Munster Express Online

Cruise ship windfall for Waterford

Kieran Walsh — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 13:55:47 +0000

Waterford is set to welcome more than 1,500 cruise ship passengers during September, completing the summer cruise ship call programme, which saw over 8,000 international visitors arrive to our shores.
The September programme begins with Wind Surf docking in Dunmore East, carrying 386 passengers, on Monday next, September 11th and concludes with Nautica arriving to Belview Port on September 19th with 824 on board.
According to David McCoy, Chair of Visit Waterford Marketing Group: “It’s great to see Waterford is a key destination for international visitors travelling on leisure cruises. The city has always provided a warm welcome to visitors from all around the world. Visit Waterford Marketing Group, through Waterford Chamber, will be issuing posters to retailers and businesses throughout the city to welcome passengers.”
Cruise travel provides the city with a welcome addition in footfall. “While we are very aware that not all passengers disembark on a port call, we have seen a marked increase in footfall. The port calls often generate repeat business, as visitors return on long stay vacations touring Waterford and its surrounding counties.”
Pacific Princess docked at Belview Port on August 14th at 10.45am with 680 passengers and 375 crew on board. The visitors were welcomed to Waterford by Lauren Traynor, Executive Project Director, Waterford Viking Triangle and Mary Allen, House of Waterford Crystal, who boarded the ship with City Guide Maps and brochures promoting the city and county attractions, shops and hospitality businesses.
Many visitors required information around practical services available in Waterford City such as pharmacies, hairdressers etc., while others wanted to know the best Irish Pub Experience to enjoy a pint of Guinness, an Irish Coffee or a gift from Ireland, setting off exploring the city on their own. The positive impact on the city speaks for itself.”
Visit Waterford Marketing Group is a representative body that will promote Waterford city and county to the domestic and international tourism markets and influence the long-term strategic development of Tourism in Waterford City and County.
The aim of the group is that Waterford becomes the number one premium tourism destination in the South East and Ireland by marketing and promoting the city and county to the domestic and international markets.
For more information contact Waterford Chamber on 051-872639 or see www.visitwaterford.ie

Daytripper proves a Gasworks blast

Kieran Walsh — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 13:53:19 +0000

The Propeller Palms sporting the Deise colours at Daytripper 2017

The new Gasworks venue proved an overwhelming success at the Daytripper festival held by the Waterside on August 25th and 27th, with over 4,500 punters in attendance over the two nights.
Headline act UB40 proved a very big draw on the Saturday night, putting on a 90-minute show which surpassed their previous Daytripper outing on the Bolton Street stage back in 2015.
Lead singer Ali Campbell and the Birmingham-based band worked the crowd really well, rocking the audience with an array of their hits, including ‘Falling In Love’, ‘Cherry Oh Baby’, ‘Kingstown Town’ (demonstrating their reggae and multi cultural roots) and ‘Ivory Madonna’ before rounding off their superb set with ‘Red Red Wine’.
The crowd was rocking throughout the set, and UB40 brilliantly stoked up the crowd on a great, feel good night on The Waterside, with young and old dancing in the car park.
With a brilliant brass section accompanying their instrumental numbers, UB40, who play the 3 Arena in November, kicked off the night with ‘One in Ten’, an early 80s hit which focused on the recession and unemployment crisis in Britain at the time, a song which has lost none of its power and has in fact retained its relevance in this Brexit environment.
The two tone reggae sound which brought UB40 to international prominence sounds as fresh today as it did three decades ago, and it was great to see Ali Campbell, Astro and Mickey Virtue gigging in Waterford, some 32 years on from their first gig here at the Bridge Hotel. And if you didn’t make it on the night, you really missed out on a greatest hits extravaganza drenched in nostalgia, which also included ‘Many Rivers To Cross’.
Prior to that, the best sound to emerge from Ringsend, The Blades, another great 80s act, also played a great set, adding to the feeling that this was very much a renaissance night for bands many in the crowd loved back in their youth.
Front man Paul Cleary got better as the set deepened, as the band glided through some of their best known numbers, including ‘Those Were The Days’, ‘The Great Wall of America’ and the near tropical ‘Last Man in Europe’. They’ll play Dublin’s Academy in December and we’d love to see them perform an indoor gig in Waterford in due course. It’s great to see these rockers re-connecting with old fans and a new, younger audience and we look forward to seeing them again.
Prior to The Blades, the dozen-strong Waterford band Propeller Palms played a very entertaining set, and their original tracks went down well with their home audience. They also played a new song in advance of the All-Ireland Hurling Final which the crowd loved, and it’s great to see the band doing well in prominent venues such as Whelans.
On the first night of the festival, the ‘Smash Hits’ crew proved popular with the younger crowd (17 to 25), as did 2FM’s Jenny Greene and Clean Bandit before an audience estimated at just over 2,500-strong.
The new location went down well and represents an improvement on the Bolton Street venue, according to satisfied festival organiser Mick O’Keeffe.
Facilities available on site went down well with gig goers, security was good and John Street proved a welcome nearby addition to the weekend, with the revamped Apple Market entertainment district buzzing on both nights.

