'A hot chocolate saved my life': Cian and the Kilbehenny community that rescued him
Former homeless man Cian Murtagh at the house in Sligo which was bought for him by members of the Kilbehenny community. Picture: James Connolly
After years spent battling homelessness and adversity, Cian Murtagh never imagined that a simple cup of hot chocolate would save his life.
The 30-year-old, originally from Meath, had been homeless for many years after a childhood spent in State care. Employed in construction in Dublin, he was unable to afford the rent, and finished his days on the building site by going to a bench or doorway to sleep. He moved to Cork last year in the hope of a “fresh start”, but ended up sleeping rough on the city streets there too.
By the beginning of this year, it had all became too much, and he decided he wanted to die. Cian’s plan was take his own life by fasting in a location so remote nobody would ever find him.
“I stayed healthy for years while sleeping on a bench and I didn’t want that anymore. I wanted food, water, and shelter,” he said.
“Length of life didn’t matter to me anymore, I wanted to have quality of life too.
“I was waiting for divine inspiration but it never came. I stopped eating and knew I was on the verge of death," Cian said.
“I headed for the Galtee Mountains. I wanted to go somewhere hidden so I could have that bit of privacy. I didn’t want to be taken to hospital if anything happened to me.”
He was spotted on his journey near Kilbehenny in Co Limerick by local woman Maeve O’Brien. Cian was carrying just a sleeping bag with him, and Maeve stopped to offer him a lift.
It was the first time in years a motorist had ever stopped for Cian.
“There were times when I was wandering all over Ireland and still wasn’t offered a lift after five or six hours of hitchhiking,” Cian recalls.
“I wasn’t even thumbing when Maeve drove by, but still she picked me up.”
Maeve asked Cian if he was homeless and he told her “I have options” — keeping secret his wish to die. They chatted and Maeve handed Cian some crackers as he got out of the car. However, the snacks would go untouched.
Little did either of them realise at the time that this chance encounter might not only save Cian's life — but change the trajectory of it.
The following day, Maeve saw on social media that the young man she had picked up in her car had been reported as a missing person.
Members of soup run group the Kindness Krew, who often served hot chocolate to Cian on the streets of Cork, had alerted authorities after becoming concerned for his whereabouts.
Cian recalls: “I was well known for not eating in Cork but if I had a free hot chocolate I would take it. It was the one thing I allowed myself. Each morning, I would get up and look forward to hot chocolate. When you’re starving to death all you think about is food.”
Not long after Maeve received a call from one of her neighbours Carmel O’Gorman to say that the missing man had been spotted in Coopers Wood close to Loughananna in Tipperary.
He was refusing all help. Maeve had heard about Cian's love of hot chocolate and set about making a flask before driving to the woods. She recalls the moment she came across Cian.
“At that point he had stopped drinking fluids,” Maeve said. “He wanted to die. I told him that he was so loved and that we could work this out. Cian wouldn’t take the hot chocolate at first. He told me that he had no future and just wanted to slip away. The third time he accepted.
"I asked him what his wish would be in life because I wanted to get him talking about something positive. He told me about his dream of opening a milkshake and burrito bar. He was starving at that stage so could only think about food.”
After accepting help, Cian spent two weeks recovering in hospital. Kilbehenny locals Carmel and John O’Gorman as well as Moss Fitzgerald were part of the search party that had found Cian and while he recovered in hospital the group met at Kilbehenny community centre and decided to start a GoFundMe appeal.
The hope was to raise enough funds so they could buy him a house and he would never have to sleep on the streets again.
Cian admits he was sceptical at first. “I’ve seen enough of the world to be set in my ways,” he said. “I know what happens to people in these situations. This wasn’t an American movie. I highly doubt that anyone is going to care about me.
"However, I saw the genuineness in the Kilbehenny community. I’d been in hospital before but I never had anybody come and visit me like they did.”
The group never anticipated the overwhelming response Cian’s story would generate and Maeve said she will never forget the day their offer on a house was accepted.
“Carmel and John took Cian in for a while and he stayed with them in their home. In the meantime, we looked at suitable options we would be able to purchase with the money raised from GoFundMe. Eventually, we had an offer of €41,000 accepted on a house in Sligo. It was the closest thing I’ve ever had to winning the Lottery.
"We have kept the GoFundMe open as there is huge work to be done in terms of renovating it. Structurally it’s sound but there is no running water, septic tank or toilet. There is an electricity pole that just needs to be hooked up. Our hope is to raise enough money to get the work done. We would welcome the help of any tradespeople who might be interested in getting involved.”
