June
The voice of the seldom heard
Barnardos Ireland holds a webinar on the often ignored impact of domestic violence and abuse on children.
Part of the Barnardos Ireland Childhood Domestic Abuse Project, the webinar focuses on children and young people as victims in their own right with an aim to increase awareness and understanding of their specific needs.
The event hears children describe first-hand the physical ailments they have experienced due to trauma.
Speaking at the webinar is Helen Oxenham, a childhood domestic violence and abuse survivor originally from Cork now in her 90s and living in Australia where she has been supporting victims of domestic abuse and violence since 1970.
Famous book brought to life
Childcare facility Páistí@ No.3 has a reading initiative intended to “ignite creativity, spark curiosity and stimulate the imagination in their children”.
The crèche in Churchfield is a project under the Cork Anti-Poverty Resource Network which aims to provide a safe, secure and stimulating environment for all children and their parents.
Through the initiative a book is chosen each month and printed out for every child to bring home and read with their parents.
June’s book is the beloved children’s book, ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle, who passed away at the age of 91 on 23 May from a long illness.
Kindness of strangers
An extraordinarily kind stranger raises almost €14,000 for a little girl in Cork with a serious life-limiting illness after seeing her mother on television.
Glenda Vaughan from Dublin took it upon herself to set up a GoFundMe page for little Penelope Healy-Nolan, from Cork city, who suffers from Pontocerebellar hypoplasia.
Penelope’s exact variant of the degenerative illness has only been identified in one other person in the entire world.
The previous month Penelope’s mum Katie appeared on ‘The Late Late Show’ to discuss the shortage of care available for children with additional needs in Ireland.
After setting an initial target of €2,000, the GoFundMe page goes on to surpass €25,000 and counting thanks to the work of Glenda Vaughan.
Skeletal remains found in car identified
Gardaí confirm the skeletal remains found in a submerged car in Crosshaven in May are those of a man missing since 2004.
Following a DNA analysis, gardaí confirm the remains belong to Barry Coughlan who was reported missing more than 17 years ago.
Gardaí had discovered the remains in a submerged car off Hugh Coveney Pier in Crosshaven on 26 May 2021.
The car is confirmed as a 98-C-18625 red Toyota.
‘That is not on’
Former chief superintendent Barry McPolin sends a stern message to parents telling them to “wake up” and realise that their children and teenagers are quite intoxicated in Cork city on Saturday nights.
His comments come during an online Cork City Joint Policing Committee (JPC) meeting focusing on recent activity in the city centre involving young people.
“I have to pose the question, ‘do their parents know where their youngsters are?’. They are coming into the city and hanging out in small groups and gangs up until 12.30am and 1am in the morning. That is not on. People have to wake up now and realise that their youngsters are out there,” says Superintendent McPolin.
The future is scrumming
A group of 16 young Leesiders take the first steps on their rugby coaching journeys thanks to a new youth programme.
The Youth Leadership Coaching Programme is designed together by Cork City Council, Cork Sports Partnership and Munster Rugby.
This collaborative programme offers young people between the ages of 16 and 21 the opportunity to take part in a mixture of courses required to work in the sports industry.
The budding coaches shadow experienced and professional Munster Rugby coaches while they deliver sessions to over 500 children in 40 housing estate greens during the summer.