The World has lost an Angel. Rest in Peace Carole Raftery

Carole was a special one, a person with a kind and generous nature who devoted the last twenty years of her life to working with asylum seekers in Galway. On a one-to-one level, she has done more for people staying in direct provision in Ireland than anyone else and as a result is loved by all of the thousands of people of dozens of nationalities that she assisted in their times of difficulty and transition.

Sadly she passed away on Thursday night.

In the summer of 2004 I called into the Eglinton Direct Provision Centre Salthill in my capacity as Education and Public Engagement Officer with DERI institute of NUI Galway to ask if I could provide computer training workshops to the residents. I did not know what to expect- it was an old hotel in need of major renovations and it had become home to a community of people that were new to Ireland and with whom I had never dealt with before. 

 

I was met at the reception by a lady with an enchanting smile and an infectious laugh that just radiated warmth and friendliness. I knew then that I would be staying for a very long time. 

 

In the summer of 2004 I called into the Eglinton Direct Provision Centre Salthill in my capacity as Education and Public Engagement Officer with the DERI institute of NUI Galway to ask if I could provide computer training workshops to the residents. I did not know what to expect- it was an old hotel in need of major renovations and it had become home to a community of people that were new to Ireland and with whom I had never dealt with before.
I was met at the reception by a lady with a gregarious smile and an infectious laugh that just radiated 

warmth and friendliness. I knew then that I would be staying for a very long time.
 

Carole, supported by the centre’s general manager Patrick McGovern, could not have been more helpful. I first provided courses off site. But within a year we had set up an inhouse computer room (an ‘Internet Café’ as it was called in those days!) populated with reconditioned computers sourced via DERI where residents could be trained in on software applications, communicate with loved ones in their homelands (early days of Skype), undertake online certified educational courses and finally be a location for us to provide weekly coding courses for both adults and children.

 
Then together working with the HSE (Brid and Maeve), the Galway City Partnership (Suzanne McNena and later Fiona Blaney), state agencies, the residents and others we set up the first ever weekly residents-management-external organisations liaison committee in such a centre, a library, created a residents’ managed website, organised a series of offsite events (fashion shows, children’s’ trips, sports activities) as well as in-house Christmas parties and receptions with mayors, TDs and government ministers…
So much happened due to Carole- she was the engine that kept things happening and moving along. Then in 2014 we secured and established a community garden for residents on old wasteland at the back of the centre with residents led by Lyudvig, with funding secured by Nollaig McGuinness(GCP) and with ongoing horticultural expertise from Kay Synott. The Eglinton front line staff of Patrick, Anne, Noel (RIP), Iva, Murdo, Lubo, Radoslav, Milada, Kevin, Sean… were always there to help out Carole and the rest of us.

Carole’s caring friendly disposition meant that she was looked on by most of the Eglinton residents in a very affectionate way. She was family. She was a listener. She was an advisor. Adults daily came to her for advice, and the kids called her ‘auntie’ such was her kindness and familiarity with them. On a weekly basis she chaired the Friday residents-management liaison meetings and ensured that the concerns of residents went to the appropriate authorities and were acted upon.

Carole devoted her life to others. With her big heart, kind nature and gentle soul, she was the fairy godmother and angel that will never be forgotten by all those who have had the privilege of knowing her and benefiting from her goodness. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam.

Then together working with the HSE (Brid and Maeve), the Galway City Partnership (Suzanne McNena and later Fiona Blaney), state agencies, the residents and others we set up the first ever weekly residents-management-external organisations liaison committee in such a centre, a library, created a residents’ managed website, organised a series of offsite events (fashion shows, children’s’ trips, sports activities) as well as in-house Christmas parties and receptions with mayors, TDs and government ministers…

 

So much happened due to Carole- she was the engine that kept things happening and moving along. Then in 2014 we secured and established a community garden for residents on old wasteland at the back of the centre with residents led by Lyudvig, with funding secured by Nollaig McGuinness(GCP) and with ongoing horticultural expertise from Kay Synott. The Eglinton front line staff of Patrick, Anne, Noel (RIP), Iva, Murdo, Lubo, Radoslav, Kevin, Sean… were always there to help out Carole and the rest of us.

 

Carole’s caring friendly disposition meant that she was looked on by most of the Eglinton residents in a very affectionate way. She was family. She was a listener. She was an advisor. Adults daily came to her for advice, and the kids called her ‘auntie’ such was her kindness and familiarity with them. On a weekly basis she chaired the Friday residents-management liaison meetings and ensured that the concerns of residents went to the appropriate authorities and were acted upon. 

 

Carole devoted her life to others. With her big heart, kind nature and gentle soul, she was the fairy godmother and angel that will never be forgotten by all those who have had the privilege of knowing her and benefiting from her goodness. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam

'Black Lives Matter Day': Online Garden Meeting with the residents of the Eglinton Direct Provision Centre.

