Michael played GAA for club over five decades
CONFLICTING MESSAGES FROM COUNCIL AND LOCAL CHARITY WHO SAY 27 WERE SLEEPING ROUGH LAST THURSDAY NIGHT
THE death occurred recently of Michael Culleton, one of Gusserane O’Rahilly GAA Club’s great footballers who lined out for his club over five decades.
Late of Ballycullane, Michael passed away peacefully on January 26, two days before his younger brother Willie. He was born in 1932 to Jackie and Margaret (Mud) Culleton and Michael grew up in Burkestown, where his parents operated the railway crossing, He went to school in Ballycullane before following his grandfather into CIE, as did his brothers, working for the company up until his retirement, initially in Wexford, but later across the south east.
Michael became station manager in Wellingtonbridge from where beat was shipped to Carlow and Thurles.
When he retired he pursued his love of horses and ponies, selling them in Co Wexford and neighbouring counties.
A man who loved a tall tale, Michael had the gift of the gab and was popular with young and old alike. He loved telling stories and had a vast reservoir to draw on from his football and hurling days.
Michael lined out for Gusserane O’Rahillys senior team from 1949 to 1980. He also had the distinction of playing in the All Ireland minor football final for Wexford.
He won a county senior medal with Gusserane in 1954 and was a sub on the same team when they won it again in 1975 having recovered from meningitis which saw him bed bound for a year six years previously. His son John lined out with him on that memorable occasion.
Michael was on the team which won the county junior hurling final in 1979 alongside John once more.
A man who always kept himself fit and in good shape, Michael lived for GAA. He travelled to Dublin many times to see his beloved Wexford team line out.
He lived in Ballycullane for most of his life and despite having had the chance to, never got involved in tug of war or ploughing, joking that he was too skillful for both sports. He managed senior Gusserane teams over the years and was one of the founders of St Leonards soccer club, along with his brother Willie.
Michael made great friends through the GAA and was never shy of a word in Powers pub when it came to a match he’d seen or heard about.
He was married to Josephine Molloy for 65 years and was a devoted husband and father. Over the years he enjoyed attending race meets and travelled with John to Cheltenham on three occasions.
John passed away peacefully aged 88 in St John’s Hospital in Enniscorthy on January 26 after an illness.
He is deeply missed by Josephine; his children: John, MJ, Angela (Australia), Emma, Sandra; siblings Bridget, Ritchie, John-Joe, Mary, Hannah, Nanny, Stacia and Peggy; daughters in law, sons in law, 17 grandchildren; five great grandchildren; nieces; nephews; extended family and friends.
Michael was predeceased by his beloved daughter Bernadette and brother Paddy.
CONFUSION reigned last week as the messages coming out from Wexford County Council on rough sleepers seemed to differ greatly from the situation being reported by homeless charity Wexford People Helping People ( WPHP). Although the previously forecast snow didn’t materialise, the temperatures dropped to a sufficient level to bring real concerns about those who may find themselves sleeping rough.
While the message from last week’s County Council meeting was that the housing department had everything in hand in relation to rough sleepers and organising emergency accommodation, despite the fire that had gutted the Foggy Dew B&B - one usually used by the council to house rough sleepers, that was not what was being reported from the ground by WPHP volunteers.
On Thursday, with the coldest temperatures looming, WPHP stated that of their list of 31 rough sleepers, 27 were still out in the elements. In fact, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, volunteers were left frantically ringing councillors, gardaí and anybody else that might be able to help to try and sort emergency accommodation for people left freezing outside in the cold.
Meanwhile, the council continued to publish messages urging any rough sleepers to call their out-of-hours emergency line (1800 666777) to be placed in Ozanam House or the Women’s Refuge. This resulted in calls flooding in to WPHP stating that rough sleepers had been turned away because both were full.
