A COMMUNITY leader has been lauded for her inspirational work spearheading the provision of a €8.5 million sheltered housing complex in Ennis.
Pauline McNamara (72) has been awarded the Margaret O’Leary achievement in community housing for her work with Cuan an Chláir.
This award is designed to recognise the achievements and commitment to housing by voluntary board members, individuals or local authority representatives demonstrating a high level of leadership in housing delivery and management over a sustained period.
“The award is for all of the committee. It is great to win an award, but my focus is on the next project. What has been achieved by the whole committee is marvellous,” Pauline said.
In his nomination submission Cuan an Chláir director, Willie Moloney described Ms McNamara as someone who “nourishes and protects dreams through bad days until she brings them to sunshine and light”.
Mr Moloney outlined their chairperson has been the driving force behind the initiative from the start including throughout the development phases of this project.
“She has worked tirelessly on every aspect of this project, even throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, despite suffering a close family bereavement and having serious health issues of her own. In addition, she still manages to make time to run a busy family farm.”
Ms McNamara’s background is in healthcare, having served as matron in both Ennistymon and Raheen hospitals, where she oversaw the transformation of outdated facilities that were used solely for people at the end of life into centres of vitality and dynamism.
In both hospitals, she put in place vibrant voluntary committees enriched by active local community involvement.
“She brings the same caring influence to everything she does in the development and management of Cuan an Chláir. She takes a personal interest in the health and welfare of all our tenants.
She gets to know each of them personally and ensures that their personal needs are met.
“The tenants, in turn, appreciate this personal attention and confide in her in a manner that would be far from typical in a relationship between tenant and landlord.
“She is very much a hands-on manager and leads her management committee by example with her own hard work and dedication.
“She takes her role as chairperson very seriously and ensures that Cuan an Chláir complies with every aspect of governance, including company law, financial control, charities legislation and all other obligations of the voluntary housing sector.”
The objective of Cuan an Chláir is not just to provide housing accommodation, but to build a community of older people with a disability. It is estimated that 16% of people living in the Ennis area are 70 years or older.
Mr Moloney stated Ms McNamara took the lead in the selection of tenants and, while all tenants have been taken from the local authority housing list and were in need of rehousing, she ensured that the people appointed were compatible and would fit in with the culture of a group of people living in close proximity who are anxious to support each other.
This has proven very successful and Ms McNamara has single-handedly encouraged all tenants to get involved in community activities, according to their own personal interests and talents.
She ordered a poly-tunnel to facilitate the growing of fruit and vegetables and a chicken coup for a flock of hens.
The produce from both will be shared among the tenants and she has secured buy-in from the tenants to manage these facilities.
She has also harnessed several individual talents among tenants in the area of art, landscaping and woodwork, which are shared for the benefit of their neighbours.
“The management committee comprises mainly of elderly people. Her infectious energy and enthusiasm inspires everyone on the committee and tenants to continue our endeavours to keep Cuan an Chláir the success it has proven to be.”
Having worked in the civil service, Ms McNamara trained and qualified as a nurse and worked in Raheen Hospital before she completed further education including a public administration course.
In 1982, she was appointed Matron in Ennistymon Community Hospital and quickly set up the Friends of Ennistymon Hospital, which was spearheaded by the late Dr Joe Kelleher, Alex Brown and Tomsie O’Sullivan.
With the help of “wonderful staff”, she successfully campaigned and built a Day Centre in the early eighties, which was followed by a four-bed rehabilitation ward, two palliative care beds, new oratory and a complete hospital upgrade.
During her term as matron, the number of in-patient beds increased from about 14 to 31. Ennistymon Hospital was the first hospital to secure the ISO quality health care award.
In 1999, she was appointed matron in Raheen Hospital where the Friends of Raheen Hospital was set up and they successfully lobbied for funding to carry out a major upgrading similar to what was completed in Ennistymon, and increased the in-patient beds from 20 to 30.
The provision of a Day Centre in Raheen proved to be very popular, bringing elderly people in East Clare together for a social outlet with the help of East Clare Accessible Transport. Part of the centre was converted into a short-stay respite unit, which proved very successful.
In 2009, she took early retirement only to receive a phone call from Bishop Willie Walsh requesting her to become part of a committee managing the development of new sheltered housing and a day centre after the diocese donated 15 acres of land near Cahercalla Hospital.
The first Cuan an Chláir chairperson was Jackie Brown and Ms McNamara has been chairperson for the last ten years.
In total, 26 sheltered houses for the elderly have been provided in a purpose built complex designed by architects Hassett and Leyden. The coach house acts as a hub for social interaction, horticulture and counselling course.
The youngest tenant, who has additional needs, is 32 and the oldest of the 32 residents is 89. Four residents died since the housing scheme was opened in 2013.
Mary O’Sullivan took over as finance officer from Donal Griffin. The committee collected more than €1.2million to build a new Day Centre that is operated by Clarecare. A section of the Day Centre is leased to the local Alzheimer’s Association.
The board of directors includes people like Michael Houlihan, Bishop Willie Walsh, former county manager, Willie Moloney and Fiacre Hensey, former Clarecare manager.
Fr Tom Hogan provided great assistance during the project and this is now replicated by Fr Tom Ryan, Ennis administrator.
Clare County Council and the HSE have provided grants to fund initiatives such as the biodiversity garden and large poly-tunnel where tenants grow vegetables in their own plot. A memorial garden was erected in memory of the people from the complex who have died.
She said that Deputy Joe Carey helped the committee to secure grant funding for an access road and the Day Centre.
The Bodyke native, who lives in Ballyea, has three children – Robert, Lorraine and Nicola.
Her husband Teddy Killeen, Dromadrehid, Ennis, died on December 21st, 2017.
East Clare correspondent, Dan Danaher is a journalism graduate of Rathmines and UL. He has won numerous awards for special investigations on health, justice, environment, and reports on news, agriculture, disability, mental health and community.