#CoronavirusSolidarity diary: Army of volunteers in Cork making face-shields for frontline staff
Welcome to Chapter Three of the Irish Examiner's #CoronavirusSolidarity diary.
Every week we will be highlighting for posterity those stories which capture the unique community spirit of Ireland's response to the ongoing crisis. Please let us know about community initiatives which have been set up to offer support to those most impacted by the crisis or examples of people who are going above and beyond the call of duty. Tag us at @irishexaminer and use #CoronavirusSolidarity.
Read Chapter One here.
Read Chapter Two here.
Sunday, April 5
An army of volunteers has been mobilised to produce tens of thousands of protective face-shields for frontline healthcare workers.
The first 3,000 DIY PPE-visors rolled off the newly-established virtual factory for assembly at a sports hall in Cork at the weekend.
Almost 1,600 have been distributed for use by healthcare workers in various community settings over the coming days, with the design team on standby for feedback.
If any changes are needed, it is hoped to ramp up production within days to produce up to 10,000 face-shields over the coming weeks.
Read the full story here
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Gardai have praised businesses for their generous donations when out shopping for the elderly who are cocooning during Covid-19
Easter eggs, flowers, water, hand sanitisers and even mobile phones have all been given to brighten up the days of those who are being asked to stay indoors.
Yesterday, Lidl donated flowers to Gardai Tara Brady and Aisling Moore who were shopping on behalf of the elderly in East Meath
"Everyone is really going above and beyond to help each other, especially those who are elderly or vulnerable at this time," said Meath Crime Prevention Officer Dean Kerins.
The flowers were distributed to the elderly around Laytown and Bettystown and they put a smile on a lot of faces.
"Shops have given Easter eggs and bottles of water both to the elderly and the gardai doing the shopping and I distributed bottles of sanitiser to community groups in Carnaross which were donated by the Hand Made Soap Company.
"And Motorola donated 30 mobile phones with Tesco Sim cards to be given to the elderly who have no way of contacting anyone through this time.
"The Third Age Centre in Summerhill have given out the phones to those who are completely out of the loop. They are the people we want to check on so they don't feel they are alone through this.
"The centre's Age Well programme will call them regularly to find out how they are and have a chat."
A hurling legend is running and walking 4,728km to help frontline workers in the fight against Covid-19 sweeping the country.
Kilkenny senior hurler Paul Murphy may be almost 5,000kms from home as he is currently based in south Lebanon on peacekeeping duties but that has not stopped him from wanting to do his bit to protect those at home in the fight against the pandemic.
The four-times All-Ireland winner and Lieutenant said: “On May 19, we the 115Bn will return home from the Lebanon after our eight month tour of duty. I the next 48 days we will walk, run or jog the 4,728km distance to home averaging 100km even day.
Donations can be made to gofundme.com/The Long Run Home. The goal is to reach €5,000.
Friday, April 3
Tipperary schools are coming together to manufacture PPE visors for healthcare staff in their local communities.
St Ailbe's School, a secondary school in Tipperary town, originally started the initiative.
The school uses a 3D printer and acrylic perspex (plastic) sheets to make visors.
"We purchased a 3D laser printer a number of months ago, obviously we had no idea that it would be used to make such vital equipment at the time," says Kieran O'Dwyer, Vice Principal in St Ailbe's.
"When we saw that PPE wasn't forthcoming or was not sufficient, especially for local health centres like GPs and nursing homes, our construction teacher Eoin Kennedy came up with an idea.
"He was able to produce visors by creating headbands, with holes punched into them, so acrylic sheets can be placed over the face.
"The headbands can be reused but the sheets [must] be replaced.
"Mr Kennedy found an open-source design and adapted it to produce these."
The school was able to produce roughly 120-180 visors, which they delivered to local health care centres.
"We had a very good response, they were snapped up very quickly."
However, since the school only had a limited supply of acrylic plastic sheets, they needed to look for funding in order to continue buying the plastic required to make the PPE products.
"We approached Johnson & Johnson to see if they would fund the acrylic sheets, and they did.
"We have a batch of 800 visors now which are already in production."
St Ailbe's reached out to other Education and Training Board schools in Tipperary, and Coláiste Phobal in Roscrea and Clonmel Technical Institute also have the necessary equipment to make the visors, so decided to come on board.
