Thousands attend mica demonstrations in Donegal

Up to 5,000 people attended the demonstration at Buncrana and over 1000 more in Letterkenny as homeowners demanded 100% redress to repair their mica affected homes.

Arriving in their droves from all corners of Inishowen and beyond, the masked crowd of young and old reserved their loudest cheers of the day in Buncrana for Paddy Diver, whose tenacity and enthusiasm led to the demonstrations taking place.

Speakers on the day outlined their demands and questions they want answered and Ann Owens told how ‘what started off as a trickle has become a tsunami.’

An Taoiseach Michael Martin was directly addressed from the stage after he said in the Dail the costs of the mica scheme and the 100% pyrite scheme are not comparable.

Eileen Doherty said: “Are you suggesting the homeowners pick up the bill for these excessive costs, even though we’ve done absolutely nothing wrong and our homes are falling down around us?”

An Taoiseach was urged to visit Donegal and afford families the opportunity to tell him ‘first hand the anguish this has caused.’

“It is the least you can do. We demand fair treatment for the people of Donegal and Mayo. We demand fair treatment and expect you to step up to the mark.”

See Tuesday’s Derry Journal for further coverage.