A council statement said: ‘Wexford County Council, in cooperation with An Garda Siochána and other agencies is actively seeking to contact any persons who are “rough sleeping” at this time in order to assist them in obtaining secure and safe accommodation. It is a cause of concern to the Council that many of those who are described as “rough sleeping” are very difficult to actually locate, while others do not respond readily to our contact efforts. It is also worth noting that many persons alleged to be rough sleeping are found to be actually in accommodation when we make contact.’
The council then noted that it was becoming ‘ increasingly difficult’ to source B&B type accommodation for homeless clients in Wexford town.
‘ The challenge of securing such accommodation significantly increases where a client presents late at night seeking shelter,’ a spokesperson said. ‘For this reason the Council appeals to any person who seeks secure shelter to make themselves known to the Council at the earliest possible opportunity, so that we can make accommodation enquires on their behalf.
For WPHP founder Claire Malone it was a busy week of working around the clock to try and help those out in the elements.
‘On Monday, I got a call from a guy who was out in the elements,’ she said. ‘He was at the back of Pettitt’s and he told me he had been drinking and was absolutely freezing. It was so cold, he was afraid to go asleep in it.’
On this occasion, the gardaí were called and took the person into the station for the night. However, the phone was to continue ringing.
‘At the same time we got a call about a rough sleeper in Cappucino’s doorway on the Main Street,’ Claire continued. ‘We asked the gardaí to swing by and do a welfare check and they got in touch with us to ask if they should take him into the station for the night. We couldn’t get in touch with the council, so this was the only option.’
However, the option of the garda station was removed on Wednesday night.
‘We had a call from another man who said it was too cold and he didn’t think he’d survive the night. I contacted some of the councillors for him and they all tried to contact someone in the housing department, but had no joy. The advice was that he should present at the garda station. This man knew there was emergency accommodation in Courtown because his girlfriend was staying there, so he spent the last of his money on a bus to get up there. He was turned away though because he didn’t have the right paperwork.’
While the council would maintain that there was more to this case than a simple lack of paperwork, the man was left stranded. Having contacted a few local councillors, Cllr Lisa McDonald sent someone with enough for a bus fare to meet him and he arrived back in Wexford, where he presented at the hospital.
‘ They initially refused him, but then he came back and said that he wasn’t feeling well,’ Claire said. ‘ We were advised that the hospital would only be checking him over and wouldn’t be keeping him and that he would be discharged. At that point I contacted the gardaí and the garda I dealt with was really helpful, but she said due to staffing issues, they couldn’t take the man for the night. She rang around B&Bs, Ozanam House which was full, the council, and even tried other stations, but couldn’t find anywhere to put this man for the night.’
At 11.45 p.m., in freezing temperatures, Claire was informed that the man was being discharged from hospital. In desperation, she put out a plea on Facebook and eventually a woman came forward who was in the position to offer the man a room for the night at her home near the hospital.
‘ The reason this man was refused access to emergency accommodation was that he wasn’t able to produce the right paperwork detailing his situation there and then,’ Claire said. ‘I think it’s ridiculous that anybody could be turned away in that weather, regardless of what issues they may have. It requires a little more of a humanitarian approach. The difference between this man dying and surviving that night could have been down to a bit of paperwork.’
On Wednesday night another situation developed as major concerns were raised for a couple who were sleeping in a tent near Courtown. As the week wore on, incidents continued. On
Friday, WPHP said that they became aware of five new rough sleepers who had reached out. Council posts on social media urged rough sleepers not to present at the garda station, but to call the emergency number. However, stating that the emergency number just directed people to an already full Ozanam House and Women’s Refuge, WPHP urged rough sleepers to present to the garda station, having learned of the intention for rough sleepers to be temporarily housed in St Joseph’s Community Centre.
This eventually turned out to be the case and the council made this public towards the end of the week, however, more confusion was caused by the fact that local councillors had not been informed of this development.
