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The Irish-American community supports Donegal and homeowners affected by the mica scandal across the country.

This is the message conveyed by the two protesters who confronted the Taoist at the New York Hotel today.

The affected homeowners in Ireland asked for a change to a government plan that was launched last year after years of campaigning, especially in Donegal’s communities, to cover 100% of the costs associated with repairing houses.

Their house was built with defective building blocks containing muscovite, a mineral that absorbs moisture and reduces the strength of the foundation on which their house stands and the walls that support the roof.

The worst-hit counties were Donegal and Mayo, but the Department of Housing also received requests from local authorities in Sligo, Clare, Limerick, and Tipperary to participate in the defective concrete block subsidy program.

Previously, the cost of the remediation plan was estimated at 1.5 billion euros, but Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien said that the final bill could be much higher. 

Taoisach sat down with mica protesters Jaras Dougherty and Caroline Dougherty in New York.

Caroline Doherty from Donegal Inch Island, who has lived in New York for 21 years, said that the Irish-American campaign is heating up, and many people want to support their relatives in their hometown in Ireland . 

She said: "We came out today to show that this is important to the Taoist priest and put it in his sight."

She said that an Irish-American committee living in New York will soon be established to campaign on the mica issue.

Irishman Jarlath Doherty also lives in New York. He also sat down with Taoist priests in the Fitzpatrick Hotel in Manhattan. He told the Wall Street Journal that they did not expect Taoists to stop and talk with them.

"But he sat down and talked," he said. They said that Michael Martin listened to their concerns and added that they told him that this is now a concern for Irish Americans.

"I said talking is cheap. He can tell us anything he wants to tell us, but what will they do?" Caroline Dougherty asked.

"The children in Donegal want a home this year, and they can put a Christmas tree this year," she said, noting that addressing these issues is a top priority at this stage.

She said the event "will not stop in New York." "Boston also lit candles," she said.

The Irish community in Boston launched a fundraising and advocacy campaign to support the victims of the Mica housing scandal.

Martin McKinney immigrated from Donegal to Boston in the late 2000s and told the Irish CCTV this month that he had raised more than $10,000 in less than a week.

"Every city in this country supports the people of Donegal, not just Donegal, all affected families are affected," Caroline Dougherty said today.

She said that the government's lack of action on this issue is "embarrassing." "These houses look like they belong to a war zone," she added. 

They all said that if a 100% remedy is not provided, "the government will be shaken."

"If they don't deal with it, no one will vote for Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil," she added.

Tajsec said today that 100% compensation for homeowners affected by mica is still on the table.

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Speaking in New York, Daisaki supported the statement made by the Minister of Public Expenditure, Michael McGrath, that it is still possible to provide full compensation to those affected by defective building blocks.

"Discussions are ongoing, and the owner representative agency will meet again with department officials tomorrow, after which they will meet with Darragh O'Brien.

"Our goal is to end these talks by the end of this month and make recommendations to the Cabinet in early October.

"This is complicated because you have all kinds of problems, but the whole purpose of the negotiation is to reach a position where we can repair or rebuild the house, and there is a system that can correctly complete the task in a faster time than expected. Will not impose undue difficulties or imposing methods on people."

Tajsać said the prospect of the affected houses collapsing is a danger.

"I ran into a lot of problems when I met homeowners in the summer. First, speed up the management schedule of the plan. Because of the numbers involved, yes, the dangers involved. That's why we want to end these negotiations."

In order to alleviate the concerns of thousands of families whose houses are crumbling, McGrath said in Dáil today that he will soon agree to "very important improvements and improvements" to the existing mica plan.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar also discussed the issue of mica at the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party meeting tonight. He said an enhanced plan is needed to help those who have to fight against mica at home.

He said that this was carried out by the Ministry of Housing, and before entering the Cabinet, funds were needed from the Ministry of Public Expenditure and Reform.

He said that work in this area is still going on, and everyone is very aware of the problems that the affected people must face.

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"Talk is cheap": Irish-American confrontation with Taoisach over the mica scandal in New York

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