Since 2019, the fight against “fake news” has become the motto for the public HPV vaccination campaign in which Laura Brennan and her group played a major role. That is one of the key messages from a new UK study by medical and data experts who analysed how the late Ennis HPV vaccine campaigner and her family helped to achieve a significant increase in the cervical cancer vaccination rate in Ireland by overcoming “fake news”. In this research, the authors studied vaccine hesitancy in relation to Covid-19 in France and Italy and then contrast this with the HPV vaccination discourse in Ireland. The report ‘Fighting Fake News: Online Disinformation in Covid Times’ is one of seven research studies funded under the British Academy’s Covid-19 Recovery: building future pandemic preparedness and understanding citizen engagement in the G7 programme. In 2010, the Irish government introduced a national vaccination campaign for young girls and boys against HPV. Up until 2015, a stable rate …

A NEW petition containing 15,000 signatures supporting the upgrading of acute hospitals in the Mid-West including Ennis Hospital is prompting correspondence between a local lobby group, the UL Hospitals’ Group and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly. A petition submitted by the Mid West Hospital Campaign has been discussed by the Dáil Petition Committee, which sent their proposal to the UL Hospitals’ Group for its views. The Hospital Campaign’s response to the Hospitals’ Group submission is being sent to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and the UHL management by the Dáil Secretariat. The Petition Committee meets fortnightly and will discuss any response the Hospital Campaign’s receives if it is made within the next 14 days. Noeleen Moran of the Mid-West Hospital Campaign said if Ennis Hospital was upgraded with proper investment, it could open a surgical observation unit and it could perform elective procedures. “If Ennis was upgraded to a Model Three facility, it could do elective procedures and have a functioning emergency …

THE roll-out of a new Laura Brennan HPV Vaccination Catch-up programme and the increase in vaccination rates has been described as a “game changer in Irish health”. That’s the view of her parents, Larry and Bernie, who have vigorously continued their daughter’s courageous advocacy work before she died from this cancer, with the help of their three children, Colin, Fergal and Kevin. “In the long term, it will result in a big savings as cervical cancer treatment costs a huge amount. Vaccines do save lives, it could have saved Laura’s. We promised Laura we would continue her work after she died until we got to where we did.” Laura’s key message when she was awarded the 2019 Clare Person of the Year Award was to “live the best possible life you can”, which is also on her gravestone. Larry stressed ordinary people can make a difference, recalling his son, Kevin and some friends came up with placing the HPV logo …

AN ENNISTYMON wheelchair user, with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), has been forced to pay almost 60% of her weekly disability allowance on private care so she can go to bed at night. Trish McNamara (52) requires assistance to get into bed, but was recently informed by the HSE that it doesn’t have anyone available to put her to bed for six out of seven nights in the near future. This leaves the disability activist with two choices: sleep in her wheelchair, running the risk of sores on her skin, leading to ill health and hospitalisation or pay €102 out of her weekly €175 disability allowance for a private person to assist her, which she is currently forced to do. While the HSE pledged to advertise to fill the required hours, the authority noted there is a huge lack of personal assistants and carers in the North Clare area. “I have been asked do I have to continue working at the Cliffs …

SEVERE disruption to the Clare Fire and Rescue Service looks likely after a union served its intention to conduct a ballot for industrial action on behalf of local fire fighters on October 26. This vital life-saving service may be curtailed unless Clare County Council can address the “recruitment and retention crisis” affecting the local Retained Fire Service. The union has served the council a two-week written notice of its intention to ballot their members in the Retained Fire Service for industrial and strike action, which started on October 12. It also confirmed the union remains available to “seek an agreed solution to this dispute”. In a letter to Chief Executive, Pat Dowling dated October 12, SIPTU stated as a result of the failure “and/or refusal of management represented by the LGMA to honour its commitment to make proposals to address the long standing issues giving rise to the recruitment and retention crisis affecting the Retained Fire Service in the county …

A LOCAL support group for children with Autism has organised a Special Needs Trust Planning Seminar for all parents of children with special needs. This information seminar, which has been set up by Ennis Voices for Autism will be delivered by Financial Wellbeing in the Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis on Wednesday, November 9 from 8 to 8.45pm. Allan Cuthbert founded Financial Wellbeing in 2008, a company dedicated to Special Needs Trust Planning. It gives him great joy to help ease the financial worries of parents who are raising a child with additional needs. This is his way of helping parents who are constantly faced with difficult choices and challenges dealing with their child’s future needs. Dolores Crowley is involved in Financial Wellbeing because she feels she can understand parents, having been a carer for her mother for more than 30 years and now for her son, David, who has additional needs. “I want to be there to give parents the …

DEPUTY Cathal Crowe has clashed verbally with retiring HSE chief executive, Paul Reid about who advised the government not to proceed with an elective-only hospital in the Mid-West against the wishes of the UL Hospitals’ Group. Speaking at a recent Joint Oireachtas Health Committee, Deputy Crowe questioned Mr Reid about the identify of HSE officials who influenced government policy to proceed with elective-only hospitals in three locations – Dublin, Cork and Galway. Mr Reid said he had previously told Deputy Crowe the HSE would jointly inform Minister Donnelly of the inputs into the elective hospitals plan. Those inputs have been taken on board. “I have no doubt University Hospital Limerick seeks one and I understand the concern on it but other parts of the country have made the same case to me as well,” said Mr Reid. “We have taken all those inputs and, ultimately, it is for the Minister to recommend to Government. That is the legitimate process of …

MUSIC from a young Clare Céilí Band, whose members range in age from 16 to 19, has been finding an appreciative audience on the other side of the world. Mitch Park plays a weekly music programme on Radio Kidnapper, one of the most popular online stations in Hawke’s Bay, Hastings, New Zealand. Clare Céili Band leader, Colm Nestor recalled how Mitch went on the website of Custy’s Music Shop in Ennis to source an Irish traditional group and found the band’s first CD. “We listened to music from the band being played in New Zealand online between midnight and 1am on Christmas Day, 2021.” “It went further than we ever thought. Colum King plays the band regularly on Charity Radio, an internet radio in Dublin,” he added. In addition to launching their second CD during Culture Night recently, the band has been featured regularly on Clare FM and Radio na Gaeltachta including a 30-minute slot of their live performance on …