Cian's journey into homelessness began with a double-life working in construction by day and sleeping rough by night on the streets of Dublin.
“In the depths of the horrible weather, on Dawson Street I would sleep close to the green Luas line so that I could roll up my sleeping bag the next morning and hop on the Luas for work.
"When you are homeless you are an object for people to use — whether it is for good or for bad. People will either punch you in the face or give you a sandwich. It’s rare you see anything in between.
Viewing accommodation options was difficult for Cian without an address.
“Everything is stacked against you when you don’t have an address. It’s not just the lack of a house that is painful when you are homeless. It’s how separated you are from everyone else, from society or your peers in general. It’s horrible being on the receiving end when you have never committed a crime in your life. I’ve never done any mad stuff. I worked while I was homeless.
"I started work at 7.30am and would be finished at 5.30pm. Any facilities to get your basics like a dinner or a shower operated between 10am and 2pm when I was working. I can remember looking disgusting while going to view a house. I was carrying all this stuff with me that made it blatantly obvious that I was homeless."
Cian says that being in employment often made him a target for some other rough sleepers.
“Some thought that I had thousands in my pocket. These people had never worked a day in their lives so believed that anybody who did was minted. There were a lot of attempted assaults and robberies. At one point I saved up €6k which was the most money I had ever saved up in my life. However, it all ran out when I was assaulted and I had to pay for B&Bs and hotels just to be able to heal. I couldn’t move with the pain.”
His determination saw him head to the UK for a fresh start. However, the high cost of living proved too challenging.
“My fear was that I was never going to have a life if I continued on this path. The only idea I had left was to try another country. I went to England where I did some bartending and labouring, but there really wasn’t a lot of work there.
All my money went on rent which meant I never had anything left over for food. I can remember asking myself 'Is it worth all this not to get rained on?' Shelter is no good by itself. You need to be able to eat too.
"I knew I had to go back to Ireland but there was nothing that was going to keep me in Dublin. I decided to go to Cork where I could have a fresh start.” Five months of rough sleeping in Cork left him with an overwhelming sense of hopelessness, despite a string of kind gestures.
“Some days I’d wake up to find someone had left boots or a tent next to me. However, all I had was my small black backpack that had become nothing more than a dead weight to me. I often donated it to Caitríona Twomey in Cork Penny Dinners.”
The huge support of the community in Kilbehenny, however, means Cian feels his life has finally now turned a corner.
“I was shocked by the kindness that was shown to me by the people of Kilbehenny to be honest. You get jaded from so many years of being treated like scum so it’s mad to have such lovely people come into your life, if a little bewildering at times.”
Preparing the new cottage in Sligo has been a labour of love for Cian and his Kilbehenny friends.
“At the moment it has three empty floors and one of those floors is dug out. It’s not plumbed so I don’t have a toilet or shower. My plan is to get a cast iron kettle and a tub out the back that will allow me to stay clean. I’ll learn about plumbing but the main thing in the meantime is that I can stay clean and sheltered.
I’d also love to get an air fryer because I hear they do everything. I need a certified electrician which will cost a lot. The other stuff will be all about time and energy.
"When I’m in the house I can visualise myself in about three years' time. I see myself sitting somewhere near the fridge eating dinner or relaxing in one of those reclining chairs. It leaves me with a great feeling.”
It marks the beginning of a new chapter for Cian.
“The last few years have been like sitting in the waiting room of a doctor’s surgery. I was just waiting for life to begin. I’m staying in a B&B at the moment where I’m lucky to have my own ensuite but I’m really keen to get into the house.”
Moss Fitzgerald, Treasurer of Kilbehenny Community Centre, emphasised how much they value Cian’s friendship.
“For a man who has been homeless all his life this is a big step for him. Cian really deserves this. We have got to really like him since getting to know him. There is something nice about him. Carmel O’Gorman and Maeve O’Brien in particular have been like mothers to him. We would also like to thank everyone who donated to the GoFundMe.”
Cian was just one of 13,531 homeless people in Ireland in January of this year. Recent figures from the Department of Housing show that 9,504 adults and 4,027 children were in emergency accommodation in January.
The number represents a sharp rise of over 200 more people in emergency accommodation in just one month, compared to 13,318 the month before.
To donate to Cian’s home renovation organised by members of the Kilbehenny community visit the GoFundMe page.