Home the Heroes

Dermot Keyes — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 13:19:57 +0000

Derrick McGragh left bare after the defeat against Galway in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final

Derek McGrath lauded praise on his Waterford players in the wake of Sunday’s All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final defeat to Galway at Croke Park, but has remained tight-lipped about his managerial future.
Speaking prior to the group’s homecoming to Waterford on Monday evening (as we were going to press), McGrath said his own future was something he would arrive at in due course. But now, he stressed, was the time for any announcement about his own future.
“I haven’t really put a huge amount of thought into that,” the Deise boss admitted at Croke Park on Sunday evening.
“The lads have invested some time into it, they’ve invested a huge amount of time over the last three to four years. We’ve been on a rollercoaster. They actually just spoke about the now; Kevin (Moran) spoke about the now, Dan (Shanahan) spoke about the now, and we just said in any of the post match analysis that will come in terms of, you know, will they stick together, won’t they, we’ll kinda leave it, there’ll be no speculation about it, we wouldn’t even consider it. We’re just in the now, completely disappointed but yet proud as well. The nucleus of a good team is there going forward but there’s just no guarantees.”
The clamour for the retention of the current management team of Derek McGrath, Dan Shanahan and Eoin Murphy was made loud and clear on local airwaves on Monday morning,. with ex-Deise player and former Under-21 boss Shane Ahearme among those leading such calls. County Board Chairman Paddy Joe Ryan also expressed his hope that on WLR that McGrath and his colleagues might commit to another season or more at the helm.
Meanwhile, corner-back Noel Connors sounded an uplifting note, which will delight and enthuse the thousands who travelled to Croke Park, along with those who tuned in all around the city, county and beyond.
“We’ll step back, have a look at it and see what we need to develop in the coming weeks and months. But I suppose, fundamentally, we have to develop, we have to move on, we have to try and change a few things here and there but our aspiration won’t be any different in 2018: to lift Liam MacCarthy.”
See full edition, Sport 1-19 for more

Waterford Walls Wraps Up

Michelle Clancy — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 12:09:21 +0000

Waterford Walls have just wrapped up on their third annual festival in Waterford City. This year they brought 40 national and international artists to three hub areas, namely O’Connell Street, New Street Gardens and the recently opened Waterford Greenway.
This year’s entire festival programme was free to festival goers. Waterford Walls hosted a range of activities for the whole family including art jams, dance jams, guided are trails, live music, and an art exhibition in their HQ.
The festival also hosted an expert panel talk on Creativity and Innovation on Saturday August 19th, at 6.30pm in the Yard.
Their expert panel included Tomm Moore, founder of Cartoon Saloon, renowned visual artist Joe Caslin and festival founder, Edel Tobin.
The festival also offered a host of free workshops for children as part of the festival, including break dancing, bring your own clothes printing, spray painting, stencilling and graffiti.
This year’s festival grew not just in size but in calibre. The artists involved in this year’s festival were some of street arts most recognizable names including Fintan Magee, Sonny, Ador, James Earley, Joe Caslin and Animalito Land.
The festival also grew itself beyond the art, creating two hub areas, including the brand new Yard on O’Connell Street with live music, a bar, fresh food and great atmosphere.
This year’s festival really showed that Waterford can compete with cities all over the world on the street art and festival front.
If you’re interested in joining Waterford Walls on a guided art trail with one of their trained guides contact waterfordwalls@gmail.com.
And most importantly don’t forget to mark your calendar for Waterford Walls 2018, which will run from August 17th to 26th.
* If you would like to tour the open air gallery left after the festival you can find the trail map in their programme, available on their website www.waterfordwalls.ie. They’re also still available around Waterford city and county, and nationally in shops, bars and tourist information destinations.

