Neighbours raise the roof after cottage fire

Neighbours of a man whose thatched cottage in Corrandulla was badly damaged by fire last Friday are raising funds to help the owner rebuild his beloved home.

Kevin Williams had a fire down when he heard his dog, Spike, barking in the kennel.

“He’s never barked since the day we got him so I went out to him. When I did, I could smell something and there it was – fire coming out of the chimney. Only for the little dog it would have been burnt to the ground,” he reflects this week.

He went up with a hose to dampen down the thatch until the fire brigade arrived. Unfortunately, the whole roof has to be rethatched, which has to be carried out without the benefit of insurance.

“I haven’t got insurance due to the recession which makes it much worse. We’ve estimated it’s going to cost €15,000. I’m a painter decorator so I can do a lot of the work inside myself but not the roof.”

His neighbour, Neil Haigh, put himself and partner Geraldine Jennings, up for a few days but they have returned to live in the one room that escaped most of the damage.

Neil’s wife, Delia Tobin, has set up an online fundraising page aiming to raise €15,000 to thatch the cottage so that it can continue to be lived in.

You can read the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now – or you can download our digital edition on www.connachttribune.ie To make a donation, search the Gofundme page: ‘Help Kevin Williams save the cottage’.