How Cork rallied round to help Cian secure a home

When 30-year-old Cian Murtagh found himself homeless on the streets of Cork, there appeared little prospect of him ever finding a home.

However, a guardian angel, Maeve O’Brien, and a community group in Cork helped Cian turn his fortunes around with the launch of a GoFundMe page, and raised €100,000 to help him buy and renovate a house.

He features in the next episode of Build Your Own Home on RTÉ1 on Wednesday at 9.35pm as he fixes up a derelict cottage he bought in rural Sligo, with help from Harrison Gardner, local contractors, and an army of helpers.

The Meath man once feared he might die on the streets. 

The cottage he bought needed major renovation and Cian had planned to labour on the job himself.  However, once the asbestos roof was removed, it was clear the house was in an imminent state of collapse and required more than a DIY effort from Cian.  Across a whole year, teams of people rallied around to assist Cian. 

His story features on  Build Your Own Home on RTÉ1 on Wednesday at 9.35pm