'A year on, he's got his home renovated and is going to be on TV'

Former homeless man Cian Murtagh at the house in Sligo which was bought for him by members of the Kilbehenny community who started a Go Fund me to buy him the cottage. Picture: James Connolly

Ireland has garnered a reputation as being one of the world's most generous nations when it comes to donating to worthy causes.

For six straight years, this country has topped the donor league compiled by the online fundraising platform GoFundMe.

The  Irish Examiner has revisited some of the biggest GoFundMe campaigns from last year to see how the money is being spent, and the positive impact it is having.

Cian's story 

The story of 30-year-old Cian Murtagh is an evolving one.

Having lived without a home for years, the Meath native, who spent his youth in State care, had given up on life before a chance encounter with Limerick woman Maeve O’Brien changed the trajectory of his life.

Maeve and her local community of Kilbehenny on the Limerick/Cork border came together to establish a GoFundMe — the aim of which was to buy Cian a home. The money to do so was duly raised, and a 200-year-old cottage in Sligo secured at a cost of €41,000.

This is not a fundraiser which has closed however — the portal remains open and now stands at more than €108,000 raised. With good reason — having purchased a home for Cian, the place now has to be made liveable. Not an easy task. When purchased the property had no running water, electricity, or septic tank.

Which brings us to the latest development in Cian’s story — from working full-time in construction in Dublin while sleeping rough just two years ago, his quest to renovate his cottage will see him star in RTÉ’s Build Your Own Home this summer.

Former homeless man Cian Murtagh (left) with Maeve O'Brien who said: 'It’s very good for Cian as it’s given him a lot of life skills he’d never had.'

The programme sees Australian builder and sustainability advocate Harrison Gardner guide hopeful property owners through the duress of construction and renovating their own homes.

“Basically, after Cian’s story was covered across the media, Harrison saw it and contacted us to say he’d like to give Cian a place at his Common Knowledge build school for a week. And Cian was all on for it because he wants to be a part of renovating his home, and he already had the background in construction,” Maeve says.

So Cian spent a week in Clare at the school, learning new DIY skills. And then the opportunity to be on the show popped up.

“Harrison is very eco, very sustainable, he had already renovated his own cottage in Clare. So when he saw Cian he was like ‘I can help this guy’,” says Maeve.

Filming began on Cian’s episode (there are six in the series) last summer. The cottage has now been dismantled, and the walls are off, with the project being both expedited and streamlined with Harrison Gardner’s influence.

“There are a lot of costs being cut, Harrison is teaching Cian and a lot of businesses have sponsored the work, the materials, the furniture, and they’ll all get credit on the show. It’s very good for Cian as it’s given him a lot of life skills he’d never had,” Maeve says.

Maeve O’Brien is part of the local community of Kilbehenny on the Limerick/Cork border that came together to establish a gofundme to buy Cian a home. Picture Chani Anderson

She admits that the GoFundMe is unlikely to cover the entirety of the project. “All the money is coming from the GoFundMe. He does need a lot, there’s a lot to be done, and it probably will fall short. We’re still relying on the generosity of the public. The link is still there, and Cian is so grateful,” she says.

Maeve cites the contribution of two people in particular without whom the cottage renovation might not have happened. Her old friend Patrick Ward who owns the Coach House Hotel in Ballymote, Sligo, took Cian in and gave him food and shelter. “I can’t say enough for what he has done, he took him in until we were able to sort a caravan for Cian on the site,” she says.

Fergal Meagher, managing director of Sligo firm Kilcawley Construction, meanwhile, stepped in and came on board for the renovation as build manager, helping Cian to reduce his costs as much as possible.

The whole story is one that needs to be stuck with, says Maeve.

“It is a big deal, because so many people are invested in his story, they want to follow it up and see what happens next. We’re a year on and he’s got his home being renovated and he’s going to be on TV, and he comes across so well,” she says.

“It’s been a year of ups and downs but right now it’s in a great place.” 

You can contribute to the Cian Murtagh fundraiser here.