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 in Ennis and Doolin Coastal Rescue.
Other organisations received €500, including the Clare branch of Arthritis Ireland; Cahercalla Hospice; Clare Haven Services; Bushy Park Treatment Centre; Clarecare; Safe Home Ireland; Hand in Hand, a children’s cancer charity; Le Chéile Mentoring and Youth Justice Support Services, Seeking Vision, Pieta House and Samaritans.
The other organisations to benefit included the Irish Wheelchair Association (€1,000), the Garda Benevolent Fund (€1,500) and Solicitors Benevolent Fund (€1,500).
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.