In this episode of Housing Insights, host Roslyn Molloy explores the growing potential of Community-Led Housing (CLH) in Ireland. She is joined by Hugh Brennan, founder and CEO of Ó Cualann Co-Housing Alliance, an organization committed to building communities, not just houses.

Hugh shares his background in construction and humanitarian work, which led him to focus on Ireland's affordability crisis. He explains that CLH is an umbrella term for models like cooperatives, co-housing, and community land trusts, characterized by collective decision-making and shared control. Drawing on Ó Cualann’s first development in Ballymun, Hugh discusses the goal of achieving affordability in perpetuity, a major challenge in Ireland due to banks' historical reluctance to finance schemes with restrictions on onward sales linked to wage inflation. He emphasizes that while the majority of Irish people may be individualistic, there is a 20% segment of the population interested in CLH, including Irish-speaking, LGBT, older people, and self-sufficiency groups.

The conversation highlights key barriers, lack of a central CLH Hub for support, access to land, and specialized finance and points to European examples and existing state schemes like STAR (Secure Tenancy Affordable Rental) as potential pathways forward. Ultimately, Hugh’s message is that CLH is a safe investment, essential for tackling the worldwide "financialization of housing," and must be supported by the state to deliver social and affordable homes outside of the private market.

Links and Resources

Guest Contact (Ó Cualann Co-Housing Alliance):

Hugh Brennan: hugh@ocualann.ie

General Info: info@ocualann.ie

Introducing Community-led Housing: Introducing Community-led Housing

Community-led housing as Affordable Housing: Community-Led Housing as Affordable Housing

Community-led Housing for Age Friendly Living: Community-led Housing for Age Friendly Living

State Support for Community-led Housing: State Support for Community-Led Housing

Housing Agency News and events page: Community-Led Housing Webinar Series | The Housing Agency

Self Organised Architecture roadmapping reports: Roadmapping a Viable Community-Led Housing Sector for Ireland

Darinke Czischke’s book Together Towards Collaborative Living: Together: Towards Collaborative Living | TU Delft OPEN Books