Community rallies after Laois family home destroyed

MEMBERS of a local family whose 150-year-old home was destroyed in a devastating fire have been left picking up the pieces, as their local community rallies to support them.

Mike and Eileen Gough from Ballyhide, a townland near Killeshin, watched helplessly as their family home went up in flames on Thursday evening, 21 August, after what they believe was a spark from their wood-burning stove ignited the bone-dry attic timbers.

The couple, aged in their 60s, along with their son Daniel and his partner, who also lived in the house, lost nearly all their possessions in the blaze.

A GoFundMe campaign organised by family friend Richard Murray has raised almost €16,000, while the tight-knit Ballyhide community has mobilised, with neighbours raising money and local tradesmen volunteering their services free of charge.

The couple’s daughter Michaela said: “In Ballyhide – they’ve been living there since I’m two, so about 27 years – people in the townland and further have been raising money themselves, dropping it up to us. There’s loads of different workers, different tradesmen in the area, they’re all calling in, saying ‘We'll do this, we'll do that'. Plumbing, roofing. There’s so much help from everyone.

“There’s been a few of my dad’s friends down at the house every day – and they’re working full-time jobs – keeping an eye on the house, organising skips, digging out the rubble, it really is amazing.” 

The fire is believed to have started after the recent prolonged dry weather left the timber attic of the old house like a tinder box. Mike Gough bravely attempted to fight the blaze with fire extinguishers but was forced to retreat as the flames spread rapidly.

“Daddy had three or four fire extinguishers. So he got up into the attic and started trying to put it out, he’s a daredevil,” continued Michaela.

“He was up in the attic running through it with the fire extinguishers! He said it was calming it down but then it was coming up again.” 

He then rang the fire brigade, but the fire had spread and the house couldn’t be saved.

Among the few items to survive the devastating blaze was a treasured tie belonging to the late singer Joe Dolan, which had been hanging on a metal mannequin that somehow withstood the flames.

“Mam had this kind of metal mannequin that you hang scarves on and the tie was on that. Whatever the mannequin was made of, Joe’s tie didn’t burn. Mammy said Joe was looking out for them,” Michaela said.

The couple are huge fans of the Westmeath entertainer and Michaela managed to salvage a damaged, framed photograph of Joe Dolan from the rubble.

She said: “Mammy had this framed picture of Joe Dolan in his youth and it’s damaged, but we found that as well!” 

The community response has overwhelmed the family, with neighbours providing daily support and Penney’s Carlow having set up a GoFundMe donation point in-store at the weekend.

“He’s such a genuine person. And he’s always been there to help people out,” Michaela said of her father, a window cleaner of 35 years who is well known in the area.

“That’s what all the neighbours are saying. They’re like, ‘you were here for us’.” 

Despite losing almost everything, the family takes comfort that everyone escaped safely, including their two beloved cats Luna and Sookie.

“It’s heartbreaking, but everyone’s okay so it could have been a lot worse,” Michaela reflected.

“And there have been so many acts of kindness. It’s just hard to get your head around.” 

The GoFundMe campaign for the Gough family can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/house-fire-devastates-family-home.