I was disappointed that I was not at the 'Black Lives Matter' protest yesterday afternoon in Eyre Square as I thought, based on media reporting, that it was called off.
But anyway yesterday morning I was facilitating the first online (Zoom) meeting between garden volunteer residents of the Eglinton Direct Provision Centre in Salthill, garden supremo Kay Synott and artist extraordinaire Monica de Bath.
This has been our first get-together since the beginning of the Great Lockdown and it was so wonderful to finally met up once again 'face-to-face' with my Eglinton friends.
Eight residents were in attendance- Georgina, Jihad, Pretty, Beltar, Elizabeth, Innocent, Thom and Stanley.
A few others were unfortunately missing due to sickness including our good friend and the queen of hearts herself, namely Carole Raftery, a key member of the staff of the Eglinton.
The attendees agreed today on a set of guidelines and a roster to help build on the work that has been done over the last few months under the chairperson of Georgina. Kay has been brilliant during that period in ensuring the delivery of seeds and plants to the Eglinton whilst Monica has kept the spirit of 'art in nature' alive amongst the children of the Eglinton.
I have a special affinity with the residents, management and staff of this direct provision centre since I started volunteering there in 2004. Over the years I have seen so many hard-working people in the Eglinton get Irish residency, and contribute positively to the greater good of their new homeland. Today that tradition continues as the present garden chairperson Georgina will be leaving the centre tomorrow to start a new life elsewhere in Galway. I wish her the very best.
In my time there, I have made many life long friendships amongst residents and staff.
It was really lovely to see today also that the legacy of former residents such as Lyudvig Chadrjyan in putting so much effort in helping to start the community garden over five years ago is still bearing fruit (& vegetables!)

Library for all ages set up in Eglinton Direct Provision Centre.

Supporting Community during the COVID-19 crisis

Thanks to the support of staff (well done Carole!), management (Patrick) and residents (thanks Adelina & Jihad in photo) we managed, after weeks of hard work, to convert a former nightclub counter bar into a library. What was once stocked with whiskeys, gins, vodkas, brandies and liqueurs is today populated with books catering for all ages. It is divided into sections for adult male and female, teenagers, children, parents with babies, education and ecology. We also have a myriad of boardgames, jigsaw puzzles, guitars and sewing machines. It is now a facility that will become an important resource to the residents during the coronavirus crisis and help overcome boredom whilst also acting as a centre for learning and entertainment.

 

Note: The ‘Library/Leabharlann’ image in the centre of the photo represents the large sign displayed in front of this new facility.

Eglinton 'Direct Provision Centre' Galway- A Place of Hope & Friendship.

I would recommend everyone to read in full the very informative article by Stephen Corrigan in the Galway City Tribune newspaper that finally and publicly tells the truth about the Eglinton #DirectProvision Centre in Salthill Galway. It will be an eye-opener to those that have never been inside its doors and those who are afraid of such centres being built in their towns and neighbourhoods.

For far too long there have been rumours and false stories being spread about the Eglinton such as that a nightly curfew is imposed on residents, that there are no facilities, that no proper selection of foods is served, that staff and management are indifferent even hostile to residents etc. 
But these myths, based on the portrayal of the place being some sort of ‘inhumane’ prison camp, are an insult to both the people who work there and to those who live there.. As someone who has volunteered there almost on a weekly basis since 2004, I know most residents of the Eglinton over the years have recognised it as a place of sanctuary, of friendship and of community. So many of them tell me over and over again that Ireland provides a haven of peace far from the place of violence, racism, sectarianism, hatred, oppression, gang warfare, poverty or exploitation that their homelands have become; and that the Eglinton serves as a wonderful place of transition towards a better life for them and their families.

There is no doubt that this premises is indeed an old hotel that could do with a considerable injection of funding for a major overall renovation; that its owners (who I have never met in my 15 years there as a volunteer) make a nice profit from government grants; that personal living quarters are small with often up to three single people sharing rooms; and that the asylum-seeking process drags on for far too long leaving its applicants in a state of limbo. 
But the facility has a wide range of onsite facilities including a fine canteen, a state of the art pre-school, a community organic garden, a coffee bar, a function room for events such as Christmas (Santa's grotto for the kids) and birthday parties, an outdoor play area, and a computer room. Volunteers and residents will next weekend work together on completing a library. There is also a homework club for children, regular offsite activities for young and old, medical support and a weekly meeting every Friday evening where staff, residents, volunteers and support agencies get together to discuss issues, educational and recreational programmes as well as problems impacting on the lives of the Eglinton community. People from outside call every day to drop off gifts and meet residents. Whilst so many current occupants of the Eglinton are well known across Galway as volunteers in a range of city NGOs, from sporting to religious to environmental. 
One of the key strengths of the Eglinton is the high level of respect and friendship that exists between management (led by Patrick Mcgovern), staff and residents. It feels at times as if they are one very big family. A good example of the high esteem that staff are held in is that former residents regularly call in for a social chat with front line staff such as Carole Raftery.