‘After speaking to a number of councillors - none were aware of this agreement for emergency accommodation at the Josephs,’ Claire said. ‘We feel that this is something they should have been made privy to as public representatives they then could have advised on protocol. The council publicly sent the homeless to the out of hours service which is not advising them to present at the local garda station, which is ideally where they need to go to obtain emergency accommodation. Ozanam House and the Women’s Refuge were also unaware of the developments at St Joseph’s, meaning they had to deny two cases on Friday night without advising them further.’
While at last week’s council meeting, Chief Executive of the council Mr Tom Enright launched an impassioned defence of the housing staff in relation to homelessness, from WPHP’s point of view, they haven’t done enough.
‘As far as I can see, the council is extremely lacking when it comes to homelessness,’ Claire said. ‘ This week has shown a significant failure in the system at a local level and I know I speak not just for our group on that. We would love the opportunity to host a presentation for the council and to look at potential solutions. We as a group have been asking for access to one of any of the unused buildings in Wexford for a couple of years now - to turn into a hostel/emergency accommodation funded by us and staffed by us to support those in need in our community. The only existing emergency accommodations in Wexford Town are The Women’s Refuge and Ozanam House since the Foggy Dew was destroyed by fire.’
‘We made our own list of rough sleepers to present to the council and we were told that they disputed the list and whether some of these people were actually homeless. We went through it all again and went out to check on some of these people again which is difficult, because a lot of them don’t have phones so it’s a matter of turning up where they usually sleep and waiting for them to arrive.’
Mayor of Wexford Leonard Kelly and Deputy Mayor Tom Forde both stressed that the past week had been extremely challenging and that council officials were working extremely hard behind the scenes to try and ensure that everyone had a bed for the night.
‘I think the problem is that there has to be agreed protocols between a number of services,’ Cllr Kelly said. ‘You have the HSE, the judicial system, psychiatric services, the council. People are being released into a vulnerable place from one service and we need to ensure that they aren’t being missed by the other.’
Cllr Kelly was firm in his praise for council staff, however.
‘I’m fully supportive of what the council are doing,’ he said. ‘I know that the Director and the staff are putting in long hours to try and sort out a multitude of issues’
Cllr Forde was similarly sympathetic to those in the County Council’s housing department, who he said were ‘working in difficult circumstances’.
‘I have to say, with the fire in the Foggy Dew emergency accommodation, I found the council staff were very contactable over the weekend and worked very hard to sort something out,’ he said. ‘I think the central issue here is a lack of government support and policy on homelessness. There’s only so much the council can do. They are bound by a lack of resources. Central government are relying on gardaí and other services to pick up the slack. There has to be a serious re-think in policy. I think we need to work with housing groups like WPHP and maybe look at acquiring units specifically to be used as emergency accommodation.’
‘ The council do a fantastic job with the resources that are there though.’
RETIRED members of An Garda Síochana, Garda Sergeant Tom Miller, Garrynisk, Edermine, and Detective Garda Tony Fagan, Bellefield Road, Enniscorthy, are compiling a comprehensive history of the Gardai in County Wexford to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the founding of Ireland’s national Police Force.
Though still a year out from the actual anniversary date (February 22, 1922), the Retired members Association of An Garda Siochana (GSRMA) have announced details of ‘Capturing our History – an Oral History of An Garda Siochana 1922-2022’, a project which will record and capture the history of policing in Ireland over the past century.
The GSRMA has issued a call to all retired members and serving members, their families and the wider public to assist in this undertaking so the unique history of Ireland’s National Police Force is not lost.
The GSRMA is particularly interested in hearing from individuals with specific stories to tell or from former members or serving members who might have interesting photographs or recollections to impart.
There has been many notable events in the history of the Force over the last 100 years, particularly during the dark and turbulent period after its establishment, and the GSRMA would like to accurately record these events for posterity in order to ensure their survival for generations to come.
