'From small acorns grow mighty oaks'

 Inclement weather did little to stave off a group of more than 50 protestors who took to the streets of Cavan Town this morning (April 3) as part of the 'Enough is Enough' campaign to highlight the need for better resourced disability services in the region.

To view a short video of the protest, see just below.

With similar events simultaneously taking place elsewhere nationwide, there has however seldom been a protest buoyed by so many poignant moments locally. Shopfronts along the route were decked out in blue in recognition of autism awareness, while the silence of the protest was an almost deafening acknowledgement to the lack of voice those being campaigned for often live without.

'From small acorns grow mighty oaks,' mused march co-organiser Orla Curran, mother of a young boy attending the Cavan Child Development Team (CDT) who has suffered significant delays in terms of accessing services.

The efforts of the march organisers were further boosted by a more than three-fold increase in the number of people signing their online 'Enough is Enough' petition, with 7,051 signatures collected.

'It's been amazing. A few weeks ago there were only a little over 2,000. I'm a mother of a child but our campaign is really about highlighting the needs of all children, that they all should be treated equally, and are being affected by a failure to access services in their locality,' continued Ms Curran.

Among the elected representatives in attendance, Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (SF), whose own brother lives with special needs, made renewed calls for the Irish Government to ratify the UN convention that would strengthen the rights of people with disabilities.

For full story and more pictures, as well as the latest waiting times for accessing vital services, see this week's Celt on Wednesday.

Orla posted her own message of thanks on the Celt's Facebook page: