Oliver’s 60 year legacy
OLIVER MURPHY TALKS TO HUBERT MURPHY ABOUT SIX DECADES OF THE WHEELCHAIR ASSOCIATION, A GROUP FORMED AFTER A MEETING IN RAILWAY TERRACE...
ITHE SOCIAL ASPECT OF THE IWA HAS ALSO BEEN HUGE. IT HAS BROUGHT PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR HOMES AND INTO THE COMMUNITY, BUT ALL THAT ONLY DONE THANKS TO BETTER ACCESS.
T was November 1960 and the world was about to change for those wheelchair users in this country who had been ignored for too long. And that change would start at No.2 Railway Terrace on the Dublin Road. It was after the first Paralympics Games in Rome that year that Oliver Murphy, Fr Leo Close and Frank Cahill of Rehab met in Jack Kerrigan’s house one night and agreed that something specific had to be done for wheelchair users. The Rome games had opened their eyes to the world out there and how other places were far more advanced when it come to rehabilitation and care.
They agreed that a national meeting was needed
Shortly afterwards, that meeting took place at the Pillar Room in the Mater Hospital.
Oliver Murphy’s brother, Tony, gave him a lift up to the city and there Oliver met so many like-minded people.
Fr Leo Close, an influential figure who became the first wheelchair user in the world to be ordained as a priest, would drive the establishment of the Irish Wheelchair with Oliver, Jack Kerrigan, Joe Craven, Jimmy Levins, Kay Hayes, Joe Domican and Joe Davis.
Four of the group were from Drogheda, Oliver, Joe Craven, Jimmy and Jack. Of the eight, Oliver is the only one still with us.
Before the birth of the IWA, needs were met by the Rehab organisation. They had been looking after people with TB, especially in the 1950s, but then moved into working with those with disabilities.
The Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire had transformed how spinal injuries and those with such injuries, were treated. Dr Ludwig Guttmann started the Spinal Unit and believed in sport and the benefits it could bring.
He began the yearly games there in 1950 and Oliver came under his guidance in 1960.
That same year the Irish team went to the Rome Games and it was dominated by Drogheda athletes! ‘It was me, Jack Kerrigan and Jimmy Levins, along with Fr Leo and Joan Horan,’ Oliver explained.
The 60 years since those humble beginnings have been extraordinary.
Today, the IWA caters for thousands of adults and children, transforming lives and helping people to get out of their homes, be it daycare services or sporting clubs.
Latest figures say the IWA provide 1.3 million hours of Assisted Living Service to 2,246 adults and children.
‘Our aim is to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. It’s simple, but it’s a massive concept.
‘We got the sports end going and we still do it. It opens up lives and gives confidence. Health and fitness is a big part,’ Oliver explains.
The social aspect of the IWA has also been huge. It has brought people out of their homes and into the community, but all that only done thanks to better access via doors, paths and entrances in general.
‘Having proper access to facilities is fundamental, be that in terms of sight or hearing. People need to be able to move freely and get on with their lives.
‘Universal planning is the key, be it on the road, buses and taxis.’
He tells the story of a trip to Cork in 1971 with wife Joan. He had his wheelchair but the train from Drogheda couldn’t facilitate him and he had to sit in the guard’s van, with broken windows and all.
They got to Dubln but the train from Heuston to Cork was another obstacle, Oliver having to lift himself onto a seat as the wheelchair wouldn’t fit.
They did the same trip five years ago and the world had changed. ‘ There wasn’t one problem. I would have high praise for the train service,’ he remarked.
Buses can be a different problem and there is work to do there. ‘In terms of taxis around Drogheda anyway, I have always found the drivers most co-operative . There’s a lot of good taxi people here.’
A number of celebrations were planned to mark the 60 years but they didn’t happen, but they will, sometime.
‘ To me, the need for the IWA is still there and they still do wonderful work. We make things possible.’