Tag Archives: Enable Ireland

AS A wheelchair user, 29-year old Jessica Keegan has always made the most of the cards that life has dealt her. A native of Manchester, Jessica was born with cerebral palsy, a condition which restricts her movement and affects her balance and coordination. She spent much of her childhood in Feakle and attended Dromindoora and Flagmount national schools and later Scariff Community College. “Feakle is beautiful,” she said, “but it’s not such a great place to be if you happen to use a wheelchair. It’s really hard to access services from there and you can end up being very isolated.” Jessica, a graduate of Mary Immaculate College, describes herself as “bubbly and sociable”. Her friends and the staff of Enable Ireland Adult Services at Quinn’s Cross in Limerick, are a lifeline for her in what has been a time characterised by isolation and loneliness. But while the pandemic has presented huge challenges, Jessica has faced them with characteristic courage and …

The annual Embrace Christmas Concert, a talent showcase for performers, singers and musicians from St Anne’s School, The Dulick Centre, Kilrush Day Hospital, Brothers of Charity, Enable Ireland and The Ennis Arch Club, takes place on this Wednesday. The free event,from 12.30pm to 2pm, at Cois na hAbhna in Ennis, will feature participants in the Embrace Arts & Disability programme. The initiative was established by Clare County Arts Office in 2001 to enable people with disabilities to experience the arts in a variety of art forms through working with professional artists.