Cork brothers turning a two-story apartment into a custom AirBnB option

Three brothers who raised more than 30,000 euros for Pieta House after their father died by suicide during the confinement have channeled their pain into action and are turning an old double-decker bus into an AirBnB.

Paddy McCarthy of Ballinadee, Co Cork died on May 1. His son Thomas said there were no warning signs leading to the suicide of his beloved father, who was only 59 years old.

Thomas had to travel 23 hours and three return flights from Canada to be with his mother and siblings in Kinsale for the funeral mass.

He and his sisters Rachel and Anna have bought an old double-decker bus that they are renovating. They hope to have it ready for next spring.

The easy part

Thomas said the brothers wanted to do something different to keep them busy during the lockdown.

Gutting him was the easy part. Now they are trying to figure out how to insulate the bus before equipping it with a bathroom and kitchen.

Thomas says the bus will be located at the family farm in Ballinadee.

He insists that his late father would be delighted with the business aspect of the project, although a bit taken aback by everything they have done in recent months.

“Give a farm to young people and what is the first thing they do? Put a bar in the shed, ”he said.

I think we will mainly rent the bus to the people of the city. We hope people have some parties and have fun.

Thomas says his father loved life and his suicide came as a shock to the family and the broader farming community.

“It’s such an isolated job anyway. They (farmers) can have the market once a week or some social event once a week. Now that they don’t have that, it could make them feel even more alone.

It is important that you go and talk to someone.

“The ones who don’t speak or speak are the ones who do it (suicide). You think ‘how could I have not seen it? How could I have not done anything?’ But for sure there is no way you would know. “

TikTok project

The brothers bought the bus for € 2,500. They are documenting their renovation work on TikTok. His first video garnered more than 1.6 million views.

Your hope is to have the downstairs kitchen with an oven, grill microwave, and sink in place. There will also be a dining room, a bathroom and two bedrooms. The project budget is around € 6,000. Updates can be followed on his Instagram page.

• Farmers affected by mental health problems are asked to contact the Mind our Farm Families hotline at 1890 130 022.

• The IFA member hotline will put farmers and their families in direct contact with a Pieta House trained therapist.