The new police force was established following a meeting in the Gresham Hotel, Dublin, on February 9, 1922 and, some 13 days later, on February 22, 1922, the Civic Guard was formed which eventually led to the foundation of An Garda Siochana on August 8, 1923.
Every aspect of the Force, as it applied to County Wexford, will be examined in the publication which will also record( with photographs where possible) the names, ranks and stations in which members served over the past 100 years.
The publication is not intended to be a definitive history of the Force in Wexford but rather a record of the ‘Guardians of the Peace’ across County Wexford since the foundation of the State.
The planned publication is a work in progress and both Tom and Tony would greatly appreciate hearing from any former member, their families or serving members who may be able to assist further in bringing their mammoth undertaking to fruition.
They have already amassed a huge amount of information but both are conscious of the fact that much more facts, figures and anecdotal stories are out there in the community and they would like to hear from any individual who can help them accurately advance the story of the ‘Boys in Blue’ in their planned publication.
Tom Miller can be contacted on 086 8677334, or by e-mail: mllertj@gmail.com while Tony Fagan’s number is 087 8113936: e-mail tonyfagan21941@gmail.com
NEARLY eight months after he was appointed Minister for Health you’d be forgiven for thinking that Stephen Donnelly would be anxious to hand over the reins to someone else, but nothing is further from the truth.
In fact, the Greystones man had actively looked for the role, a role which, even in the best of times, was challenging and often claimed a political scalp. Throw in a global pandemic and the role is definitely not one to relish.
‘I had asked Micheal Martin for the role of Minister for Health’, said the Fianna Fail TD. ‘I passionately wanted to get involved in fixing the healthcare system. I was the Opposition spokesperson for Health and I had seen so much opportunity to make things better and there was so much need out there.
‘When Micheal Martin was elected Taoiseach I had said I wanted the role of Minister for Health but I certainly had no expectation of getting it. I’m told I must have been insane for wanting it (the job) but I can think of no better place. There is no job I would prefer even though it is intense and you do come under pressure.
‘In fact, I had no expectation of any job. I was just glad to see Micheal Martin elected as Taoiseach. To me, he is a man of great integrity and I think he’s really showing it now as Taoiseach.’
While the 45-year-old said he didn’t have any expectation of a job at the Cabinet table, he’s no different to anyone else and had allowed himself to harbour a glimmer of hope.
‘After the election of the Taoiseach I went back to my office and was watching Netflix to try and distract myself and the phone rang so I went over to his office and he (Micheal Martin) said he wanted me to appoint me Minister for Health.
‘It was a moment of huge pride and happiness and fear, I guess too.’
In addition to his very busy role as Minister he, along with wife Susan, are, like parents everywhere, home-schooling.
‘My wife and I are both working full time, so we are very busy. We’ve three wonderful sons, (two aged eleven, and a six-yearold) so life is a lot like it is for a lot of families who are working, rearing children and trying to home-school them. It’s very, very busy and I don’t get a lot of downtime. ‘I work 100 hours a week and it’s a seven day a week job. I also have to be a dad, a husband, a son, a brother and a friend.
‘In the New Year I downloaded the Couch to 5K app so I get up at 6am three mornings a week and do that. When I was 23 I broke my back sailing so I was out of work for 18 months and it was a difficult time. ‘A friend of mine is a physio and she recommended the Couch to 5k because it’s a gradual increase. ‘I also do Joe Wicks with the boys and try to find time for an occasional beer or whiskey.’
The father of three said that one of his goals as Health Minister is the provision of speedy access to healthcare for children in need.
‘It always makes me really upset when you heard about children with underlying medical conditions or with special educational needs waiting for years to get an assessment. The waiting lists were so long and I think it is one of the most important things for us to do as a republic to make sure children who need help or healthcare get it. I think it is so important and I think it goes right to the soul of who we are if we do right by children who need medical help.
‘So many parents had spoken to me about their children who could have been on a waiting lists for maybe two years and it could be another two or three years before they get the help they need.
