Two Letterkenny podcasters have stepped outside their regular show format to shine a light on Donegal’s biggest crisis: the mica scandal.
Vinny McLaughlin and Marty Brogan from the V&M Podcast last night launched a special documentary visiting the homes, and what remains of the homes, of Donegal families affected by defective concrete blocks.
The pair got a first-hand look at the devastation that defective blocks have caused and the stress endured by people trying to navigate the redress scheme.
“When people talk about Mica, people who aren’t affected will think about a crack up the side of a house. We felt it was important to show what is going on inside the houses,” says Vinny McLaughlin.
“People need to see how it’s breaking families and causing massive mental health issues.”
Leading the tour is campaigner Paddy Diver who is in the process of demolishing his family home. His late father helped him to build the house, and as it crumbles, so too do the memories. Vinny and Marty witness the extensive preparation that goes into rebuilding a defective concrete home and are left speechless at the state of deterioration of Paddy and Amanda’s house.
Another story comes from Joanne and Don McLaughlin, also from Carndonagh. Their two-storey home was condemned in 2016, forcing them to move into a modular home in 2022 while their original house was demolished. The couple emphasises the emotional toll of the delays in resolving the mica crisis.
“People are being made to feel like they have done something wrong and they are being punished,” says Vinny.
The fly-on-the-wall style of the documentary, produced by MG Media Solutions, encourages open conversations.
“We set out to let people speak and tell their stories. We didn’t filter because we wanted the viewer to feel they were there in the house and feel how we felt when they were talking to us,” Vinny adds.
In Letterkenny, Kathrina Kirk shares the physical and mental strain of living in a crumbling home. Due to the risk of a collapsing gable wall, her children cannot play in their back garden. Kathrina details her struggles with a mysterious illness, including headaches and a stroke, that she believes is linked to toxic mould in her liver, potentially caused by the degradation of her home.
“We were gobsmacked by some of the stories we heard, but it’s important to share the real side of this crisis. People need to see what is going on, it’s madness,” says Vinny.
Watch the documentary ‘V&M PODCAST – Mica Homes of Donegal’ at: https://youtu.be/bMPJHyqLjxk