‘Up The Deise’ from The Golden Gate

Michelle Clancy — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 11:53:09 +0000

A group of Waterford ex-pats gather underneath the mist-shrouded Golden Gate Bridge to show their support for the Deise!

by Justine Dwyer
No one could accuse Christopher Lane of being a fair-weather supporter of the Waterford hurling team!
As soon as Waterford reached the All-Ireland Final a few weeks ago, Christy, as he is known to his friends, from Glenville on the Dunmore Road , booked his flight home from San Francisco where he has lived for the past 24 years.
“It was a beautiful moment, I thought I was seeing things when I looked at the scoreboard and saw 4-19 to Cork’s 20 points,” Christy says, laughing.
This will be a flying visit back to his hometown, just four days, enough time to see his mother Vera, catch up with friends but most importantly get to the match in Croke Park.
And this isn’t the first time, he’s dropped everything. Christy who works as an electrician in San Francisco came home for the All-Ireland Final between Waterford and Kilkenny back in 2008 with his two-year-old son, Declan.
“That was a tough one. But look, we got over it. There’s a bunch of us over here who have supported the lads through thick and thin. We’ve had good years and bad years but this is definitely a good year.”
A large group of ex-pats, all friends of Christy’s met near the Golden Gate bridge at the weekend, complete with specially made signs, banners, flags and bunting, to put on record their support for the team.
“All of us are coming home for the game. There was no question about it. Most of us can only manage a couple of days but we’re all coming.” And although none of them have tickets yet they remain optimistic.
“I’m working on it,” says Christy. “Put it this way, if I have to dress up as a referee to get into Croke Park I will! Not getting in, doesn’t even come into the equation. Determination is the name of the game.”
Meanwhile, Christy admits that he had undergo “brutal negotiations” with his wife Beth to get the green light to come home. “I got the free pass by promising to bring back Tayto and new Waterford jerseys for the kids!”

Decade long campaign at St Patrick’s nears

Michelle Clancy — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 11:40:14 +0000

Mayor Sean Reinhardt congratulating Davy Walsh for all their years of campaigning at St. Patrick's Hospital

Construction of new unit to commence next month
by Justine Dwyer

After almost a decade of protests, the impasse between picketers and the HSE regarding the future of Saint Patrick’s Hospital is over following the news that work on the new hospital is to commence by mid-September.
The Matron of St Patrick’s Hospital informed the picket last week that a contract had been signed with JJ Rhatigan construction, with the project scheduled to run for 70 weeks.
Work is due to commence on September 15th and as the entrance on John’s Hill will be exclusively used by the building contractor, a new entrance will be constructed on the Inner Ring Road.
Protestors welcomed the news and said they were delighted that after nine and a half years of a hard fought campaign, the issue had been brought to a successful conclusion. However they remained cautiously optimistic about the project and said they wouldn’t believe it was happening until they saw contractors on site.
It’s been a long road for the action group who have stood outside St Patrick’s Hospital every Tuesday for nearly a decade campaigning for a community nursing unit.
Their journey began in 2008 when the 19-bed St Brigid’s Ward was closed by the HSE following a report by HIQA which cited concerns about health and fire safety.
The Government promised a 100-bed unit but then reneged on their promise leaving the action group to carry on their fight. Their campaign has finally borne fruit with the news of the €19 million, 100-bed unit coming on stream in two stages.
Speaking to The Munster Express this week, former city councillor and group spokesperson, Davy Walsh said he “was over the moon.”
“It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears. There was a core group of us who never missed a picket day in the nine and a half years. We turned up every Tuesday, hail rain or shine Some fellas wouldn’t even take holidays because they didn’t want to miss a picket,” said Davy.
He paid tribute to the general public of Waterford for their support during the campaign, the Waterford Trades Council for what he described as their unflinching support and the local media for keeping the campaign to the forefront.
Davy also paid tribute to the support the protestors received from the late Tom Clydie Power, his daughter-in-law Evelyn, nephew Christy Walsh, as well as Ned Hartley, Michael Foley, John Breen, Sean Brett, Noel O’Connor “and each and every member of the committee who gave unstintingly of their time in all weathers. We also wish to thank the staff at St Patrick’s for the care, attention and love that they give to the patients.”
Meanwhile, Metropolitan Mayor Sean Reinhardt said he was delighted with the news. “Those men have been there since 2008 and they never once waivered. Everyone in Waterford holds St Patrick’s in such high esteem and it has served the city, county and beyond well.”
Cllr Reinhardt said the core group of 25 men turned up every Tuesday for nearly 10 years to picket. “Without their persistence and people power we probably wouldn’t have gotten a result. But they stuck it out till the bitter end. It is a great reflection on them and on the people of Waterford for supporting them.”
The picket will cease when building work commences.