"Obviously no one is charging for this, and we hope to have three schools manufacturing these visors. Some of our school suppliers [of acrylic sheets] are selling the material at cost price, so no one is making a financial gain.
We are delighted with the way things are going.
Anthony Collins, who works for Johnson & Johnson, says the company already had a good relationship with the school through their apprenticeship programme and were happy to help.
"It was Tuesday evening when Kieran rang me and told me about what they were doing with the visors, and how they were making them with their own equipment in the school.
"Getting the raw materials and funding was one of the issues they were facing, so I went to the [Johnson & Johnson] plant manager and they were more than happy to help as a company, by providing the funding for the raw materials."
James McClean has purchased personal protective equipment for frontline healthcare workers fighting the coronavirus in Derry.
The Republic of Ireland international made contact with organisers of a campaign to donate equipment to reveal his purchase of protective kit and sanitisers to be used in the local community.
“James McClean has just emailed in a large donation which is coming via Amazon,” said Dr Nicola Duffy, a GP who is working at the Covid-19 centre at Altnagelvin Hospital, on BBC Talkback.
“I don’t know the chap but I just received an email from somebody advising me that he has bought kit and it’s being sent to Great James Street Health Centre, which is our practise.
“He has purchased equipment and sanitisers which will be coming in the next week or two.
“We put this [appeal] up yesterday afternoon and people have dropped up stuff to my front door, people have dropped stuff to the health centre. It’s creating a conversation and people are using their own resources to think where can we get it.
“At the minute, my house seems to be a bit of a depot!”
A computer-simulated version of the Grand National will take place this week.
The Mater Foundation is among a number of charities across the UK and Ireland that will benefit from proceeds of the race, which will air on ITV.
BoyleSports will donate all profits made from the race to the foundation to help them carry out their work, not just during the coronavirus, but all year round.
"We are thrilled to be able to donate all proceeds we make from the virtual Grand National to the Mater Foundation," said Leon Blanche, spokesperson for BoyleSports.
"The Mater Hospital is the national centre for lung health in Ireland and for adult emergency respiratory life support. All the doctors and nurses at the Mater will be at the centre of the fight against Covid-19, so we wanted to choose this foundation to help them continue to carry out their excellent and vital work in helping to fight this virus."
Free Now is offering a 50 per cent taxi-fare reduction for healthcare workers from today.
A new 'medical' booking option will be available on the app to allow staff to avail of the offer.
Free Now will not be taking a commission from drivers for these trips.
Thursday, April 2
An entrepreneur from Dublin has established a Covid-19 community response team to help vulnerable people in south Dublin.
James McCann, founder of PR agency ClearStory International, has organised the team to help people in Sallynoggin.
Mr McCann first set up his team three weeks ago and has seen more than 25 volunteers join him.
Together, the Community Response Team has been checking in on around 1,300 homes.
One of the first priorities for the team has been to get food to vulnerable residents.
“Many of the supermarket's phone systems are jamming up and delivery slots have become scarce meaning a lot of older people in the community are struggling to get necessities so the first priority is ensuring we can get them food deliveries,” James told us.
“In order to keep our volunteers safe and out of the supermarkets themselves, we've liaised with our local Supervalu in Killiney to have a call back service for vulnerable people here in Sallynoggin.
“If they are having trouble securing orders, they can get in touch with one of our local volunteers and we liaise with the team in Supervalu to add that person to their call back service that guarantees their order and delivery.”
They have also been helping with other things, even ones that may seem small.
“We had a 91-year-old man last week whose TV went out,” said James.
“It was his only company and his service provider couldn't get out to him for a week so we arranged for a volunteer to give him a call and troubleshoot the problem with him.
“It took 30 minutes but the problem was fixed and he got his TV back."
Parents can ‘visit’ their babies at Cork University Maternity Hospital — despite the strict Covid-19 emergency measures.
This is thanks to University College Cork’s INFANT Research Centre staff who have come up with a way to let parents remotely check their children.
Since the crisis started, restrictions have been gradually put in place restricting access to parents. Previously, both parents of premature or ill babies were able to visit and video and photograph their newborns being treated at the hospital.
A teacher in a Dublin secondary school is making masks for local hospitals and nursing homes in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Conor Barry, from Hartstown Community School in Dublin 15, is making the masks using a 3D printer.
