‘Everything is gone, she lost everything’

The local community is rallying around a Killeigh woman in her 80s whose home was destroyed by fire at the weekend. The blaze broke out on Sunday afternoon and quickly took hold of Josie Dunne's 220-year-old home at Derrybeg, Killeigh, despite the best efforts of fire crews who arrived on the scene and a neighbour who assisted them.

“Everything is gone, she lost everything. There is nothing there now but a shell. They were lucky to get out themselves (Josie and her son were in the house at the time),” grand-daughter Pearl Dunne Delaney told the Offaly Independent this week.

Although her granny, who will be 84 next month, is “shocking upset,” Pearl said she is heartened by the many offers of help, and the generosity of people to a GoFundMe page set up by her grandson Jason, which stands at €11,752 at the time of going to press (Thursday).

Because there was thatch underneath the galvanise roof, Josie was unable to get house insurance, explained her grand-daughter, and that's why they set up the appeal to try and help restore her beloved home.

“All she came out with was the clothes on her back and she managed to grab her handbag,” said Pearl. Her granny is now living a short distance away with her daughter, and poignantly, looking out the window she can see her destroyed home.

The generosity of local people, the offers of help and support, however, are giving a devastated Josie “a little bit of a boost this week,” Pearl, who lives in Rath, near Birr, said.

Well known in the local community and further afield, Josie spent many years working in a nursing home near Tullamore, and in the past also worked in the Phoenix Arms.

“The kindness has been unreal. Aside from donations, people have been offering services or to do work, to give her beds, a cooker, to paint the house, another offered a TV. People have been absolutely amazing especially in these hard times,” Pearl said in tribute, thanking everyone for their help, in particular Cllr Ken Smollen, who highlighted the appeal on his page which has resulted in many offers of help.

She also thanked neighbour John Walsh, who assisted the fire brigade, by taking out the galvanise so that the fire crews could get in to extinguish the fire from the thatch. It's unclear where the fire started, but Pearl said they think it may have originated in the chimney and spread from there. While it is an extremely tough time for the family, everyone is determined to keep going and try and rebuild Josie's home for her, she vowed.

“We'd all like to see it going back up (rebuilt). There are a lot of memories down there,” ended Pearl Dunne Delaney.

To donate, go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-my-gran-rebuild-her-family-home-after-a-fire