25/05/2025
The senior council executive who controversially called for a boycott of holiday homes owns three houses – collectively worth €1m, Extra.ie can reveal.
Aside from a substantial rural home in Corrandulla, Co. Galway, Mayo County Council director of services Tom Gilligan and his wife, Josephine, also own two rental properties in the Headford Road area of Galway city.
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Mr Gilligan’s proposal to boycott holiday home owners to free up housing caused consternation when it emerged earlier this week.
Pic: File
Mayo County Council director of services Tom Gilligan. Pic: File
The suggestion, emailed to members of Mayo County Council’s housing committee on Sunday night, drew widespread criticism when it was reported.
On Wednesday, Mr Gilligan doubled down and defended his idea, saying it was about ‘demanding accountability’ from holiday home owners.
He told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland: ‘It is about trying to get these underutilised, vacant, empty homes back into use.
‘We are in the middle of a housing crisis. It’s very important that we look at all options, nothing is off the table.’
But following a backlash from holiday home owners and many other stakeholders, including Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Mr Gilligan capitulated and issued an apology on Thursday.
Pic: File
Pic: File
‘I sincerely apologise for any concern or distress,’ he said.
Property registration records confirm Mr Gilligan’s 282 square metre family home, north of Galway city, off the road to Tuam, has four ensuite bedrooms, with potential for a fifth.
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The standalone, two-story dwelling had recently been listed for sale with an asking price of €435,000.
Mr Gilligan also owns two rental homes, both in Galway’s Tirellan Heights estate, each of which are estimated to be worth more than €300,000.
Both are listed with the Residential Tenancies Board as three-bedroom properties that are being rented to tenants.
Pic: File
Pic: Google Earth
At current market rates, the Tirellan Heights properties could fetch as much as €2,500 each a month, providing Mr Gilligan and his wife with €5,000 monthly income as landlords.
According to property registration files, the first Tirellan Heights property was originally owned by Mr Gilligan’s wife since 1995, before it was transferred into their joint names in March 2022.
The second nearby Tirellan Heights property, owned jointly by the couple, was purchased in 2003 with an IIB mortgage. That loan was transferred to Pepper Finance in 2022 before being settled in 2023.
The couple’s family home, a 20-minute drive from Galway city, was purchased in 2008. In 2013, an Irish Life & Permanent mortgage ‘stamped to cover €360,000’ was registered against the property; that loan is still outstanding.
Contacted by Extra.ie this week, Mr Gilligan confirmed his three Galway properties were the only ones he owned: ‘Yes, that’s correct, and I can confirm they have never been used for short-term letting/holiday accommodation.’
Read full article here... https://extra.ie/2025/05/25/news/irish-news/holiday-home-boycott
