The Castlebrook project – located at Tay Lane in Newcastle, Co. Dublin – is home to four generations of the extended McDonagh family, living in seven separate households. It was developed by Clúid Housing Association, in partnership with South Dublin County Council, and with the direct involvement of the McDonagh family at every stage.

“The idea of promoting dialogue between all stakeholders in a proposed housing development is not rocket-science, but – too often – it has been overlooked in delivering housing programmes to meet Travellers’ needs,” said Cathleen McDonagh.  “While communicating at all stages in the delivery of a housing project may take time, the long-term benefits mean that the outcome is more sustainable and cost-effective.”

“Twelve years ago, my family came up with the idea of a housing development that would be customised to meet the specific needs of Traveller families. Our idea was directly influenced by our own experiences: we had seen too many relatives in accommodation that was entirely unsuitable to their needs.

“Traveller families like to live together, so accommodation for Travellers is more effective if its focus is on extended families comprising multiple households, rather than on individual housing units. The traditional local authority model of housing allocation – whereby properties were allocated on an individual basis as they became vacant – meant that Travellers often moved into houses reluctantly and discovered soon after that they missed their extended family and suffered extreme isolation.

“As a result, they sometimes didn’t show due care to the accommodation provided, and the local authorities in question reacted by not carrying out maintenance or repairs. A breakdown in relations ensued. To people outside this environment looking in, their worst prejudices about Travellers were confirmed, and prejudices persisted whenever discussions took place on the development of housing for Travellers. This was, in effect, a vicious circle. In contrast, the Castlebrook development has proven to be a win-win situation for all involved and could serve as a model for all local authorities in their approach to meeting Traveller housing needs.”

The reason for the success of the Castlebrook development, according to Cathleen McDonagh, was the consultative approach taken by Clúid Housing Association and South Dublin County Council to the project.

“We approached South Dublin County Council with this idea in 2000, and they were enthusiastic from the start,” she said. “They purchased the site at Rathcoole in 2003, and Clúid Housing Association then came on board to construct and manage the development. They took into account our needs and views, and were willing to go beyond the traditional approach to Traveller housing and try something new. 

“As a result, my family had input into the location, design and development of our houses. We were able to suggest small changes that meant the development became reflective of our Traveller culture. Without a shadow of a doubt, I believe this approach is something that should be replicated for all Traveller housing projects throughout Ireland.” 

Changes that were made to the Castlebrook development at the request of the McDonagh family included eliminating boundary walls at the front of each house to give more of a community feel; making the interior space of each house more open-plan, and providing greater natural light by increasing the size of the windows to acknowledge the outdoor and open-space nature of the family’s heritage.

Speaking at today’s event, Simon Brooke, Chairperson of Clúid, said the changes requested by the McDonaghs were small and logical ones that incurred no additional costs during the project’s development.

“One of the keys to the success of this project was the reasonable approach adopted by the McDonagh family,” he said. “They never came to us with an unrealistic wish-list or a set of demands; rather, they approached us with practical suggestions that would enhance the development overall by embracing elements of Traveller culture. There was give and take in this process at all times, and compromises had to be made, but ultimately it has been a huge success. 

“The commitment shown by the McDonaghs must be acknowledged: this was a risky venture for them and to fail would have impacted on their standing in the wider Traveller community. Their resilience and willingness to stay the course has contributed to this project’s success. Overall, it has taken nine long years to develop Castlebrook, so their patience and tenacity must be commended. They have now been living in Castlebrook for over 12 months, and the success of the project is plain for all to see.”

A review of the Castlebrook project – which was independently commission by Clúid Housing Association – was published to coincide with today’s opening event. Amongst its key findings and recommendations were the following:

• A stakeholder approach was key to the project’s success: Clúid, South Dublin County Council, the McDonagh family, and the existing community in the vicinity of the Castlebrook site were engaged in an ongoing consultation process throughout the project’s development.
• For Traveller housing projects to be a success, all stakeholders must be realistic: there is a need for local authorities to recognise that Travellers have different housing needs to settled people, but there is also a need for Travellers to understand that their culture is not universally understood and, consequently, can arouse suspicion and hostility in others. 
• Involving the McDonagh family in the Castlebrook project from the outset gave them a strong sense of ownership of the end product and ensured their ongoing commitment to its success.

“The Castlebrook project shows how important and effective it is to directly involve Traveller families in the planning and development of Traveller housing schemes,” said Simon Brooke. “Clúid believes that good housing provides the platform for social progress. The approach we took to this project should serve as a model for Traveller housing projects throughout Ireland and, over the coming months, we will be working to promote this model to local authorities nationwide.”

Today’s opening event was also addressed by Cllr. Mick Duff, Mayor of South Dublin; Heydi Foster, Director of Exchange House, and Andrew Conlan-Trant, author of the review report of the Castlebrook project. The independent review of the project is available to download at: www.cluid.ie.