‘It always really motivated me. I always come back to that thought. It was the greatest honour to be appointed Minister for Health. It’s been such a privilege because you get to the opportunity to help people. It’s the only reason to be a politician.’ Minister Donnelly took over as Minister for Health in June 2020 and he said he has already put funds in place to address long waiting lists.
‘The assessment of needs waiting lists are very, very long. Last year I allocated nearly €8million to deal with that and as a result, waiting lists are coming right down.
‘We have a ways to go yet but they are coming down. We’ve hired in extra people to get children assessed so that we know what their needs are.
‘In Budget 2020 the Department of Health budget was one of the biggest ever and €100 million has been allocated for disabilities be it physios, occupational therapists or whatever is needed. We are also working with private care providers so we are building up a workforce to get the issues addressed.
It’s safe to say that Covid-19, which hit the country hard hot on the heels of the General Election, saw every politician in the country re-imagine how they would do business and it was no different for Stephen Donnelly, although he may have had loftier ambitions than some of his colleagues.
‘Even after Covid hit I was still in work most days. I was the Health spokesperson for Fianna Fail so I was very much aware of the measures being discussed. I had some idea of what I was coming into when I was made Minister for Health’, he said. However, he was expecting a smoother transition than he received.
‘I was two days into the new role when the secretary general (of the Department of Health) told me they were leaving the Department and the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Tony Holohan, needed to step back for a period. So in the first week the Department of Health had a new minister, no secretary general and no CMO. Actually, I had no team either because it takes a while to build up a team. It was a very intense period and a very steep learning curve.’
Minister Donnelly said that both he and the Government is aware of the huge sacrifices people have made over the past eleven months in a bid to tackle Covid-19.
‘I think people are really struggling. It’s been a long year. We’ve been in and out of lockdown as has the rest of Europe. People have lost so much and tragically a lot of people have lost their lives.
‘Family and friends can’t even mourn in the way we need to. A lot of people are struggling with isolation and loneliness. People’s mental health is under so much pressure. People have lost jobs, people have lost businesses. Younger children can’t go to school. They are missing their friends, their grandparents. Third level students are missing out on some of the best years of their lives. They should be on campus learning, meeting their friends, partying.
‘It’s so hard and unfair. People have lost so much. People are fatigued and worn out. They want things to get back to normal. People want to hug their parents and grandparents. I want to hug my own mum.
‘Two things are very different now in terms of Covid compared to a year ago. One negative and one positive. The very negative one is the new variants. The UK one is vicious. It is much more contagious and you could see that with the spike in January and it makes things hard in terms of re-opening. To deal with the South African and Brazilian ones we’ve had to bring in completely unprecedented restrictions.
‘As we speak another list of countries is being added to the list of high risk counties and there’s very strict restrictions on people leaving the country for non essential travel’
A further 18 countries now join Brazil and South Africa on this list which requires passengers arriving from these countries complete a mandatory 14-day
period of self-quarantine. The new 18 countries are: Angola, Austria, Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Eswatini, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
‘But the second difference this time around is that we have great hope with the vaccination programme. This is going well so far and the reaction from nursing homes and hospitals has been fantastic. I was told today that the reaction when the vaccination teams arrives into nursing homes is electric. Everyone is anxious to get their dose and people can start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. So much credit must go to the vaccination teams and the HSE for the work they have done so far.
‘On Monday we started to vaccinate the over-85s and the GP’s and the Irish Medical Organisation have really stepped up especially in terms of the difficulties with the Pzifer and Moderna vaccines. They have said ‘Yes, we know it’s complicated, yes, we know it will be hard but we are prepared. They have been amazing.
‘In fact healthcare workers across the board, everyone working in hospitals and in healthcare settings have been incredible throughout this. It makes me very proud to see the work they are doing. To be the Minister for Health at a time like this when you are seeing these people be the very best of us is humbling. They represent the very best of who we are.’