Currently, the majority of Covid-19 cases in Ireland are in Dublin, according to the latest figures.
"The technology teacher in our school, Mr Conor Barry has been making medical masks for local nursing homes and hospitals," said school principal Lucia Ryan.
"He is using the 3D printers in our school and has been working hard on it the last few days.
We are very proud of him and grateful that we can contribute to our frontline workers.
Wednesday, April 1
A golden wedding anniversary is a special moment and not even Covid 19 was going to stop incurable romantic Denis McCarthy who sang to his wife Anne from outside her nursing home window.
Arising out of the Coronavirus restrictions Denis was unable to give his beloved wife an anniversary hug or kiss.
Instead, he stood outside the window of her room at the Fairfield care facility in Drimoleague, Co Cork and serenaded her with his own version of Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl.”
Morrison’s “Moondance” album was released the year the couple got married and they have loved the Belfast born musician ever since.
Gay Health Network and Man2Man Ireland have compiled a series of useful information and advice booklets, available in pdf formats, aimed at men who have sex with men, to help during the #COVID19 crisis.
Further information is also available on reduced opening hours at sexual health centres around the country, providing HIV and STI testing and PrEP clinics.
Treatment clinics for HIV, STIs and Hepatitis are operating, and individual clinics will contact people who are currently receiving treatment and/or have appointments to inform patients whether to attend appointments or not, and when and how to get medication.
#GayHealthNetwork and @Man2ManIreland have compiled a series of useful information and advice aimed at men who have sex with men to help during the #COVID19 crisis. Find more info here: https://t.co/mofYoevEA6 pic.twitter.com/MB5g1cJasT
— Gay Community News (@GCNmag) April 1, 2020
Find more info at man2man.ie/resources.
Property website Daft.ie is working with large companies based in Dublin to identify empty apartments there that could be used free of charge by healthcare workers.
This will allow them to stay within social distancing guidelines and reduce the risk of them getting infected so that they can continue to look after Covid-19 sufferers.
The property site said: "This free short-term housing can help ease our doctors and nurses concerns of sharing a home with their families or housemates while giving them the safe and secure space they need to replenish their energy on their breaks from duty."
They expect to have the scheme live on its website next week.
Two students at Kinsale Community School (KCS) in West Cork have started making 3D printed face shields in order to protect front line staff as they go about their duties.
Fifth year student Oisin Coyle and Transition year pupil Shane Collins contacted their principal in recent days about the possibility of making Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for medics in hospitals.
An assembly line was set up and the shields will be distributed to doctors, nurses, pharmacists and healthcare workers in the coming days.
Irish hero Don Conroy has launched his own ‘Draw With Don’ YouTube Channel.
In a short video posted on his Twitter page, Conroy said that his new venture, which was "due to popular demand, of course”, promises to help us “get creative together” through these unprecedented times.
Yes, 90s kids, Uncle Don has saved the day.
In his first video, which has racked up over 10K views, he teaches us how to draw a clown.
“Today I'm going to teach you how to draw a clown. All you will need is a piece of paper and a pencil and you'll be ready to draw,” he begins in that soft, familiar, reassuring voice.
“So let's stay safe and stay creative together!”
More than 1,000 letters of support arrived in large green An Post boxes to Adam bereaved father Andrew McGinley’s doorstep after an appeal for contact during the Covid-19 lockdown.
He had asked on his @ConorsClips Twitter account on Friday for letters to help him through the Covid-19 solitude, saying: on Friday “I’m struggling with isolation like you all but really missing the company. Can you write to me?”
The bodies of his three children, Conor, 9, Darragh, 7, and Carla, 3, were discovered at their home in Newcastle, Co Dublin, just before 8 pm on January 24. Their mother, Deirdre Morley, is charged with their murder but has been too unwell to attend court.
Ireland loudly answered his call for contact. Homemade banana bread was hand- delivered; emails arrived in his inbox; and hundreds of letters got there by post.
Replying to the messages on Twitter, Mr McGinley wrote with humour: “Maria — thank you for the scratch card, I won a tenner. Sean — I’m not a doctor so stop scratching it, apply some Sudocreme and get yourself to A&E. Karen — ring your mother. Only another 950 to read. Seriously enjoying this so thank you all so much.”
Mr McGinley said people are writing about their lives and sharing heartwarming stories, but have also shared their own pain.
