Speaking in the Seanad on the closure of Drogheda Community Training Centre

Dundalk Women's Aid future secure

Labour Senator Mary Moran has welcomed the news that Women's Aid Dundalk have been allocated further funding of €50,000 per annum towards the running costs of the service by Louth County Council pending the signing of a new Service Level Agreement.

'I am delighted that the future of Women's Aid Dundalk is now secure pending the signing of the new SLA with Louth County Council.  Over the course of the last year I have worked with the staff of Women's Aid Dundalk to deal with these ongoing funding issues.  This news is a testament to the hard work of the staff in the service and is well deserved.

'The future of Women's Aid Dundalk is now secure.  I was delighted to be able to support this service over the last year and I will remain supportive into the future.  Women's Aid Dundalk provide a service which is very hard to replicate and I will fight to ensure it remains in our community.  I am delighted that the incredible value of this service to the community has been recognised

Speaking in the Seanad on Tuesday on the abduction of the Nigerian Children

This is National Volunteering Week. What's it about?

This week is National Volunteering Week - the one week of the year when we encourage everyone in Ireland to volunteer and highlight the value and impact of volunteering in Ireland. I-VOL and Local Volunteer Centres are volunteering to make a difference in their community or doing their bit to make the world a better place.
I-VOL the national volunteering database was launched in May last year online and through a smartphone app available for Android and OS platforms. This year, Volunteer Ireland will be launching new features and upgrades to I-VOL, which will enable not-for-profit organisations to search for available volunteers by skills and expertise.

How can you get in touch?
www.volunteer.ie
On Facebook at www.facebook.com/volunteerireland

On Twitter:  @VoluntIreland
                     #NWV14

This Friday, May 16th, you can visit Volunteer Ireland at a fair being held in the Marshes Shopping Centre Dundalk. 

In County Louth alone there are 3,000 Volunteers. You can catch up with the organisation on Mondays and Thursdays in the Town Hall Dundalk.

Have your say on the new National Framework for Suicide Prevention

 
As part of the development of a new National Framework for Suicide Prevention for Ireland, the HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention wants to hear from members of the public, including health service staff,  – particularly those with an interest in suicide prevention and those affected by suicide.
 
Submissions from individuals and organisations with professional experience in the area are also being sought.
 
They want to hear your ideas and opinions about what should be contained in Ireland’s new National Framework for Suicide Prevention.
 
Submissions will inform the development of a National Framework for Suicide Prevention 2015 – 2018.
 
For further information on what to include in your submission and how the information you provide will be used see www.nosp.ie/consultation
 
Submissions can be made in writing or verbally via audio file.
 
Closing date for submissions is Friday, 6th June 2014.
 
Please post or email your submission to:
 
National Strategic Framework for Suicide Prevention
National Office for Suicide Prevention
HSE Mental Health Division
Room 125
Dr Steevens’ Hospital                                                                    
Dublin 8

Adjournment Debate 13th May 2014 re Outdoor facilities/playground for a school.

New Facility for Special Olympics Ireland at Abbotstown

 

 At the Abbotstown site where the new facility will be located.

I would like to  warmly welcome the announcement today by Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin T.D., of €5m in funding for a new centralised Special Olympics Ireland facility at the National Sports Campus, Abbotstown.  The new centralised headquarters will bring together the Dublin, Leinster and Eastern Region SOI offices.

  “I have been working closely with Minister Howlin and Special Olympics Ireland over the past two years to see this project come to fruition.  I believe that by locating Special Olympics Ireland at our National Sports Campus alongside the FAI, Irish Institute of Sport, Irish Sport HQ and our finest sporting facilities is a mark of equality in Irish sport.  Special Olympics Ireland has long deserved this form of recognition and I am delighted that after many years of hard work they have received the go-ahead for a new centralised facility at the National Sports Campus.
 
 “I had the honour of tabling a Seanad Private Members Motion last summer celebrating the achievements of Special Olympics Ireland.  I distinctly remember calling on my colleagues to do what they could to contribute and give back to an organisation that gives so much to every community across Ireland.  Since this debate I have repeatedly called on my Government colleagues to view Special Olympics and the area of disability as a whole not just an HSE or Department of Health issue.  This sector and what Special Olympics provides should be supported across as many departments as possible and I am delighted that my colleague, Minister Brendan Howlin has announced this new facility in Abbotstown.
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 “I would like to congratulate everyone in SOI on securing their new home in Abbotstown and wish them every success in the upcoming National Games in Limerick and into the future.
 “I have been involved with SOI over the last number of years and in my role as a public representative I have been honoured to raise their work in the Seanad.  I look forward to continuing my work with this impressive and enthusiastic organisation long into the future.”