A Family’s Struggle for Stability Amid Eviction Threat
A family in Killarney, County Kerry, is facing the daunting reality of potential homelessness as part of a mass eviction. The Loretto Convents estate, home to 14 households with 15 children, has received notices to quit from Xerico Ltd, a Cyprus-based investment company. These families have until summer to find new homes, but the situation looks bleak.
River James and his husband, Dale, have lived in the estate since 2019. They took legal guardianship of Dale’s young sisters, Brógan, aged eight, and Lauren, aged nine, just over two years ago. Mr. James shared the emotional impact of their predicament: “When you don’t have family to turn to for help, you’d look towards your friends and neighbours, but if they are also being evicted, where do you go? It would be hard to even find a couch to sleep on, never mind somewhere for my husband and for two children attending school.”
Most of the children living in the estate attend Scoil Bhríde Loretto National School, which could lose up to a tenth of its student population if the evictions proceed. This would affect the school’s ability to retain teachers. Property listings show only three homes available for rent in Killarney and eight in Tralee, 32 km away. While Kerry County Council has suggested exploring routes to buy the four apartments and ten houses in the estate, the families remain in uncertainty.
The Impact on Education and Daily Life
“The girls are devastated,” Mr. James said. “One of them is in second class, so she mightn’t be able to do her Communion with her friends. We’ve put offers on houses. Places come up for €200,000 but sell for €350,000, and there’s 50 people in a bidding war. We’re limited for time, for money. There’s no chance we’ll be able to afford anything in the Killarney area anyway.” 
Mr. James and Dale both work locally—River as a software engineer and Dale as a supermarket manager—but the housing shortage has forced them to consider emigrating to Spain. “A lot of our friends live in Australia or Canada because it’s just impossible if you don’t have parents that can give you a bit of land, or €40,000 for your deposit. For those people that don’t have that support system, this country is in trouble.”
The couple were the first to receive their notice to quit in February, with an eviction date of February 2026, although this may be extended to July 2026 for other families. Mr. James explained, “Despite endless searching online for housing, only three properties are available for rent nearby. One of them is only a six-month lease ending in March next year. The other is a converted storage container, one-bed. The other one is over €2,000 a month. This is in October – that falls to zero from March to August.”
Challenges Faced by Other Tenants
Other tenants on the estate are also struggling with work, childcare, and education due to the eviction. A woman from Mexico, living with her husband and their 18-month-old baby, has faced multiple evictions. “They moved down from Cork to Kerry, thinking it would be a bit more stable. They had their baby on a creche waiting list for a year, and now it looks like they’re just going to be evicted again. It’s just an absolute insanity.”
Mr. James noted that many on the estate don’t qualify for social housing but also can’t afford market rates, as the “figures don’t add up.” Mayor of Killarney, Councillor Martin Grady, emphasized the need for the government to re-evaluate social housing supports and treat the impending eviction at Loretto Convent as an emergency.
The Cost-of-Living Crisis and Housing Shortage
“For an average family of four in Kerry, the income threshold for social housing is €38,500 per year. If you earn slightly above that, you’re excluded and you also won’t qualify for cost rental schemes unless your net household income is below €59,000,” he said. “These limits leave thousands of hard-working families trapped earning too much to qualify but not enough to secure a home in the private market. The system is leaving them behind.”
He pointed out that the government’s provision of modular homes for Ukrainian refugees shows “when the State identifies a crisis, it can act swiftly and decisively.” “I’m calling on the Department of Housing to treat this case as an emergency, to intervene…” 
Irish agents for Xerico Ltd, Home Club Ltd, were contacted.