Brendan Courtney bought Wicklow home to be close to sister recovering from brain and lung cancer

The TV and radio presenter is preparing to leave Dublin city centre for stunning sea views in Wicklow, and will be living beside his sister Deborah, whom he is very close with

Brendan Courtney is moving to Wicklow to be closer to family as his sister Deborah recovers from brain and lung cancer.

The TV favourite is in the process of renovating his and partner Adam’s new home in the Garden County, and is preparing to leave their apartment located in Dublin city.

It’s a proud moment for Brendan, who at one point found himself homeless following a bad break up – an experience which he describes as “terrifying”.

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He told RSVP Live: “I was actually homeless for a while when I lived in London. I broke up with somebody and we didn’t own a house.

“I stormed out, as you do in your 30s, and I had to go to a hotel. I stayed in the hotel until my credit card maxed then had to beg a friend to let me move in.

“I was homeless and it was terrifying. I didn’t use the word, but I experienced that fear. I always had a backup plan that I could come home to my mother, but I had that fear.”

Brendan is swapping Dublin for Wicklow and decided to make the move from city living to the seaside following moments in life such as his dad’s death and his milestone 50th birthday.

His sister Deborah was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer in 2017, the same year his dad passed away, which also gave him food for thought.

He explained: “I’m a Dub through and through, but I had a big birthday quite recently and I just thought, ‘I can’t grow old here’.

“It’s an apartment, it’s wonderful, I love it and I’m very lucky, but I thought, ‘Let’s try to future proof my existence in some way’. I didn’t have a pension or anything, I’m freelance so never planned any of that stuff.

“The year my dad died, my sister got lung and brain cancer. She was very, very sick and had two small children. She is recovering well, and I bought the house next door to her. I’m moving to be close to my family.

“I spend Christmas there every year, I’ve been up and down for over 20 years so I know [the area] well.”

Fashion designer Brendan is loving the creative side of renovating his new home but the cost of breathing new life into it has come as a surprise.

He told us: “It’s been an amazing challenge. I’ve loved every second of it, I haven’t found it stressful at all. We’re nearly there.

“I call it my tiny house renovation. It’s a small house, but it has cost so much more than I planned to renovate. It is so expensive.

“For full disclosure, the house to buy was €295,000 – very affordable because it’s a small house in Wicklow. But I would say the renovations have cost the same. It’s eye-watering.”

Brendan sold an apartment he bought in London 20 years ago, following his brief period of homelessness, to offset the cost of buying his new home.

“I was living in my friends attic in London after that break up and while I was there I passed this new build of apartments. I stood there every morning and visualised myself moving into one,” he said.

“Six months later, I don’t know how because I had no money, I had the keys to that apartment. It really worked. I went in and kissed every wall.”

As the years went by and Brendan moved home to Dublin, the cost of upkeeping his flat in London proved challenging.

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Brendan Courtney gives tour of ‘tiny house’ as he buys 80's Wicklow bungalow

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“I airbnb’d it when I wasn’t there, but then it was €2,500 a month and it was killing me. I was getting upset about it. I persevered and sold it, which meant that my time in London and that homeless period wasn’t a waste of time,” he explained.

“When I got the keys to my home in Wicklow, I realised something came out of those 20 years in London. I had a breakup, I was in and out of work. But that period meant something because I now have a house. It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

Brendan has teamed up with Focus Ireland and Bord Gais Energy to call on people across the country to sign up and take part in this year’s Shine A Light on Friday, 11 October by sleeping out in their homes, gardens or workplaces to raise vital funds to help end family homelessness in Ireland.

The Keys To My Life host took part in the initiative last year and is more than happy to do his bit to raise awareness.

He said: “It’s actually a really smart awareness piece for families going through homelessness because it taps into a slightly younger psyche too. My 15-year-old niece is very aware of homelessness and she and her friends talk about it in school.

“For want of a better word, it’s actually a fun thing to do. We did it last year and talked a lot about families who are homeless. It creates a wonderful awareness.”

Living in Dublin city, Brendan sees the impact of homelessness and the housing crisis in Ireland.

He added: “The numbers are stark. They haven’t improved at all, they’re getting worse. I live in the city centre, last night I treated myself to a cheeseburger and treated two homeless guys nearby to one too and had a good chat with them.

“I live in it, I’m very aware of it and I see it every day. We’re all just a couple of bad decisions away from losing our home.”

Focus Ireland and Bord Gáis Energy are calling on people across the country to sign up and take part in this year’s Shine A Light on Friday, 11 October by sleeping out in their homes, gardens or workplaces to raise vital funds to help end family homelessness in Ireland. Visit shinealight.focusireland.ie for more information.

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