The opening of such centres can actually benefit neighbourhoods. But of course local communities need to be consulted well in advance and local residents need to be brought to existing centres to see at first hand what they are like and how their occupants view them.

I wish all my friends at the Eglinton peace, friendship and prosperity for 2020

The Last Christmas Party (for 2018) with Galway’s Forgotten Heroes

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Recently I was invited to attend the Christmas Party of the staff of the Eglinton Direct Provision Accommodation Centre.

What used to be referred too as Asylum Seekers’ Accommodation Centres have got a bad press for many years. This is perfectly understandable when one realises that family members of all ages can live in a single room in an old hotel/hostel building, often occupied by one hundred to two hundred people from many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, over a long period of time. There can be a loss of personal dignity and a feeling of being downgraded as a human being for the occupants of such a dwelling.  Quite a few of these adults and children have encountered war, death and persecution in their homelands and come to Ireland hoping to start a new and better life as quickly as possible.

Hence to find themselves living in such surroundings for a number of years can seriously impact on their wellbeing and on their relationships with others.

So it takes a very special type of person, that is endowed with a heightened awareness and sensitivity towards others, to work with people who may be fragile and vulnerable.

I can honestly say that the Eglinton staff have these qualities in abundance.

I started to work as a volunteer in this centre in 2004. Over the subsequent years, I have helped in setting up a well-equipped Computer Room, an onsite community organic garden, a residents’ committee, a library, a residents’ website and regular offsite recreational/educational activities for all ages.  I have also witnessed the establishment of a crèche, a games zone, the hosting of regular festive parties and excursions, and the active encouragement of involvement by bona fides external organisations and volunteers. None of these developments would have been possible without the generousity of spirit, the genuine sense of caring and concern displayed by the management and staff towards the residents who they treat as equals and indeed as friends.  It says everything when the Eglinton children refer to Anne, Carole and others on the front desk as ‘Auntie’.  For there is a genuine warmth and affection between most staff and residents that very few in the world outside would have ever thought possible in such surroundings.

In my professional capacity as a Science Education and Public Engagement Officer at NUI Galway, I have worked in many other Direct Provision Centres across Ireland. But I have never ever experienced the humanity displayed by the Eglinton staff who time and time again go over and above the call of duty in helping others.

So, as they at long last got to enjoy a late great Christmas Party, I was honoured to be with them in enjoying a night of food, drink and good cheer.

Finally, I join with the staff and residents in extending best wishes to the Eglinton general manager, the hardworking and benign Patrick McGovern, as we eagerly look forward to his return.

Help Clean Up a Forest & Create a Community Garden

Get involved this Saturday (February 15th) in a double Eco-Community event: cleaning up a section of Terryland Forest Park followed by the continuation of the task of establishing a Community Garden at the Eglinton Asylum Seekers Hostel in Salthill.

Last Saturday, great preparatory work was undertaken by a band of enthusiastic residents and external volunteers in transforming a wasteland into what hopefully will become a productive vegetable and fruits organic garden for those living in the Eglinton. This activity will continue this Saturday at 2.30pm. Max 2hr duration. Rendevous: Eglinton reception.

For committed tree lovers & eco-volunteers everywhere, there will also be a one hour clean up from 12.30-1.30pm in the Terryland Forest Park (aka "The People's Park"). Rendevous: Ballnfoile Mór Community Organic Garden located in the forest park, behind Lus Leana and Cluain Fada.
Light refreshments at both locations!

Support Setting Up a Community Organic Garden at Asylum Seekers Hostel

The management of the Eglinton Asylum Seekers' Accommodation Centre in Salthill Galway city have allocated space and resources for the establishment of a community organic garden onsite to benefit the residents of the hostel. Growing their own vegetables, fruits and herbs will help residents prepare food dishes based on their own traditions.

The first step will be the removal of rubble,  the preparation of the ground area and the installation of a series of raised beds made by a very talented staff member of the Eglinton.
These activities will take place from 11.45am on Saturday February 15th.
Volunteers are urgently required in helping residents undertake this necessary preparatory work.

Cumann na bhFear and the Terryland Forest Park Conservation Volunteers will be providing garden implements for this work.

It is worth noting that the many of the asylum seekers who come from a wide range of countries in Africa, Asia and Europe will have traditional culinary and garden skills that could benefit other local community gardens in Galway.
If you want to help out this Saturday, contact me at speediecelt@gmail.com