We discovered there is such a thing as sunshine in Donegal. It lasted a whole week and nine of us were there to bear witness to this unprecedented event. While the skyways of Europe were emptied of planes afraid of a wee bit of volcanic ash, we crossed over to Dublin on the ferry.

Alex McDonnell reports on Aisling’s all-woman trip to Wicklow for the national day celebrations.  

Ireland is in the grip of unprecedented freezing weather and a collapsing economy - at least there’s plenty to talk about. Alex McDonnell reports as Aisling returns to its spiritual home.
 

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Sometimes you’ve got to get away for a break or you’ll go crazy. In London after a while you feel like your head is going to explode with the pace of life and you’ve just got to head for the hills screaming. Luckily we have some hills we can head for every now and then and this May we were heading (not exactly screaming) for Fintra near Killybegs in Donegal courtesy of Valerie Morton our long time benefactor who owns Cloghy cottages, two great little cottages perched on the side of a hill overlooking Donegal Bay.

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Alex McDonnell writes of good times in Dublin and Wicklow on Ireland’s national day…

"Good morning,

I was out for Saint Patrick’s day in Dublin yesterday and had the pleasure of meeting client's of yours with John, I think his surname was Glynn....it was the first time in my life I was truly touched by a charity or organisation such as your own.

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Things work out well in Mayo on Aisling’s latest trip to Mulranny, the centre of emigration support and welfare. Alex McDonnell reports.

Sometimes things go just right. There is no way of knowing how or when the world is about to turn to our advantage but when it does the wheels on the wagon turn smoother and everyone’s smiles are broader. Well almost everyone.

Margaret has had a tough life and there seems to be no sign of her world turning more smoothly. We hoped that a trip back to Ireland might do the trick and her daughter Mary hoped so too. The wheels on Mary’s wagon needed some oil as well as nothing seemed to be going right for her either and maybe a trip would do them both good. They sat behind me all the way to Mayo on this trip while I was driving and I could feel odd moments of disapproval and frosty silences tingling in my shoulders on the long drive. It is a hard journey for someone Margaret’s age and she is not a well 70-year-old, she has a lot of health issues and is used to feeling disappointed and discomforted and does not always bear it stoically – and why should she? Still it made for a less than happy journey for her.

Alex McDonnell reports on the latest Aisling trip to Kerry where homecomings and leave-takings were a cause of joy and sadness.

Outside the Irish Centre in Camden we were loading up the minibuses with the returnees who had arrived for the trip to Kerry. We were already half an hour late and four of the clients and one volunteer worker were missing. We asked around the group if anyone had seen the missing lads recently, Donie for instance? ‘Donie already went home to Kerry…he came into a bit of money and off he went on Wednesday’, said Maureen. What about Sean ‘Well Sean won’t be coming if Donie isn’t going’ she said. No-one had news of Jim or Richard and we couldn’t wait much longer. Besides ructions were kicking off at the entrance to the Irish centre function room.

The manager was having harsh words with a young black man and many other black and beautiful men and women were milling around looking pretty distressed. As we left the police were arriving…it looked like the fashion show wouldn’t be happening after all. Later we were waiting for Aonghus, Aisling secretary and volunteer for this trip, outside Camden underground station and the models and fashion people were turning heads as they disappeared into various Camden pubs and restaurants. Later on the M4 our outreach worker Charlie Conquest received a call from a hostel in Kilburn where Richard used to stay: he had turned up there after falling asleep on the bus to Camden. It was too late to turn back for him but we would make sure he made the next trip to Mayo in December. As it turned out there was to be a return of sorts to Kerry for Richard.

"The crossing was a bit rocky but safe and we arrived at the cottages in Courtown safely and even managed to make it to the local shop to stock up on supplies before it shut at nine. Before we set off, the Irish centre in Camden had asked us if we could give a lift to a client of theirs whose mother was very ill and needed to get back to Kildare. When we collected him at the centre in the morning his brother and the brothers’ girlfriend were there as well and they were all pretty drunk, it seemed, after an all-night session.