Better times ahead, predicts IDA’s new Regional Manager

Kieran Walsh — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 11:35:47 +0000

Brendan McDonald, the IDA's new regional manager for the South East

Waterford can look forward to some new emerging positive signs from the IDA, according to new IDA South East Manager, Brendan McDonald.
A new factory tailored for the pharmaceutical sector in Waterford is currently about to be presented to the architects and planners.
Site selection is underway with a second factory to be located in Butlerstown, close to the new OPKO Health building of approximately 25,000 square feet and will be suitable for the pharma, med tech and or engineering sectors. Plans are being submitted currently for this new build and could accommodate a workforce of 150 plus jobs.
Meanwhile, OPKA Health is committed to delivering 200 highly skilled jobs in total over the course of the next five years in their IDA-build premises, according to their plans .
The West Pharma building is near completion at Carrickphierish, where they are currently running a validation of line production which is proceeding as planned before full production is established, said Mr McDonald.
While he could not confirm if the Taoiseach will be in Waterford for the West opening, Mr McDonald confirmed Leo Varadkar will be invited, as he did when Bausch + Lomb recently opened their high performance unit, which will lead to 125 new jobs.
Efforts are also underway to attract financial service firms who may want to relocate extra activities from London in the wake of Brexit.
The opportunity the IDA hopes to exploit, Mr McDonald said, may lie in assuming back office activities for businesses which are already at maximum capacity in Dublin.
It should be kept in mind however that other large urban centres across Ireland will also be looking to attract such business, with Maritana Gate and other nearby buildings being considered.
New Grade A offices on the North Quays would be welcome also and the IDA have already confirmed that they would be happy to meet with the promoters Al Hokair, whom Mr McDonald expects to meet with them shortly. IT and financial services jobs are in the offing here but to secure them will require the availability of more substantial Grade A office buildings near Waterford city centre.
Mr McDonald said they were still not sure of the time scale here in terms of planning and development before they could promote it themselves also as an office location.
Another possibility in terms of office space is the Ferrybank Centre, which currently houses Kilkenny County Council offices and the local library is currently. That location is also of interest and a meeting has already been held with Kilkenny County Council in relation to the still largely empty shopping centre.
A decision on proposed changes to seven units at the Ferrybank Shopping Centre is due to be made by An Bord Pleanála on November 27th.
The applicant, Deerland Constriction Ltd, wishes to make a series of changes to the centre, including the “relocation, reconfiguration and enlargement of fire escape staircases, installation of additional lifts and fire escape corridors, reduction in size of permitted retail warehouse, gym, offices and retail units, part infill of mall voids, installation of travelators instead of escalators, re-arrangement of (the) food court to create restaurant units (and the) rearrangement of car parks resulting in a total number of car parking spaces of 1,079 spaces and the creation of two food kiosks on level one”.
Regarding external changes, the applicant wishes to re-arrange elements of the existing window, material and door layout of the building, adding that “overall, there is no change to the size, shape or character of the permitted Ferrybank District Centre”.
Deerland wish to change seven units in the centre to offices, which account for a total of 1,403 square metres (15,101 square feet). The sole appellants in this instance are Dunnes Stores.
Mr McDonald also believes there is a Brexit opportunity for the South East. The Dublin office market is expensive compared to Waterford.
The IDA nationally is working on this matter and the south east can benefit , where firms already have a Dublin facility and need additional space as the Dublin city centre office market may become over heated in terms of price.
Staff can be attracted to cheaper housing here and a more relaxed lifestyle with less congestion and a good work life balance. Salaries can buy more outside Dublin in terms of housing.
Two companies are expected to visit the south east soon and they will visit Waterford to see its potential.
On a negative note the Financial Regulator is based in Dublin and often firms want to be close to the regulator, but then we are just two hours away from the IFSC and new Central Bank in Docklands with the M9 and M11 with coming New Ross bypass.
Firms would typically look for 10,000 square feet (smaller firms: 5,000 square feet) so more of this level of office space would be required.
Some companies like a lot of space for leisure, landscaping and communal space so needs can vary.
IT is another option and Brendan mentioned Redhat as a possibility, of expansion or having similar operations.
Agora is another in Portlaw and Waterford, where an extra 75 posts have been added bringing the company to almost 120 jobs currently. Others on this sector include RedHat, Bluefin Payment Systems and Routematch.
Having TSSG and these firms helps in their pitching. Waterford IT and Carlow IT can supply the graduates for these firms and with just an hour between the two locations we are well positioned, in Mr McDonald’s view.
The Action Plan for jobs 2015/2019 is underway and the Government is now halfway towards achieving their target of getting 30 to 40 per cent extra IDA jobs into regional locations, so the picture at this juncture is reasonably positive

