‘I know it was a mistake, but I just want a home to retire in’, says man (70) who built house after planning refusals

In September 2005, the course of Declan Dunlea’s life was altered forever. At the height of the Celtic Tiger, he ran a successful oil and fuel distribution business called Core Fuels. He lived with his family in a beautiful five-bedroom period home overlooking Monkstown Bay in Co Cork, and spent his spare time renovating vintage cars.