A couple who lost everything in a devastating house fire at their 300-year-old thatch cottage in Co Offaly say they have been left with no option but to return to their native Finland.
The couple could not find affordable rental accommodation locally and will now leave Ireland, while investigations continue into the fire which broke out following a power outage on 6 February.
"I was washing dishes at around 8.15pm and I just noticed there was some orange light reflecting on the windows. I ran outside and the roof was on fire" explained Laura Lindholm.
"We called the fire brigade. We got the kids and dogs out and grabbed a few personal items. That's all we could do. We left with just the clothes we were wearing" she said.
The couple praised the speedy reaction of local fire services who arrived on the scene quickly but because of the power outage, the water pump had no pressure.
"For about 10 or 15 minutes we were staring, just watching as a piece of history fell to the ground. It was the damage limitation to see what we could save of the extension out the back" said Laura's husband Daniel.
For the family, the last few weeks have been difficult, as they access their options.
Not only was their home destroyed but their livelihood too - the Lindholms ran their Spinning Wheel Blooms cut flower and wellbeing business from their house.
"We're getting a fire forensic investigator to find out what started the fire and then see what our options are," explains Daniel.
In the meantime, the family are moving back to Finland.
"I'm from Finland and my parents have offered us their house because of the housing crisis here so we'll return to Finland. Our two children need stability," said Laura.
"When we get stability, we will have a clearer mind to see what we can do here," she added.
"We have to turn off the tap here in terms of cost of living here. Rental accommodation is not in our budget. We owned the house, and we were not paying to live here. We were custodians to the heritage," said Daniel.
The couple are critical of the lack of support from Government for the restoration of thatched cottages and also of the insurance situation.
The couple were only able to get partial home insurance on the 300-year-old thatched cottage.
"Most insurance policies don't even cover fire so they're in that sense absolutely useless. It's very sad to see there's no support there," said Laura.
"What is the Government's stance in protecting the heritage? They're not acting as the guarantor for the insurers and the banks don't want to know you because you can't get insurance," said Daniel.
"We have yet to have a councillor or TD approach us since this happened. You are left on your own, which is really quite sad," said Laura.
In Finland thatched cottages are protected by the Finnish government and cannot be privately owned. For this family buying and restoring this cottage, known locally as the "Spinning Wheel", has been very special.
"We need to put ourselves on a strong platform now so we can rebuild our home. I can't own one of these thatch cottages in Finland, so this is very special," said Laura.
The couple are very grateful for all the support they have received locally and thanked people for their fundraising to help support them.
For now, they will return to Finland with hopes of returning to Ireland someday.
"We have lost around €235,000 and that's our own risk. We are not trying to play victims here, but we want to raise awareness of the fact that heritage will disappear very fast, if nothing is done," said Laura.
"We will leave as soon as possible. We need to get our three dogs to Finland and get all our paperwork in order." she added.
Standing outside what is left of their cottage, the family are still holding onto their dream.
"We hope to return here someday, definitely," said Laura.