Mums on a Mission

Michelle Clancy — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 16:10:40 +0000

A group of mothers of children with Type 1 diabetes held their first meeting in Waterford last week – one of many which they hope will help in dealing with this life changing condition.
DIABETES is often in the news given the increasing amounts of people being diagnosed with the condition.
Locally here in Waterford, a campaign has been underway to obtain greater services for diabetics at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) which has been highlighted at length by this newspaper.
However, despite all this attention, the condition of diabetes is still misunderstood by many people – in particular the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is often diagnosed in childhood; is not associated with excess body weight; is often associated with higher than normal ketone levels at diagnosis; is treated with insulin injections or an insulin pump; and cannot be controlled without taking insulin.
Type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed in those aged over 30 (but is increasing amongst children); is often associated with excess body weight; is often associated with high blood pressure and/or cholesterol levels at diagnosis; is usually treated initially without medication or with tablets; and it’s sometimes possible to come off diabetes medication.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May , who is a Type 1 diabetic, has spoken openly about living with diabetes and revealed that she injects herself with insulin up to five times a day to treat her diabetes.
“You just get into a routine. You depend on that insulin and you just build that routine into your daily life. The crucial thing to me is being a diabetic doesn’t stop you from doing anything,” she said in an interview earlier this year.
She has urged fellow diabetics to not allow the condition to hold them back from doing what they want in life.
“Yes, Type 1 diabetes brings a change in one’s life. I have to inject, test my blood sugar and so forth, but it doesn’t mean there are things I can’t do. You just build that into your life,” she said.
If the UK Prime Minister can live with the condition while also engaging in such a busy work schedule, then there’s certainly hope for everybody else with diabetes.
However, for a child, dealing with diabetes can prove a lot more difficult.
Christina Sinnott, whose son Justin has Type 1 diabetes, organised a gathering last week in Waterford for parents of children with Type1 diabetes or any other adults with the condition interested in attending.
Initially, Christina noticed Justin was losing weight and urinating very frequently.
“He was eating more than I was eating during the day but yet he was losing a huge amount of weight,” she explained.
“I knew something was wrong. Diabetes was in my head because of my background in health, exercise and nutrition. I knew the symptoms but I wasn’t definite about it.”
Christina visited her GP with Justin and mentioned the possibility of diabetes.
“I asked if he could have diabetes as he had a lot of the symptoms. She said that if I was that concerned and anxious, I should bring him to hospital at some stage during the week,” said Christina.
Spurred on by a mother’s intuition, Christina brought Justin to UHW the very next morning.
“They were very shocked at how high his blood sugar levels were – and he hadn’t eaten or drank anything within the previous 12 hours as I knew they would have wanted him to have fastened,” she explained.
Despite suspecting that Justin may have diabetes, Christina says it was still a huge shock when he was actually diagnosed.
“I caught it early because of my perseverance,” she said.
“The GP didn’t pick up on it and made out that I was a mother overreacting about the symptoms – that’s the way I felt after the consultation. It’s scary to think that if I wasn’t as proactive as I was he could have went undiagnosed for longer.”
All of a sudden, Christina was immersed into Justin’s new lifestyle.
“I had a little cry but I just had to deal with it,” she said.
“I was in the early stages of pregnancy at the time so I was feeling very ill along with trying to deal with it but my family were great.”
Justin also had to adapt to his new situation as well.
“We tried to explain it as simply as we could,” said Christina.
“We used booklets to explain about the pancreas and that it can’t unlock the sugar and let it into the cells. He got to grips with it but I don’t think he fully understands the long-term severity of it and that if it’s not looked after, it can have significant consequences for his life. I don’t think anybody that’s not involved with diabetes fully understands that.”
Christina says there are still a lot of people in the dark about managing diabetes, particularly parents.
“It’s a minefield when you’re diagnosed at first or if you’re a parent of a child that has been diagnosed. It’s a huge amount to take in,” she said.
“Facebook is actually a great advantage to parents. I found that it has been a huge source of information for me,” she added.
After seeing many questions and concerns raised on Facebook, she organised the get together which took place last week in the People’s Park – which she hopes will be the first of many.
In attendance was Ann-Marie Kelly whose daughter Ella was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 16 months old.
“She’s doing very well thank God. It’s completely different when you compare how we are now with this time last year,” she said.
Ann-Marie says Ella’s diagnosis was a huge shock to the system and a huge lifestyle change.
She had been to three GPs and none of them picked up on Ella’s condition.
“She was one of the youngest that UHW had seen with the condition,” said Ann -Marie.
“An adult can look after themselves. I’m not saying it’s any easier, but they have the mind-set to look after it. Kids just don’t know how.”
She continued: “You never switch off. I don’t want to switch off anyway, but you have no choice. It’s life changing. I’ve tried to get Ella into Montessori but it’s hard to find a space. Many aren’t insured to administer insulin. They don’t want the responsibility. You can’t really blame them, it’s a hard one to call.”
She believes the group and regular meetings will help in dealing with the condition and in terms of gaining additional advice.
“None of us are experts, we’re just trying to get on as best we can and we’re learning the whole time,” she said.
Shelly Finnerty also believes the group will help significantly.
Her son Adam (10) was diagnosed with diabetes last May.
“It’s great to have this get-together to pick up tips from everybody else and for Adam himself to meet the other boys and girls,” she said.
