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Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
‘I just knew I was meant to do it,': Builder restores home destroyed by Ballyfermot arson attack for free
A Dublin family whose home was severely damaged in an arson attack three months ago have moved back into their house following the help of a local builder. Pat Curran had fallen asleep on his couch in the early hours of May 21st when his home on Landen Road in Ballyfermot was subject to a firebomb attack, in what gardaí said was a case of mistaken identity . His wife Breda and their son Luke (20) were asleep upstairs. The family escaped the fire, but their pet dog Zach died in the blaze. Mr Curran and his wife had no house insurance. The Currans' home following the May attack. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times Breda Curran looks at the damage to her home after the arson attack. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times Builder Mark O'Neill (42) from Clondalkin oversaw the complete house renovation, relying on the help of subcontractors and suppliers. READ MORE [ 'Waking up in hell': Family subject to mistaken Dublin arson attack told 'it wasn't meant for youse' Opens in new window ] Mr O'Neill waived all costs, with such works estimated to be in the region of between €170,000 and €200,000, aided only by a GoFundMe pagethat raised more than €55,000. Pat Curran and his wife Breda in the newly rebuilt home with builder and plasterer Mark O'Neill. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times The house had to be rewired, along with new plumbing, new joists, plastering and insulation, roof repairs and new windows and doors. Mr O'Neill said he was 'devastated' when he heard what happened to the family and decided to take on the job after meeting them. 'I just knew I was meant to do it,' he said. 'I get so much back from jobs like this. It's a different kind of payback seeing people being able to get back into their home. 'You could not meet a nicer family. You're asking yourself how could this happen to such a nice family? But I also believe the good always outweighs the bad and I'm blessed with my suppliers and people working with me over the years.' Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times Mr O'Neill has been working in construction since he was 15 and has helped others refurbish their homes following fires. He said the loss of his mother, sister and brother over recent years are part of the reason he has decided to take on such projects when he can. The family received the keys to their home on Saturday, describing the generosity of Mr O'Neill and others as 'a miracle'. 'For me, Mark stepped down from heaven,' Ms Curran said. 'I've never met anybody like that. I walked out of here in May full of soot and said I can't go in there any more because I wasn't getting anywhere. I never came here until last Saturday. They just said 'stay away, don't come back'. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times 'I couldn't believe it. It was the goodness of Mark, family, friends, neighbours, the GoFundMe, because there was nothing out there in terms of grants. I did try, I emailed everyone but there was just nothing there. 'We were hopeless and desolate for the first week and a half after it happened. We were saying 'what are we going to do?'' Ms Curran, who is a social care worker, added that it 'will take a while' to get used to being in the house again. 'It's just at night time, we're sleeping with the windows open because it's too warm and you might hear something on the road, a motorbike flying by,' she said. 'I'm probably a little bit on high alert but that should go. I know that's your brain just trying to protect your body. I'll get through it.' Mr Curran, an artist originally from Dolphin's Barn, added that walking back into his home again was 'nothing short of miraculous'. 'That's the way I feel about it. Basically we have the newest house on Landen Road,' he said. 'What's shone through all of this is the goodness of people. It makes me want to be a better person going forward ... I'm still a bit up and down. In all honesty, I think counselling is down the road for all of us. It was a near-death experience for the three of us. It shattered my confidence and made me more weary of people and danger. Mark deserves all the recognition he could get.' Two boys aged 14 and 15 and a man in his 20s have been charged in connection with the attack.
Belfast Telegraph
01-08-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
Disgraced civil servant jailed over child images admits breaching sex crimes order
Pervert handed out origami animals to children at cultural hub in Belfast city centre A paedophile living next to a home for vulnerable adults and children despite a ban on him approaching such places has admitted breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (Sopo). Disgraced civil servant Peter Crawford was due to contest two charges at Belfast Magistrates Court on Thursday, but defence counsel Luke Curran confirmed the 50-year-old was entering guilty pleas.
Irish Times
29-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
‘Waking up in hell': Dublin family subject to arson attack in case of mistaken identity
Artist Pat Curran stands in his sitting room in Ballyfermot appearing lost for words. His hands are black with soot as he points to the corner where he was sleeping over a week ago when a petrol bomb was thrown through his front window. 'I would equate it to waking up in hell,' Curran recalls. The 68-year-old had fallen asleep on his couch in the early hours of May 21st when his home on Landen Road in west Dublin was subject to an arson attack, in what gardaí said was a case of mistaken identity. Curran's wife Breda and their son Luke (20) were sleeping upstairs. The family managed to escape, but their dog Zach died in the blaze. READ MORE 'I woke up to the sound of breaking glass and fire spreading all out in front of me,' says Curran. 'I started screaming to get the others up and I tried to put the fire out by throwing a blanket on it, and stood on it. 'I'm actually lucky, and I don't say this lightly, that I didn't think I was in a nightmare and went back to sleep, because that's what it was - nightmarish.' Curran, who is originally from Dolphin's Barn and grew up in Pimlico, has been living in the area with his wife and their children for more than 30 years. Breda, originally from Bluebell and a social care worker, says she awoke to the sound of crashing, and could hear shouts. 'I could hear Luke screaming saying 'What's wrong with Dad?' I jumped up and as I was running down the stairs I could see the heat and I said 'Oh Jesus, it's a fire'. 'We ran outside to the front as we have a hose with a tap. I was trying to get in to the fire, calling out for the dog, but there was fire coming from everywhere and I couldn't see him.' The family have spent recent days clearing out the house, including going through Pat Curran's artwork, most of which was damaged in the fire. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times Neighbours called the Fire Brigade , who arrived within minutes to put out the blaze, while Breda and Luke were treated for smoke inhalation. Curran's eldest son John plays footage on his phone from the property's Ring doorbell of the attack. It shows a person setting a large petrol can alight and throwing it through the house's downstairs window. Screams can be heard from Pat and Luke in the video, which Breda says she has been unable to watch. The couple have no house insurance, and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help repair their home. The family have spent recent days clearing out the house, including going through Curran's artwork, most of which was damaged in the fire. They are currently staying with relatives, while Curran, whose work focuses largely on community, plans to hold an exhibition of the burnt paintings in the future. 'You have that stigma, people saying 'nothing happens for nothing'. But out there in the community, everybody knew straight away, everybody knew it was mistaken identity,' he adds. Breda Curran takes in the damage to her home after the arson attack, in Ballyfermot, Dublin. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times 'The police said they couldn't tell me anything about the investigation, they just said 'it wasn't meant for youse'. I never really felt old, but this is after taking lumps out of me. 'But it has also renewed my faith in the people of Ballyfermot, the community spirit that has been shown to us. People that don't even know us have been supporting us, as well as the art world. 'It's very hard to come out of this with your soul and mind intact. I think there will have to be counselling down the road, when you think of the devastation that's after being wrecked upon us. It will take a long time to get over this.'
