Cork musician Martin Leahy says renting in Ireland has become impossible and may force him to emigrate. Photo: Michael Meade

‘It's crashing down on me’

A Cork musician who may be forced to emigrate due unaffordable rents in Ireland, has questioned the Government’s “sinister” reluctance to address the housing crisis.

Martin Leahy, who has been renting a house in Bandon for the last six years, was told recently by his landlord that the property will soon be sold.

Speaking to the Cork Independent, Mr Leahy said it is “definitely not an option to stay on” at his current address, and that rent prices in Cork city and county are simply too expensive.

“It's crashing down on me at the moment in that I feel I can't afford anywhere else when I do move out. Part of the frustration is that the rental sector isn't regulated in this country. There are parts of Europe you could rent for your whole life and that would be your home and you're not going to worry about the landlord evicting you or putting up the price,” said Mr Leahy.

The Carrignavar native, who has worked as a session musician in Ireland for over 25 years, is now faced with the reality of having to leave his home country in order to have a roof over his head.

He said he would consider moving to countries like Denmark, France or Austria where rents for the kind of properties he would be interested in are a fraction of what they would be in Ireland.

“I know a few people in France. There are houses like what I'd be looking for, in the countryside, for €400 a month.

“I'm going to leave it down to the wire to see if I can find somewhere here before I go, but I don't feel I have any options in terms of renting here. There was a place close to my place (Bandon) which was a small little cottage. It's €1,200 a month unfurnished. I can't even contemplate that,” said Mr Leahy.

Vacant homes

Speaking in Dáil Éireann recently, Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Peter Burke said the most recent figures available indicate there are more than 183,000 vacant homes nationwide.

“The Government is acutely aware of the difficulties faced by people in sourcing affordable homes to rent and buy. These difficulties are not unique to Ireland and are experienced in many countries across the EU and further afield. We are taking significant measures that will deliver and make a very real difference to affordability and quality of life in the everyday lives of our people,” said Deputy Burke.

However, Mr Leahy said he feels the housing crisis could be solved quickly but that the Government seems reluctant to do the right thing.

He said: “It's just so infuriating when you talk about how easily it could be solved. NAMA has the ability to free up 70,000 units if directed by the Government, and they are a government body. It could be sorted out very easily and we could all live in stability and security, but it's just not happening. It seems, in a very sinister way, that they just don't want to sort it out. It should be a basic human right. It should be enshrined in the constitution that everyone should have a home.

“We're looking at a situation where there are people in accommodation they can't afford and they feel shame about it and embarrassment and they think that's it's something they've done wrong rather Government policy.

“Look how long it's been going on. Rents have doubled in the last decade. They (the Government) have let it go on under their nose, they know what's going on. They've encouraged it in a way. They've facilitated it.”

According to gov.ie, it is estimated that Ireland will need an average of 33,000 new homes to be provided each year from 2021 to 2030.

Music and young artists

Mr Leahy, who has worked extensively with artists including John Spillane and Christy Moore, recently released a single called ‘Everyone Should Have a Home’ in which he addresses the ongoing housing crisis in Ireland.

He said there is a very real possibility that other artists may be forced to leave Ireland because of the price of rent.

“From my own point of view, I've been working as a session musician for 26 years, and my financial world has always been pretty small to be honest about it, but I've always been able to manage. But I see now that it's closing in on me, that I just can't do it here anymore. I would imagine that younger people pursuing a career in the arts might encounter that problem and have to move away. It just doesn't seem possible anymore,” said Mr Leahy.