Who says this new affluent Ireland has lost its heart and has no soul? Certainly not a group of carers in Galway who have been given a £0.25 million gift by the local branch of the Construction Industry Federation.
Emily O'Connor and Tess Lawless are still pinching themselves at their good fortune. The two women, both of whom gave birth to children with a severe disability about 20 years ago, do not lead normal lives. One of the women had her first holiday in two decades last year. The other admits that survival is a constant struggle, peppered by moments of magic with her affectionate "baby that never grew up".
Now a new respite care project at the John Paul Centre in Ballybane comes as a breath of fresh air to the women, and to their sons, Paul O'Connor (19) and Thomas Lawless (20). Run by the Brothers of Charity, the John Paul Centre provides residential services and a day-care programme for young adults who have been diagnosed as having a severe or profound intellectual disability.
It attracted national attention several years ago, when the former president, Mrs Mary Robinson, opened its new sensory garden, the first of its type in the State.
Aged between 18 and 25, the 26 day-students attend Monday to Friday and return home at 4 p.m. Most are totally dependent on their parents for their needs. Some have very restricted movement; others are very active and require constant vigilance to ensure that they do not hurt themselves or their siblings. As they get older, and siblings leave home to make lives elsewhere, the challenge for their parents becomes greater. "When I was younger, and Paul was younger and lighter, it was easier. Now the physical effort is greater, and there isn't always someone around the house to help," says Emily O'Connor, from Athenry, Co Galway.
Paul, Thomas and fellow-students literally grew up with the centre in Ballybane. "They started coming as children, and as the years passed and they became bigger and more active we had to modify our buildings . . . and keep doing so," Patrick McGinley, director of services at the centre, explains. "Narrow corridors are fine for small ones, but not for teenagers. There is only so much modifying you can do, before you know you have to start from scratch."
When the Galway branch of the Construction Industry Federation made the offer to raise money for, and build, a new respite centre, Mr McGinley couldn't believe it. The Brothers of Charity had always tried to help out parents of the day-students who needed short-term residential care, but the management was limited by space.
"It always meant juggling, and watching out to see if there was a bed free in the residential area," Ms Joan McNulty, programme manager at the centre, explains.
The ground floor of a former convent was acquired to provide respite for parents of 14 of the adults, but the cramped conditions proved to be very difficult for staff relying on use of wheelchairs, hoists and lifts. Health and safety standards, the centre's own safety statements, good professional practice and common sense had to be "put on one side" for the sake of the young men, women and their families, according to Mr McGinley.
The new respite unit guarantees assistance and meets all current legislation in a safe environment. Ms Margaret Moore, staff nurse, who will be running the new unit, is looking forward to working in a building with an emphasis on light and colour, and where there is the space to provide two living rooms - one for music. Six students will be able to stay in the house at any one time, out of a client group of 15. There will always be a spare bed for emergencies.
Fittings and installations, such as specialised beds, chairs and bathroom units have added to the cost. The bath came in at £11,000. A simple grab rail starts at £35. Much of the material was donated. Having given the Brothers of Charity an undertaking to raise the necessary funds, the CIF Galway branch secured the support of just about everyone involved in building in the region.
A letter of appeal sent out to construction companies, architects and surveyors pointed out that donations from £250 to £10,000 represented a tax-deductible expense.
Patrick McGinley, Winifred O'Hanrahan, the national director of the Brothers of Charity, the staff and parents give all due credit to the CIF Galway branch committee, chaired by Chris Crehan. And to the politician who put the centre's parents and friends' association in contact with it - the Minister of State for Health, Frank Fahey. Most of all, though, Patrick McGinley is convinced that it was the students themselves that won the businessmen over.
Who says the booming property sector doesn't have a social conscience? The respite unit is expected to be open, come the summer . . . just in time to give several parents that little break that they so badly need.