Film to shine a light on Limerick's homelessness crisis

YOUNG girls, malnourished, and covered in sores - a result of taking crack cocaine.

Homeless people - men and women - squatting in derelict houses “selling themselves” for sex at just €10 a time in a desperate need to feed their drug habit.

Just two harrowing examples of the homelessness crisis locally which is being laid bare by a team of creatives who have got together in the hope their work will lead to real, lasting change.

Caherdavin-born filmmaker Mike Deedigan, his cousin Conor Deedigan, and homelessness campaigner Brian Hayes have linked up to put together a documentary shining a light on the spiralling housing crisis across Limerick.

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The idea of the film was borne out of Limerick's cold snap at the start of 2025 when the mercury plunged well below freezing.

Taking up the story Brian, who grew up in Prospect, recalled it was minus six degrees when he received a call.

“I got a message off a lady to say there was a guy looking for boiling water for his hot water bottle. He was staying out in the tent in the cold, afraid to go to a hostel because of the drugs. He was choosing to stay in a wooded area outside the city. I went to his tent to ask why he was not staying in a hostel. It was basically because he was afraid,” Brian explained.

He convinced this man to check into a hotel and it was based on this experience that he decided to bring Limerick's homeless crisis to a wider audience in the hope that decision makers would sit up and take notice.

The father-of-three, 35, put an appeal out on social media, and was surprised by the response he received, with many people coming forward to offer support.

But one man stood out - Mike Deedigan, who has worked on major productions for HBO and Netflix, who offered to work pro-bono to help turn the documentary idea into a reality.

“He messaged me on TikTok and Facebook with a lowdown on who he was. I could not believe it! I thought it was fake news! It felt as good as RTE ringing me,” Brian recalled.

Mike added he had been following Brian on social media and seeing his advocacy for a while.

“Seeing Brian's post, I think, being in the position I am in, I could do something with this. My cousin Conor Deedigan, who is a massive homelessness activist said he would come on board too,” Mike said.

Prior to moving into the film industry, Mike had a full time job selling luxury real estate.

“There is a synergy about it in a certain way,” he smiles. “From one end of the scale to the other. I got sick of sales, it ran its course for me.”

Many people dismiss those on the streets with the disparaging label of a 'junkie'.

The reality is, not everyone on the street is hooked on illegal substances. And those who are, often are eager to climb their way out of this vicious cycle, and all the hostility, danger and judgement which comes with it.

It is this which Brian, Conor and Mike want to get across in the film. Getting to know the person who has fallen on impossibly tough times.

Key to supporting people on the street coming off drugs, Brian feels, is the establishment of a “safe zone” homeless shelter.
A drug-free hostel of 40 to 60 beds which does not kick its occupants out at 9am - somewhere they can build as normal a life as possible, with common areas.

Considering the trio have only been working together for a month, the progress they've made is incredible.

More people are due to come on board with the documentary effort in the coming weeks.

“I've never bust a gut so much not getting paid, in my entire life,” laughs Mike.

Through their research, they have found the homelessness crisis is not confined to Limerick city centre.

“We've spent a lot of time meeting people impacted by homelessness and spent 30 to 45 minutes driving to their areas.

“We've been in Oola recently meeting a young girl who is in a very tough situation,” said Mike.

It's a difficult balance for the documentary team to strike: they don't want to depict Limerick in a bad light, but it is important to show the problem that is there to shock people into bringing about change.

“We are not going to shy away from the tough subjects. We are definitely going to face into them,” said Mike.

“There are so many great institutions in Limerick, and people, pro-bono, do so much great work in the community. We want to highlight these things,” he continued.

The idea of the documentary is to understand at a deeper level why there is such a high level of homelessness and what the solutions can be.

“Could we then put in place a structure throughout Ireland, not just Limerick, to rectify this problem,” Mike asked.

Ending on a positive note, Brian feels the size of Limerick can help with tackling the homelessness crisis.

“We are such a small city,” he points out.

“It is easy to contain. It's difficult in Dublin at the moment, as it's so big. But Limerick, you can walk through it in 10 minutes. The majority in the city is good,” he concluded.

A teaser video will be released in the coming weeks, in the hope of securing broadcasters and alternative channels to share the message nationwide and further afield.