Also in attendance was Dawn Lee whose son Noah (7) was diagnosed with diabetes almost two years ago.
“He was getting up to go to the toilet very often and was really thirsty. I had read something somewhere about diabetes and thirst, and the penny dropped,” explained Dawn.
“Nobody in the family had diabetes, so we had no reason to suspect diabetes.”
Noah took twice daily injections of insulin for 18 months but recently got an insulin pump which he is gradually getting used to.
“He is hypo aware. He knows when he’s low but one of my fears is when he has to take over himself and manage the condition,” said Dawn.
She says he has a fantastic SNA (special needs assistant) at school, but managing the condition is still difficult.
“Noah is getting to age where he wants his own space. But he is after getting used to us being with him so we’re trying to wind back a bit,” she said.
Mena Fitzgerald’s son Theo (8) was diagnosed four years ago.
“He had the usual symptoms – he was thirsty and tired. We brought him to the GP and he was rushed into hospital,” explained Mena.
“There was no family history of diabetes on either side, so it was a massive shock. We didn’t know a lot about it. It was very hard coming home from the hospital. It was almost like bringing a new child home.”
Theo was also diagnosed with coeliac disease, as was Shelly’s son Adam (it’s common that both autoimmune conditions go hand in hand).
Mena has already seen the benefits of interacting with others through the Facebook group.
“I researched myself and found the group. It’s fantastic, I’d be lost without it,” she said.
She also believes meeting up as a group will have many benefits.
“Theo was very excited to meet another diabetic. It shows him he’s not alone,” she said.
Mena highlighted the day to day difficulties for a child living with diabetes.
“We have to check him every night during the night,” she explained.
“He would feel the symptoms during the day but he wouldn’t feel them at night. It’s terrible having to wake him up and trying to get him to drink Lucozade or eat something.”
She says the night checks can be very tiring.
“You wake up in a panic and it’s horrible that you have to think ‘is he still breathing?’. His brothers are great. They’ll say ‘Oh he looks low’ as they’re looking for a snack as well!!”
Even playdates can be difficult, and Mena outlined what was involved with one recent playdate.
“I had to drop him, then go back to do a check and give insulin at lunch. As he’s coeliac he had to have a special lunch. Then it was back at 5pm for his dinner,” she explained.
“His school is great and his SNA is amazing. A lot of kids don’t have that support. We’ve started a new system where he keeps a red card in his pencil case and raises it in class if he feels he needs anything from his bag.”
Liz Murphy, who has been leading the campaign for greater services for diabetics at UHW, was also present at last week’s gathering.
She has had Type 1 diabetes since she was a child but has managed to live a normal life and incorporate her condition into her daily routine.
However, she is passionately campaigning for better supports for diabetics at UHW.
In her attempt to secure a place on a DAFNE carb counting course (which is currently not available at UHW), Liz, who is a public patient for diabetes services, says she is being “passed from pillar to post”.
She has also highlighted the difficulties for people seeking to avail of insulin pumps at UHW.
Similar problems have been encountered by some of those who were in attendance at last week’s gathering.
“I feel like I’m ahead of the hospital, waiting for them to catch up,” said Christina Sinnott.
“They won’t give Justin a pump as they said he’s still in the honeymoon period. But I’m picking up new information through the group,” she said.
“I didn’t know that you didn’t have to wait. I was told you’d have to wait over a year.”
Shelly Finnerty and son Adam do shared care with Crumlin Hospital and UHW.
“Adam attends Crumlin every six months, and UHW every six months,” she explained.
“He’s going on the pump hopefully within the next few months. But at the moment we’re up and down to Dublin for the pump and carb counting.”
She would like to see some more supports available at UHW.
“When the endocrinologist comes to UHW it will hopefully make a big difference and save us going up to Crumlin,” she said.
“Adam was diagnosed as coeliac last December, but still hasn’t been called to see a dietitian so we went privately.”
Mena Fitzgerald also says there is a lack of staffing for diabetes care at UHW.
“They don’t have a dietician. We went to Crumlin two weeks ago for Theo’s first appointment about the insulin pump and they had two doctors, two nurses, a dietician, and a psychiatrist,” she said.
“It was amazing. That level of service isn’t available in Waterford. He got to speak to a psychologist for half an hour which was great. He really got a lot from that. It’s crazy that they can have that service in Dublin but we can’t have it here and that we have to drive two hours to get it.”
She added: “You couldn’t fault the nurses. They’re doing their best, but you are left to your own devices in some ways in terms of deciding numbers and figures, when to give insulin etc. It’s quite a big fear in case you get something wrong.”
Liz Murphy says there is a huge misunderstanding amongst the general public surrounding the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
“Personally I think they should call them different names, as Type 1 is such a different disease,” she said.
“People are not aware of the difference.”
This is something which the others agree with.
“I feel I have to defend myself every time I say Justin is a diabetic,” said Christina.
“People think ‘oh, she must have given him the wrong food.’”
This is something which Shelly has also encountered.
“I often get asked ‘was his diet bad?’ He finds that himself in school. People say ‘you got it because you had too many sweets’,” she explained.
“People say ‘Oh did he love sweets?’ There’s an idea that you’ve done something to cause this,” added Dawn.
Dr Anna Clarke of Diabetes Ireland says the current staffing level at UHW is not sufficient to cater for the amount of diabetics and needs “urgent attention”.
“UHW needs more staffing so that diabetics can be adequately treated and maintain their quality of life,” she said.
“Access to best diabetes care shouldn’t be based on your geographic location.”
She says carb counting courses, for example, are essential for Type 1 diabetics.
Diabetes Ireland continues to raise issues relating to UHW at political level and Dr Clarke says she hopes to see additional recruitment in the near future.

