »

Go onto myhome.ie.
Select Donegal.
Select 5 bedrooms.

There's more properties with an asking price of over €230K than there are those below €230k.

What information do you have on the Donegal property market to suggest "There is no earthly way that house can be worth €230,000 in today's economic situation"?

Try daft.ie. At least three instances of 5-bedroom houses below €230,000. I haven't done much research on it admittedly but it's ridiculously steep for a house in the current climate.

http://www.myhome.ie/residential/donegal/property-for-sale-in-ballyshannon-donegal?minbeds=5&maxbeds=5
Try this one out too, same town as previously mentioned.

2rkehij30qtza5

WileyCoyote (Accelleratii Incredibus!) wrote: »

Link to evidence or get out of it!
Another "urban myth" is spawned!

This is NOT an urban myth. If you know anyone well-enough who works in a Housing Section then ask them for some stories. Don't have a link as my first cousin doesn't 'blog' or whatever about his experiences. This happened in Oct of last year.

CruelCoin

Duiske wrote: »

Your feeling disgusted over nothing. The family are not being handed this house for nothing, as the council will retain ownership and the family will be charged rent at 20% of all income.

Declared taxable income of zilch (ripping out copper piping from holiday goer's homes is not taxable) will yield a benefit to the state of zilch.

So yes, it's a free home.

Boombastic

Making nice money on the childrens allowance aswell, over €2,000/month

Frank Black

xwave7000 wrote: »

Try daft.ie. At least three instances of 5-bedroom houses below €230,000. I haven't done much research on it admittedly but it's ridiculously steep for a house in the current climate.

http://www.myhome.ie/residential/donegal/property-for-sale-in-ballyshannon-donegal?minbeds=5&maxbeds=5
Try this one out too, same town as previously mentioned.

Rather changing the argument now aren't you?
Citing instances of houses being worth less than €230K is a tad different from claiming there's no way a 5 bed house could possibly be worth more than €230K.

There's loads of 5 beds in Donegal on Daft with asking prices well in excess of €230K btw.

xwave7000

black francis wrote: »

Rather changing the argument now aren't you?
Citing instances of houses being worth less than €230K is a tad different from claiming there's no way a 5 bed house could possibly be worth more than €230K.

There's loads of 5 beds in Donegal on Daft with asking prices well in excess of €230K btw.

OP's post concerned a house in Ballyshannon - I provided a link to the only available 5-bedroom house in Ballyshannon... how much more evidence must I provide?? And why is it an 'argument'? I stated an observation, you called me a bigot - I explained my reasons for my observations? Why does every discussion on the internet devolve into an 'argument'?

http://www.daft.ie/searchsale.daft?id=589990
This house, on the market for €270,000 in Ballyshannon stands on 3/4 acre site... not the same as a semi-detached estate house in the town so is obviously worth more - most of the instances on daft of prices over 230K stand on acerage... NOT the same.

Annasopra

Dillon Refined Computer wrote: »

This is NOT an urban myth. If you know anyone well-enough who works in a Housing Section then ask them for some stories. Don't have a link as my first cousin doesn't 'blog' or whatever about his experiences. This happened in Oct of last year.

So basically it's just unreliable hearsay

dvpower

This:

dvpower wrote: »

A council provides housing services? Isn't that one of the things they're there to do?

Up next: "Travellers use local park and library"

And also this:

Ghandee wrote: »

Travellers shouldn't all be tarred with the one brush.