A Clondalkin family has been left homeless just days before Christmas after a fire caused severe damage to their home on Friday.
Marion Byrne, her husband and their seven children aged from one to 22 are currently staying in a hotel as the house they rent in the Bawnogue area has been boarded up by emergency services. At this point it is unknown how long it will take or the exact amount it will cost for repairs to be carried out.
The fire broke out on Friday afternoon and thankfully none of the family were inside at the time. All of their belongings, including Marion's dad's ashes, were lost during the blaze.
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Marion's cousin Selina Callaghan and friend Glenda Walsh have organised a GoFundMe to help the family get back on their feet. Selina told Dublin Live that she's "heartbroken" by what has happened but is "so grateful" that none of the family were inside the property at the time of the fire.
"She went out with the kids to do a bit of Christmas shopping," Selina said. "My phone started beeping with texts asking if Marion's house had gone on fire.
"So I rang my friend Glenda and she was after flying down there and there were ambulances and everything going in so we didn't know what was going on. I couldn't get through to my cousin on the phone.
"I was panicking thinking that they were in the house. I was obviously delighted to find out that they weren't inside but it's just so upsetting.
"She lost everything, even her father's ashes. The community are helping out and we're really trying to get the GoFundMe out there because they have seven kids and everything is gone.
"We're trying to help as best we can, especially for the kids because it's their Christmas."
Selina explained that the family are grateful to have a roof over their heads right now but the coming weeks will be tough as they struggle with having no cooking facilities and losing their belongings.
To donate to the GoFundMe for the Byrne family, click here.
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