Tag Archives: charities

JUDGE Patrick Durcan has this year distributed €42,000 from what used to be known as the Court Poor Box, but which he has now renamed the Court Discretionary Fund. This year’s fund has been divided across 30 local and national organisations, with the largest beneficiary this year being the Bedford Row Family Project Ltd in Limerick, an organisation that supports the families of prisoners. The group has received €15,000 from the fund. St Vincent de Paul services in Clare were the next biggest beneficiary; Ennis received €3,000 from the fund, while St Senan’s Kilrush Conference St Vincent De Paul received €2,000. A number of Clare organisations benefited from €1,000, including Rape Crisis Midwest, Home Share Clare, Clare Youth Service, West Clare Family Resource Centre, North West Clare Family Resource Centre, the Alzheimer Society of Ireland Clare, Raheen Hospital Support Services Limited, Killaloe-Ballina Community and Family Resource Centre, Ennis Community Development Project Traveller Education, District Daycare Centre in Clarecastle, Poor Clares …

THE Ryan family in Newmarket endured a very difficult emotional rollercoaster in the spring of 2009. The birth of Abbey Ryan, the first granddaughter in their extended family, on March 3, 2009 brought great joy to everyone. However, the death of her father, Pakie, (34) in early April, left a cloud hanging over the entire family. The sports fanatic and Newmarket character would have been 40 on Monday, January 26. During his illness, Pakie received great support from his wife, Frances, relatives, friends and the local community. His father, Christy recalls Pakie repeatedly said there were people much worse off than him, even in the middle of his cancer battle. Two or three years after his death, it struck Christy that Pakie had 34 years of happiness, he was never sick and never in hospital. Frances describes the spring of ’09 as a “battle of emotions”, which was a bit too much for everyone to take in, as there was …