Irish defective block crisis

[1] Within county Donegal this was originally termed the Mica scandal in 2011, which is the point at which homes and other buildings began showing signs of cracking and decay.

[1] The scandal led to calls for, and then the establishment of, a scheme to fund affected homeowners of the fault to repair, or demolish and rebuild, their homes.

More than five thousand houses and an unknown number of office and other buildings have been affected, with some owners moving out of their homes as they are no longer safe.

[2] Damage generally manifests on properties as cracking of render and walls, expansion of concrete and the eventual loss of structural integrity.

[2] During 2023, additional scientific evidence as to the root cause possibilities emerged, suggesting that the issue may lie more with the iron compound pyrrhotite than with mica,[5][6] although the high mica content of the binder may still be relevant due to its impact on binder quality, making it more susceptible to internal sulphate attack from the oxidising pyrrhotite.

[2] The report included information from the National Standards Authority of Ireland that mica and other harmful impurities are limited to 1% of concrete blocks and this is covered by a statutory instrument.

[2][12] In 2023, the Donegal Mica Action Group founded 100% Redress, a political party registered to contest local and Dáil elections.

[16][17] Cassidy Brothers, one of the companies that produced the blocks, was issued with an enforcement notice in October 2021 in relation to land in Cranford, County Donegal.