A fundraiser has been launched for Catherine, 65, and Tom, 75, as they currently live in constant fear of their home being repossessed after an accident left the couple without a steady income
Catherine Barrett, 65(Image: RedFM)
An elderly Cork couple are currently in a desperate fight to keep a roof over their heads as they struggle each day with illness, debt, and fear.
Catherine Barrett, 65, a former alterations business owner, says her life changed in an instant in 2017 after a devastating accident left her with a broken back in two places. Unable to work again, she and her husband, Tom, 75, soon found themselves spiralling into financial difficulty as mortgage repayments became impossible to keep up with.
Despite their situation, the couple say they were open with their bank from the outset and entered a Personal Insolvency Process, agreeing on a structured repayment plan for their €120,000 debt.
Under the court arrangement, €30,000 of the debt was deferred while €90,000 was restructured into monthly repayments of €832. Catherine says she has never missed a payment since, but behind the figures lies a far more brutal reality.
“There were times I went two or three days without eating,” Catherine admits. “I just made sure Tom and the dog had something. I couldn’t bear them going without.”
The couple now survive on around €600 a week, which includes Tom’s small €100 pension, while still trying to meet their mortgage obligations. The deferred €30,000 portion of the debt also looms over them and must be addressed within five years.
Their home, which is valued at approximately €320,000, is largely paid down, with the outstanding debt reduced to around €46,000. Yet despite this, Catherine says they are now living under the constant shadow of possible repossession.
“We’ve been living behind four walls with this secret,” she told the Neil Prendeville Show on Cork’s RedFM. “Every morning I wake up with the weight of it.”
The emotional toll has been compounded by serious health issues. Catherine recently suffered a pancreatic blockage on St Stephen’s Day, followed by complications in her bile duct just months later. Tom, meanwhile, remains on a modest pension, and the couple say neither is physically able to return to work.
Catherine has even taken out life insurance in a bid to protect Tom financially if she dies first. However, she was unable to secure cover for him, leaving her fearful of what might happen if she is left alone.
“All Tom wants is to hold the deeds of our house in his hands before he dies. He just doesn’t want the bank taking our home,” she said.
Originally mortgaged with First Active before being transferred to Bank of Ireland, the couple say they are not refusing to pay, but simply cannot see a way out.
For now, Catherine continues to fight on, through illness, hunger and fear, hoping that after a lifetime of work, their final years will not be spent losing the home they sacrificed everything to keep.
You can check out the fundraiser for the couple by clicking here.
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