Search & Rescue demo held on weekend

Michelle Clancy — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 11:43:21 +0000

A MAJOR Search and Rescue demonstration will take place in Dunmore East this weekend. The Irish Maritime Search and Rescue Committee (IMSARC) , which meets at Waterford Airport on September 1st, has traditionally organised a Search and Rescue Exercise/Demonstration the day after their annual meeting each year.
Dunmore East was chosen to stage the event which will be held on Saturday, September 2nd.
“All of the agencies will get a chance to show off their wares and capabilities on a big Search and Rescue demonstration,” explained Area Officer with Dunmore East Coastguard Jim Griffin.
On Saturday morning, the fixed wing CASA aircraft from Baldonnel will be travelling back from France and will deploy a life raft six miles South West of the Hook Head.
New iSLDMB (Iridium Self Locating Datum Marker Buoy) technology will be used for the first time ever in Irish waters to track this life raft.
Marine emergency controls in Malin Head, Valentia and Dublin will be tracking the life raft in real time.
They will put out a Mayday call to say that a life raft has been spotted by an aircraft six miles South West of Hook Head.
Agencies will then be deployed to try and locate the life raft.
The Air Corps, Navy, Customs, RNLI boats and both (the new) Rescue 116 and Rescue 117 will all participate and will be monitoring the effectiveness of the new technology.
“They will monitor what data it sends out and how the satellites react. For the assets at sea, that is the key learning exercise for the weekend,” explained Jim Griffin.
When Rescue 116 is deployed from Dublin, they will also bring members of Dublin Fire Brigade who are trained to go to sea to fight fires as well as Search and Rescue.
Jim Griffin explained that it’s hoped to get as many fire brigades as possible trained to this high standard.
He described the event, which will begin at 10am on Saturday morning, as a “learning curve for everyone”.
He explained that there will be a couple of twists to the scenario designed to test all involved as they get to grips with this new technology.
In the afternoon, from around 2pm, the pier in Dunmore will get busier and will play host to different groups including the Irish Water Safety and the RNLI from Dublin who will be offering a free service on all lifejackets and providing demonstrations.
Through the use of a smoke machine, onlookers will then see smoke billowing from a catamaran which will be located alongside the quay wall.
Pagers will go off and emergency services will recreate a rescue scenario which will be as realistic as possible.
The use of defibrillators will also be demonstrated on the quayside and cliff climbs will also take place in the vicinity.
A running commentary will be provided throughout all events with the use of a speaker system.
Towards the end of the day, all involved will congregate and do a winching exercise which will be followed by a parade of sail.
“Up to last year, the emphasis was solely on a demo for the public,” explained Jim Griffin.
“But it was decided that such an event could also be used for training and the development of a live incident.”
In recent years, a similar demo took place during the popular Tramore Promenade Festival and proved a big attraction, as did the smaller demo which took place during the Food Festival in Dunmore East.
Jim says there is renewed interest in the work that’s being carried out by the emergency services and Search and Rescue crews following the Rescue 116 tragedy in Mayo.
The public will get to see the new Rescue 116 at the event this weekend.
It’s expected that around 200 personnel will participate, meaning the event will bring a welcome economic boost to Dunmore East.
Jim Griffin thanked his Coastguard team and neighbouring teams for their efforts and says Dunmore was chosen for specific reasons to host the event.
“It’s the first time this event is taking place in Waterford and we didn’t get it by chance,” he said.
“The team in Dunmore East are exceptional. Our team has been tasked to nearly every incident in the country. We have real specialists, even though they are volunteers. We’re out on missing persons searches and we have training as good as any Gardaí or Search and Rescue teams in country. The culmination of their hard work is why we got this.”
He added: “Also, because of all the tragedies we’ve had on the South-East coast, they want to utilise the South-East’s waters. The Hook is treacherous at the best of times.”
All are welcome to attend the event in Dunmore on Saturday and kick-start the All-Ireland weekend!