“Currently, there are people who can’t cuddle their dying family members so many of the letters show me that there is so much hidden grief and devastation out there whilst the majority of people carry on as normal,” he said.
What has struck me is the amount of people who have struggled through illness with their children and then had to cope with their death too.
Mr McGinley is now encouraging other parents to use the extra time at home to take more family videos.
He is sharing his own family videos, through Conor’s Clips on Youtube, which he set up to fulfil a wish of his eldest son’s, who asked at Christmas for his own channel.
“I get great comfort knowing that people can see how happy and joyful the kids were,” Mr McGinley said.“It’s lovely to look back on them. I hope no one else ever needs that for circumstances like mine.”
Tuesday, March 31
Irish Mental Health service providers, GROW Mental Health Recovery, has launched a new initiative to help people cope with the restrictions surrounding the Coronavirus.
Following the Government’s decision to impose further restrictions in the fight against the Coronavirus ‘Creating Hope and Staying Positive during Covid-19’ is being hosted on www.grow.ie and will provide information, advice, podcasts, coping techniques and fun tasks, centred around looking after our mental health during times of social isolation over the course of the next six weeks.
GROW Mental Health Recovery host six-week online initiative to support your mental health https://t.co/4JcgHyhCnc#COVID2019IRELAND #CoronaVirusUpdates #Covid_19ireland #COVIDー19 #COVID19 @samaritans @MentalHealthIrl @MHReform
— Grow Mental Health, Ireland (@GROW_Ireland) March 31, 2020
@Recovery_Ire @ABCforMH @HSELive @HSE_SI
Each week, the initiative will deal with a new topic and illustrate how adapting the principles and techniques of GROW Mental Health Recovery can help us cope with the challenges we currently face.
A fitness challenge has been created by a Dublin-based event agency, to encourage people to get their 10,000 steps a day while raising money for charity.
'Step Up, Stay Put' has been launched by Event Fuel through their online fundraising platform Giv2Go.
The challenge encourages people to get physical exercise inside their homes, or outside in their gardens.
It's also hoped the fitness challenge can recoup some of the money that charities will no longer be able to raise, due to cancelled fundraising events.
People who undertake the challenge can support a charity of their choice, but Event Fuel are encouraging those who can't decide on one to support The COVID Response Team 'Keep Breathing' campaign.
This campaign involves a team of engineers, medical doctors, students and innovators who are trying to develop a not-for-profit, open-source, easily manufactured ventilator.
Those interested in the fitness challenge can register online on Giv2Go.com, which costs €10 for individuals and €20 for families, and this money goes towards a chosen charity.
Participants then select a personal fundraising target for their charity, and can come up with creative ways to get their 10,000 steps in, from skipping, walking up and down the stairs or hula hooping.
"We came up with the Step Up Stay Put concept as a solution to cancelled fundraisers. Charities that help people year round are finding it very difficult through these times, and people need new goals for exercise," says Jamie Deasy, Event Fuel Director.
Giv2Go will also be sharing daily online workouts, and Event Fuel are running the initiative pro bono.
One hundred free cars are being made available to frontline workers thanks to an idea by a nurse who is putting her health on the line to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
Serial entrepreneur Pat Phelan answered the nationwide call of nurse Ruthie McHugh.
The Corkman who runs Sisu cosmetic treatment chain in the UK and Ireland has teamed up with rental car company GoCar.
Mr Phelan took to Twitter to say that following talks with GoCar that, “We would like to thank our frontline heroes. There are 100 cars available not to front line health workers all over Ireland. These are totally free of charge.”
OK so as of right now, we have 100 cars available totally free of charge for frontline health workers, see details below on how to get set up.
— Pat (@patphelan) March 31, 2020
would you mind RT to get this out pic.twitter.com/K90S80XQDb
The cars are available to be collected in 20 locations around the country so it really is a nationwide effort.
Schools are being encouraged to donate leftover personal protective equipment to healthcare staff.
A Dublin teacher yesterday got permission from her school's management to bring the PPE to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown.
Amy Doolan got 40 bottles of anti-bacterial soap, goggles and 6,000 pairs of gloves and brought them to the facility.
“I think schools would have a large quantity of equipment in their labs, like in their presses and in their storerooms, that they may not even realise," she said.
