By Cara McHugh
Residents say they await official word in writing as a councillor tells one tenant this was reached through a “gentleman’s agreement”.
Councillor Joe Queenan has told the Sligo Weekender that an agreement has been reached on the Sonas Retirement village eviction controversy.
“We have a resolution. Basically, the landlords have entered into discussion with Sligo County Council that the landlords have now decided that there will be no evictions”.
“I informed the six houses”. “We are waiting for a press release from Sonas”.
Asked if the residents will now be allowed to stay there permanently, Cllr Queenan said “There’ll be no way of leaving their houses, and they won’t be pressurised to get alternative accommodation – but obviously if alternative accommodation comes along – that changes the situation”.
He was then asked if this means that an alternative date has been agreed or that the residents will have to vacate at some stage, to which he replied, “no date has been put on this with the tenants – they will remain there. No one will be asked to leave their house”.
He continued, “the landlord has reflected on the scenario. They were entitled to put the house for sale last November and as the weeks went by there was no alternative accommodation for these people [the current tenants] and after discussions behind the scene with the landlord and Sonas people and Sligo County Council”.
He continued, “there was no alternative accommodation to be found and they agreed to allow the current tenants to stay until other accommodation was to be found but there was no date on it. The reality here is that this is not going to happen overnight because there is no alternative accommodation in the short term or medium term either”.
“To be fair to the Sonas people, it is the former directors of Sonas that own the houses. They’re separate from the nursing home. However, the tenant has rights so we pressed on the landlord with this scenario and I think it’s a very good outcome”.
He acknowledged that it was a stressful time for the residents and said it was a difficult situation to avoid, “the people that owned the houses wanted to sell on and Sligo county council weren’t in a position to buy the houses because of the criteria”.
“It’s as good a resolution as you can get at this time. The tenants should be re-assured that they will not have to leave their property”.
Cllr Queenan understands that Sonas will be releasing a statement in due course, but a timeline for when this will happen is unknown.
“I’ve seen nothing in writing yet but I’m assured that it will come in writing from Sonas”, said Cllr Queenan.
The residents have been informed by Cllr Queenan as he called to their houses with this update but have not received any official update in writing from Sonas or indeed Cllr Queenan.
One resident was away when Cllr Queenan made these house calls, as she told the Sligo Weekender she was totally unaware of this until she had been informed by the media.
“I haven’t heard – and I wonder if it’s just a number of people who are on HAP or social welfare”, she said.
She details how she had not heard any correspondence on this issue since last year, even from solicitors.
“I haven’t heard anything at all to say we’re staying”, she said.
Another resident said she was informed by Cllr Queenan, but that she was “a bit weary about it until we get confirmation we’re staying from the owners so hopefully that will happen”.
She said Cllr Queenan had told her when visiting her house that “the owners are letting them stay there until after June” and when asked how this was achieved, he told her it was a “gentleman’s agreement” and gave her a smile.
This resident said she would not be happy if the line was given to them that they can stay but only until they find ‘alternative accommodation’ as she said,“how on earth could that happen? My husband is in emergency respite right now because I fell and broke my arm and I am his full time carer”.
“We’ve had so much on our mind because of this. We were supposed to be out on the 5th of June, my husband will be 89 years old on the 17th of June! He can’t walk and he has dementia, how on earth would we find alternative accommodation – I am 84 years old myself”.
She said she really hopes to get official confirmation in writing soon around this recent update.
She said that they will not find alternative accommodation and would have to dispute this if it was Sonas’ intention to propose this, as she said her husband needs specific physical requirements with his condition.
“It would be impossible for us to get accommodation to suit him”, she believes.
This resident echoed the thoughts of the other resident interviewed, as she said that she also has not received much correspondence over the issue. She details that she tried to contact the names that were listed on her eviction notice but she did not get much satisfaction.
“Each time a different person would say it’s not down to them it was someone else, and a committee would be meeting in a couple of weeks over it. I would then ring back in a couple of weeks and they would say that the meeting didn’t take place. This went on for months. One particular person stopped taking the calls and said he was working from home and couldn’t take my calls from home – so I just stopped ringing then”.
She said that through media attention, local councillors and TDs were in touch with her with concern but she had not seen action.
“I’m fighting until something will be printed – they’re keeping us waiting”.
She said the period waiting for an update and not knowing if the eviction would be happening was “dreadful and coming up to Christmas too”, as they were first informed in November 2025.
These residents are now awaiting official confirmation in writing from Sonas over this issue.