New reports show that 85 per cent of people have indicated they either definitely or highly likely to be vaccinated and Minister Donnelly said this is very heartening news.
‘The number has been increasing over the past while. I think once people saw clinicians getting it they realised it must be good. Some people have concerns and I’m taking those concerns seriously. I think it’s important to acknowledge them and to listen respectfully to their questions and concerns and to give them the right information.
‘Once people have the right information, not something they saw on social media, they can make up their minds.’
Many people have been calling for the Cabinet to be vaccinated out of sequence and Minister Donnelly said while he is aware of such calls he’s happy to wait his turn...the last wave of the vaccination programme.
‘My view is that the Taoiseach should go to Washington, if possible, and if that requires him getting a vaccination I don’t have a problem with that. However, I am more than happy to wait my turn. I’ve seen a growing number of people saying we should be vaccinated and two of us (Charlie McConalogue and Helen McEntee, Ministers for Agriculture and Justice respectively) have had it. In our roles we are meeting more people than average.
‘Most of our meetings are by video but you still have a lot more contact than most. But like I said, I’m happy to wait.’
Deputy Donnelly has come in for a lot of personal criticism from his Government colleagues, so much so that a common belief is that he is being undermined in his role, at a time when we are all supposed ‘to be in it together’.
‘Some undermining does go on and you to have to focus on the substance. I have to focus on the vaccination programme, deal with managing our healthcare system during a pandemic, ensuring children and adults with medical needs get the help they need. That’s my job.
‘Any and all decisions that are made can be criticised and that’s fair game and is needed because nobody has the right answers all the time. It’s important we (politicians) can be challenged and questioned - we need that in a democracy.
‘On Thursday I was involved in a two hour debate about the vaccination programme and I learnt a lot too. I went on to follow up with two or three TD’s and it’s important to listen carefully to both sides.
‘But there has been quite a lot of personal commentary and I think the reality is when you are Minister for Health it comes with the terrority.
‘I’d prefer that not to be the case because at the end of the day I’m just doing the best job I can. There has been some personalised stuff out there but untimately we are going through a very hard time.
‘People are fraught, I get that. You’ve got to try not to let it in on you but listen carefully to the substance.
The uneasy alliance between Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Green Party to form a Government had many wondering about the possibility of a snap election had the Covid-19 pandemic not hit our shores. However Minister Donnelly said he is confident the Government will stay the course and said he hasn’t given a thought to how his performance in the beleaguered Department of Health will affect his chances of re-election.
‘I’m not even thinking about that to be honest. This role requires my full attention. That’s years into the future. You never know for definite, of course, but I think it will be years away.’
Two weeks ago Minister Donnelly came in for some criticism for using a Thumbs Up emoji replying to Tony Holohan’s text about the rising R rate, particularly in Dublin.
A tweet he sent shortly after the story of the use of the emoji was reported received over 7,000 replies, all Thumbs up emojis. The Health Minister was more than a little bemused by the reaction.
‘Tony and I have an excellent working relationship. We talk a lot. It’s a very important relationship and I’ve huge respect for him and have repeatedly said that. We don’t always agree, nor should we. We were both bemused by the reaction.
‘I use the thumbs up emoji to indicate thanks. Somehow it was seen as a mark of disrespect but it was never the case.’
Minister Donnelly said that vaccination centres across the country will start to open in mid March with a view to keeping to the target of having everyone vaccinated by September although this will obviously depend on supply.
‘This coming week really is a milestone in the battle. We were focusing on nursing homes and frontline workers but now we are moving into the general population. As a country this is our way out of it (the Covid battle) and the vaccination is the light at the end of the tunnel.’
I THINK PEOPLE ARE REALLY STRUGGLING. IT’S BEEN A LONG YEAR. WE’VE BEEN IN AND OUT OF LOCKDOWN AS HAS THE REST OF EUROPE