Room To Improve turned the nation into a pile of emotional wrecks last night

Last night’s Room To Improve featured a very special boy who captured the heart of the nation.

Mon, 16 Feb, 2015 - 00:00

Michael is 12 years old and in a wheelchair. On breaks from his residential care, he often visits his former teacher Ann Higgins and her husband Barry McCabe. Michael considers their house in Malahide his home from home.

Ann and Barry wanted to make their house with its narrow corridors and small rooms more wheelchair-friendly for Michael when he visited. And that's where the Room To Improve team came in.

Last night, the episode aired on RTÉ, and their heart-warming story prompted a LOT of gushing on Twitter as Dermot Bannon and crew transformed Ann and Barry's house into a place perfectly suited to Michael and his needs.

Michael charmed everyone

Think the whole country has now fallen in love with Michael #roomtoimprove
— Fiona Flynn (@Fiona_Flynn) February 15, 2015

As did Ann and Barry

@rteone What a wonderful couple on #roomtoimprove tonight! Lucky little fella having them in his life. Well done! And Dermot too!
— Angela Murphy 🦄 🍀🇮🇪 (@AngelaCMurphy) February 16, 2015

Some job tonight. Ann and Barry probably Ireland's nicest couple! #roomtoimprove
— Breandán O Faoláin (@phelan_brendan) February 15, 2015

It was all too much for some people - especially on a Sunday night

This is far too emotional for a Sunday evening #roomtoimprove what are they trying to do to us heartwarming tv
— Brendan Keary (@brendankeary) February 15, 2015

It opened up people's eyes to a new perspective on disability

#roomtoimprove it's not the person that has the disability it's the environment / makes you think
— Arbutus Bread Cork (@ArbutusBread) February 15, 2015

Social definitions about disabling environments! Thank you #roomtoimprove
— Suzy Byrne (@suzybie) February 15, 2015

And everyone was in agreement that it was the best episode of Room To improve EVER

That was a fabulous #roomtoimprove tonight. Really engaging & what a great outcome.
— Theresa Reidy 🇺🇦 (@theresareidy) February 15, 2015

DAAAAMN YOU BANNON!! (Shakes fist at the sky) I can't be mean about any of these nice people!!! #RoomToImprove
— Paddy Cullivan (@paddycullivan) February 15, 2015