Ireland's Eye: What's going on in the old sod

Caravan family ignored

Sligo County Council have been ignoring a Sligo mother with a special needs son who has been looking for a house for the past six and a half years, it has been claimed.

Mother of two Margaret Ward has been living in a caravan with no running water or inside toilet at Balydrehid for the past six and a half years.  She, her husband Bernard, daughter Winifred, 22, and son John Joe, 23, are desperately looking for a home and ironically are living beside a derelict bungalow.

"All we want is a roof over our heads. I am just so stressed and at the end of my tether.  It would be great to have a clean and warm home for Christmas. No human beings should have to live in conditions like these,” she said.

“We are four adults and there is very little privacy. My son has to go to Cloonamahon every day for special attention but some days he can't go because of the condition of the house."

A distressed Ward said she has been living in caravans for over 20 years.

"I used to live in Connaughton Road years ago and then I lived beside a bottle bank in Cranmore for a period. You can imagine what that was like,” she said.

Ward acknowledged that Sligo Council have made some offers of accommodation. "But these were in places that would not be suitable at all. I can't understand at a time when there are loads of vacant houses all over Sligo that they don't seem to want to really help us,” she said.

"Every time we tell them that we have seen a house that we like, they find some excuse to put us off. This is not the 1950s. Look, I know that we are travelers but that does not mean we have to be treated differently. We are just so tired of the side of the road."

Sligo County Council said it did not comment on individual cases. "However, the council has worked with this family over a number of years and made a significant number of offers of accommodation, all of which were/are unacceptable to the family,” a spokesperson said.
- Sligo Weekender

Sudden death claims teen

A 16-year-old Claremorris girl died from Sudden Adult Death Syndrome at an 18th birthday party on February 6, an inquest has ruled.

Nicole Campbell was attending the party in her friend’s home in Ballindine. She had been dancing with friends when she seemed to faint. Efforts to resuscitate her failed.

Niamh Maloney told the inquest that Nicole’s mother had dropped them to Maura Callaghan’s home in Ballindine. Nicole had lots of friends and loved music. When the music started at 10:20 p.m. the pair started dancing, joined by three others.

Maloney turned and saw Nicole fall back, landing on her side. She could not be sure if she hit her head on the way down.

Ruth Campbell was at the party and, as she danced with friends, saw Nicole fall. She had been totally normal prior to this. She rolled her into the recovery position.

Matthew Higgins was at the party. He tried to get a response from Nicole but failed. He checked her pulse and opened her airway.
He rang his father, Gerry, an ambulance driver. They tried to resuscitate her. The doctor and ambulance then arrived.

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Nster.com