“Like today [Monday] 6,000 pairs of gloves - that’s a large quantity that Connolly Hospital are delighted to receive to protect their front line workers.”
Monday, March 30
St Killians' is a Special School in Mayfield, for pupils with SLD/DCD/SSLD/ASD and complex conditions. A number of pupils have therapy dogs, who help them stay calm and manage anxiety, one of whom has taken on an interesting hobby while school is out.
Says principal Sue Lenihan: "We have a school therapy dog called Réaltín, she is looked after by one of our teachers.
"Réaltín is a vital part of our school staff and has been instrumental in encouraging anxious pupils to engage in school, pupils to talk, she helps pupils and staff when they are stressed or upset and often proves essential when reducing stress and helps calm the pupils.
"Réaltín is missing the children so much, she has started a blog and some of our children and staff are interacting with the blog. This is proving very helpful to the children whilst they are off school."
"Réaltín’s owner, one of our teachers, is also reading her favourite stories a chapter a day for Réaltín and the pupils to enjoy."
The blog, available on the school's website, includes regular reminders of social distancing for the children, too.
A postman in Cork is putting smiles on the faces of cocooning pensioners and small children alike as he sports fancy dress on his rounds.
An Post worker Kevin Ruby complete with his trainee postal worker 'Tedeen', has been congratulated locally in Mallow for going “above and beyond” for cooped in householders.
Householders in Mallow have hailed him one of the humble heroes of Covid 19 outbreak. Kevin says he enjoys making people happy.
"Myself and Tedeen got great reactions today from both young and old.
Any bit of humour is a help and twas nice to see smiles and laughs coming out of windows or at the door in the tough times we are in.
"One thing I've learned over the past couple of weeks is not to take yourself so seriously and I think this pandemic has opened a lot of people's eyes to such."
"Tedeen carried me all day in fairness to him - he might get a start yet!"
Kevin emphasises that his message to everyone was to be fully compliant with the Government and Health Service Executive guidelines about Covid-19.
"Stay safe folks," he urged.
Seisúns, music, song, and dance are part of our Irish DNA.
From weddings to funerals, we are known to ‘witsh’ the group of talkers in the corner in place of a tune or song.
Even during these unpredicted times, we’ve been staying positive by keeping in harmony.
A "cabin fever gig" took place at Cork's Elysian over the weekend to help residents who may be struggling with the new government restrictions.
Musician Lorcan Greaney belted out Sweet Caroline while people shun lights and joined in from their balconies.
80-year-olds, Johnny and Carmel Kierans decided on the Bee Gee’s classic, Stay Alive whilst cocooning in their Dublin home.
Cocooning..... and keeping the best side up. My mam and dad both 80 years old. #Coronavirusireland #StayAtHomeAndStaySafe pic.twitter.com/1QEefXKmbE
— Marie Kierans (@mariekierans) March 29, 2020
While it was Vance Joy’s Riptide for this little lady from Meath.
“We are now in lockdown here in Ireland....but we’re not down,” her dad wrote on Twitter.
“We are singing our way through it...hope you like this version”
RTÉ 2FM has also teamed up with top artists to present a two-week-long live charity music event.
Listeners can tune into live performances on the participating artists' official live Instagram account every night this week.
Performances will then be broadcast live on RTÉ 2FM every evening for thirty minutes, encouraging people to make donations to support Childline and the ISPCC.
With rolling pins and woks resurfacing all over the country amid government COVID-19 restrictions, a group of Irish foodies have rallied together to create a charity cookbook.
Féasta is a downloadable book that contains 20 recipes from well-known faces such as Donal Skehan, Trisha Transformation, Currabinny, and The Happy Pear.
It also includes a pantry list and tips on how you can make your food go the extra mile during these unprecedented times.
A Cork artist is raffling an oil painting to support the nursing staff at the Mercy University Hospital.
Cora Murphy is selling 'The Sun Also Rises', a 40cm x 40cm oil on canvas, with tickets for the raffle costing €10. The painting is worth €695.
"I will ensure the support we can offer collectively – the proceeds of this raffle – goes directly to the nurses for them to spend as they wish," Cora explains.
"I understand other fundraisers are taking care of their food needs etc, so I’m keen this money will go directly to the nurses to use as a treat – in whatever way makes their life easier / better – be that hand creams for all, or foot spas in the common rooms."
The winner will be announced on April 19.
