Four Co Dublin men were "over the moon" yesterday after they won their 26-year battle to buy their local authority homes.
Celebrating at their homes in Pearse Close, Sallynoggin, after the High Court ruling against Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council allowing them to buy at 1996 prices were three of the men, Thomas McDonald, Hermie Wallace and Gary Sinnott.
Mr McDonald said: "We're over the moon. We took on the might of the corporation as ordinary working-class people and we fought for 26 years. We never gave up hope and persevered."
The four maisonettes are in a corner of a quiet cul-de-sac. Two are on the ground floor and the other two above.
Mr Wallace, speaking in his living room and joined by his two neighbours, said the local authority asked him if he was interested in buying in 1979 and at other times over the years.
"Every time, they asked us if we were interested in buying and we said we were and made out application forms," he said.
"For all these years, we've done the repairs and the council didn't entertain us as applicants for purchase. All four of us have done our own maintenance."
Mr McDonald said in 1985 he was granted planning permission to build an extension of an extra room and it cost £10,000. He said he had no help with payment and it took him a long time to repay it.
Living there for 30 years, he and his wife Clara had brought their family up there, he said. Mr McDonald said in 1979, they were told by the local authority their homes were valued at £6,000 when houses in the area were going for £3,000.
In 1983, he and his neighbour Mr Dunleavy, who preferred yesterday to stay out of the limelight, went and signed a ledger at Dún Laoghaire town hall and they looked upon that as a contract to purchase.
In 1999, the local authority law agents quoted a price of £75,000 to £79,500 for their homes.
Mr Wallace said he had lived there for 40 years and paid rent all that time. He had renovated his home and maintained his garden at his own expense.
Mr Sinnott added that they had put in central heating and double glazing.
An expert valuer in the High Court indicated that with discounts and other grants the purchase price could be around €30,000.