Why are buildings cracking-up in Ireland?

In the early 2010s, homeowners in Donegal, Ireland, began noticing that the concrete in their homes was cracking. Hospitals, schools, libraries and petrol stations were also crumbling. The situation has since spread, with buildings throughout Ireland now dealing with the same issue in what has come to be known as the ‘mica crisis’. The Irish parliament was told by one politician in June that the cost to the country will be ‘on a scale with the bailing out of the banks and the bondholders’. Pádraig Mac Lochlainn told the Dáil that at least 20,000 homes are affected and that it could cost more than €9 billion (£7.7 billion) to fix – almost three times more than government estimates.

But why are concrete buildings in Ireland cracking, who is responsible and how are building owners dealing with the situation?