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It’s the little things I lost in the fire that really upsets me most – not the big things at all. All the old photographs, they can’t be replaced. It’s the memories.
Ann Gibney lost her home after a fire gutted four houses in Navan this June.
Speaking about the fire, Gibney told TheJournal.ie, “Nobody knows what happened, smoke was noticed coming out of the roof of my house. We have no idea- it was the hottest day of the year.
“The fire brigade reckon that maybe there was a small hole in one of the roofs and that something shiny in the attic could have caught fire.
It was an awful experience – the roofs of four houses were destroyed and then they fell in and the bottoms were destroyed with water.
Ann was in the house when it caught fire.
“I was waiting for a world cup game to come on- my grandson was upstairs and the minute he opened the attic he could see the bright orange of the fire.
“We both got out of the house and everyone in the other houses were also safe thank god, in one sense we’re very lucky.”
‘Bad luck all around’
Gibney explained how she’s been suffering with bad health over the past number of years:
I’m practically housebound due to my health problems but I’m glad to be alive.
“I’ve got very severe arthritis and I’ve had two heart operations where I’ve had two valves replaced. One of the valves had to be replaced again- I was in hospital for six months.”
Ann had no home insurance in place when the house was gutted by fire.
It’s just been bad luck all around- I’m on oxygen for my breatening.
Support
Speaking about the support she’s received, the former Sinn Féin town councillor said:
“People have been really extremely good. The community has been such a wonderful support, people are really rallying around and doing everything they can to raise funds.”
Navan Mayor and Sinn Fein Councillor, Sinead Burke, said:
Ann worked hard for the people of Navan over the years and now it’s our chance to help her at this devastating time.
Celebrity chef Richard Corrigan and Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald are auctioning off their cooking skills in a bid to raise money to help rebuild Gibney’s home.
When asked how she feels about the auction, Gibney said: “I can’t believe it’s actually being done, it’s mind boggling. People really do rally around so much and do everything they can.”
There are three separate offers being auctioned:
Bids will be taken until midnight August 31.
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Why did she not have insurance ??
Ask her?
House insurance: better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.
There’s only one thing more expensive than insurance…no insurance.
I don’t know Ann Gibney, but when those who do know her have such praise for her and are so quick to organise help like this, well it says a lot doesn’t it? There is a lot of good and good people in the world, I hope they raise the funds needed for the repairs to the houses, best of luck.
Should none of us pay home insurance and expect others to fund-raise in the event of fire!
No, but when your fellow human being has been a little less responsible than they perhaps should have been, and the been one of the unlucky ones, helping them out is still the civilised thing to do.
*and then been
Fair play to them – the origin of insurance was in shared risk, ie. mutual assistance in the event of a catastrophic event to one member of the community.
Does anyone else find the explanation of how the fire started (a “hole in one of the roofs and that something shiny in the attic could have caught fire”) a little implausible, verging on the ridiculous?
Either way, good luck to her with the rebuild.
It’s possible.
http://www.thejournal.ie/walkie-talkie-london-skyscraper-melting-cars-1066542-Sep2013/
Agreed a concave mirror or magnifying glass could start a fire if left in direct sunlight close to flammable material, but for this to coincide with a “hole in the roof”? Stretches plausibility imho….
In answer a mirror or as she said anything can ignite also old newspapers or stacked books can combust, I remember this happening to a home in town I lived in
I thought you had to have homeowners insurance…if she rents then maybe she didn’t have contents insurance, but the article says she “lost her home” so I am assuming that it was hers.
If she owned the house outright there’s no obligation to have insurance. Its probably a bad idea not to have it but I’m sure she realises that now.
Unfortunately not everyone can afford to have home insurance. It’s one of those things that if you’ve never claimed on it then you might say as sure I’ll take a chance, the ESB or Gas bill needs to be paid! Jaysus that lack of understanding and compassion on this site is getting worse than P.ie. I abandoned that site a long time ago, I sincerely hope this format go like it. Before you start judging other people and making horrible comments remember you only know a snippet of their lives and their stories.
Other wish to give their time, skills and money to help another human being out who is in need, either wish it well or maybe just try to keep your nasty comments to yourself.
Breatening. Come on Journal. At least read the articles before you put them online. It is worse you are getting.
Seconded.
I hate that term, rallying round
Let’s rally round against it then.
Oh you ole dog :)
I’m hoping not to lose my home due to the ineptitude of my landlord!
It is very sad to see an elderly lady loose her home, but some of the comments are disappointing as how could any reasonable person expect a SF politician to process the ability to perform a risk / benefit analysis on spending €150 on home insurance, and then make the correct decision which in 99% of cases is to buy the insurance.
Bloody hypocrites in the Dail.No solidarity and will to help by any of these rich politician cowards.
Ann Gibney is a retired widow suffering from heart problems and arthritis. She was a Sinn Fein Councillor who helped many people in Navan in the past, including myself. She is a pensioner trying to survive on a pensioner’s salary with help towards phone costs taken off pensioners in the last budget and property tax, household tax etc. Lest I remind you Sinn Fein Councillors and TD’s take the average industrial wage and the rest goes to the party. So she was not milking it like other Councillors and TD’s for years. She believed in social justice and attended Council Meetings, with arthritis, and made no money on expenses because she wanted a socially fair country and a United Ireland. Most posts above are despicable. Learn the truth before you judge. How could she pay insurance? She’s a pensioner but she’ll be charged property tax, household tax and water charges next year on a property with no roof.
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