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SEVERAL GARDA CARS and a handful of reporters kept watch in Co Meath as contractors went in and out of a home that is set to be demolished.
And while some drivers stopped at the top of the road to peer down at the gaggle of journalists and gardaí, others turned left and drove down the small lane to try and see the property for themselves.
The lavish home in question is off a local road in Faughan Hill, Bohermeen, close to Navan, and is set to be demolished following a long-running planning dispute.
Those members of the public who drove down the lane and past the property were probably left somewhat disappointed, as it is very difficult to actually view the home, which is secluded behind a high wall and shrubbery.
In any case, the bulk of the work carried out at the property today appeared to be the erection of two CCTV security towers.
One journalist at the scene kept track of the media outlets that had appeared outside the gates and few had not been represented at some stage throughout the day.
“It’s the biggest story in the country at the moment, I suppose, so it’s no surprise,” said another reporter.
Contractors, most of them covering their faces with scarves and snoods, filed in and out of the property ahead of an expected demolition.
ESB crews also arrived and enquired with gardaí if they too should be wearing a face covering.
ESB vans entering property in Co Meath where a demolition is underway at a house at the centre of a long-running planning dispute. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/nbc3aIHEXG
— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) March 19, 2026
“There’s an arrest warrant out for me and my husband at the moment, we’re on the run,” Rose told local radio station LMFM today.
She has already made appearances on RTÉ and Newstalk in relation to the dispute.
“We’re like two convicted criminals, and I’m going to be arrested for sleeping in my bed for the last 20 years.
“Is there any rational person in the country that can justify that?
“I can’t get on a plane because I’m going to be arrested and sent off to Mountjoy, for sleeping in my own house.”
She added: “We did wrong 20 years ago – we’ve held our hands up and said we did wrong, we were trying to rectify the situation for years but no one would listen to us, no one will negotiate with us.”
At one point during the LMFM interview, she said she was ready to put this nearly 20-year saga to an end and “move on to the next chapter in life”.
But at another point, she said she will “hang on until the bitter end and fight for it”.
She also offered the property to charity and remarked: “With the housing crisis going on, it’s a shame to knock a house that could home people in need in this day and age.”
Rose said that at the moment her family is “on the side of the street”.
“They offered us Bed and Breakfast accommodation, to move in with all the refugees they’re bringing into the country,” said Murray.
“So at the moment, we’re homeless. Irish citizens, paying taxes all our life in our own country, we’re homeless.
“We’re the wrong nationality. If we were foreigners, we’d have more rights at the moment. It’s a disgrace what’s going on.”
She added that the “parish came out yesterday to support us and I want to thank them”.
“They took out all our possessions for us,” said Murray. “They were going to leave us standing on the street with only the shirts on our back.”
One neighbour told The Journal that people “came from all over” to help take their possessions from the home.
“There was every trade helping them get everything they owned out of the house,” said the neighbour.
“I have a friend who had to go in and sort out Rose’s stuff and she said it was just terrible.
“A little girl was in the house crying while this was happening, it really is so sad to see it.”
She said the family “deserve” this support and added that there was a “peaceful protest” outside the property last night.
“They’re a good family and everyone thinks it’s disgrace the way they’ve been treated.
“I know what they did, everyone knows what they did, but there was some conclusion they could have come to instead of this, it’s terrible to see this happening.”
She added: “They’re involved in everything in the community and they’re very generous with fundraising and anything going on.”
Rose Murray said she and her husband are “on the run” and their neighbour told The Journal that she “wouldn’t blame them if they don’t return to live here”.
“I wouldn’t like to pass the house and know it was gone,” she added.
“But I hope they do stay around, because everyone is behind them 100%.”
Looking towards the property, concealed from view by a high wall and shrubbery, she added: “You can see yourself the beautiful home they’ve made – I’ve been in it and it’s gorgeous.
“It’s a sad day and I think everyone in the community feels the same.”
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