DEISE’S GLORY DAY

Dermot Keyes — Wed, 16 Aug 2017 13:20:37 +0000

Austin Gleeson celebrates Waterford’s win at Croke Park. Photo: Noel Browne.

Break out the bunting, dust off the novelty teddy and re-thread that straw hat that’s been in the attic since Féile: because the mighty men of Waterford have made it through to hurling’s greatest day!
A stunning second half salvo, spearheaded by Jamie Barron and Austin Gleeson, propelled a ruthless Deise side into only their second All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final since 1963, when defeating Cork by 12 points at Croke Park on Sunday.
And while Conor Gleeson’s sending off and a first half incident involving Austin Gleeson caught by TV cameras may provide some unhelpful distractions between now and September 3rd’s Final, let’s park both for now.
Because this is a result worth marking. Because there’s joy, beauty and relief in this type of rare event. Because it’ll be great for the town. Savage for the county.
This was the first time ever in which Waterford defeated Cork at this stage of the Championship, and only the second win in the past 12 semi-finals for the men in white and blue, tracing the records back to 1998.
This is also the furthest Waterford have advanced in the Hurling Championship since 1948 in terms of a campaign in which both Tipperary and Kilkenny were already out of the reckoning. That also happened to be the first year in which Port Láirge lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup, and the big one has only crossed Rice Bridge once since. Nineteen Hundred and Fifty-Nine.
A famine will end for either Waterford or Galway come the first Sunday in September: while Galway have been waiting some 29 years for a senior All-Ireland crown, Waterford have had exactly double the wait for glory.
Either way, hurling history will be made, and our great game will all the richer when a fourth different All-Ireland champion in five editions is crowned a fortnight on Sunday.

“I think we’re going to try and get the balance right between embracing it and cocooning ourselves away,” said an elated yet even-tempered Deise boss Derek McGrath at Croke Park, in advance of the hype machine cranking up across the city and county.
“I think if we go the route of locking ourselves (away) for two or three weeks, I’m not sure if that will work for this group…
“But in terms of controlling hype or otherwise, these fellas will be grand. If we don’t perform here in three weeks, it’ll just be because Galway will be better than us…the narrative won’t be that this Waterford team has gotten carried away in the run-up to the game, because they want to try and perform in the final and give themselves every chance…
“But it’s going to be brilliant. The general theme in Waterford is that we’ve suffered – not politically – but just in general, that the town needed a lift, and that the county needed some sort of uplift or surge be it pursuit of the Cath Lab or different things that are central to Waterford people’s emotions, so I think that this will absolutely give everyone a pep in their step. We just have to concentrate on getting the balance right – and there’ll probably be a different song on ‘Up For the Match’, which is a bonus!”
The biggest bonus of all is within Waterford’s reach. But a Maroon barrier stands in their way. A great build-up awaits, so let’s savour every moment. Déise Abú!