Mickey wins hearts at Drumlin House

The excitement of summer holidays at Drumlin House Training Centre for people with intellectual disability was doubled on July 22 when Mickey Harte, manager of the Ulster Cup winning Tyrone team, presented the graduates and winners with their awards. Shane Loughlin, graduate, and Hugh O'Brien, chair of the management committee, welcomed Mickey and Seymour Crawford TD, Winston Bennett, cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council, and Michael McCarey, chair of Cootehill Town Council in a humorous style reminiscent of his cameo performances in Father Ted. Reports were presented by trainees Cormac Lavelle, Jessica O'Hare and Darren McCabe. Manager Robin Toner highlighted the validation of Drumlin's quality assurance system by the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC); community fundraising for trips and sports and help for the trainees to achieve their outcomes and; the advantages small providers like Drumlin have in delivering quality care; the strong partnership with the Cavan- Monaghan Local Health Office of the Health Service Executive and the support received from occupational therapists and the community team. He also noted the shortage of funds the disability sector has incurred since before the Wolfe report in 2003 and how the impact of budget deficits, funding reductions and loss of development funding has led to uncertainty for today's graduates. After presenting the awards Mr. Harte spoke about the quality of the teamwork he had seen in Drumlin and the lessons he had learned from his parents and in the GAA - respect for others and a desire to give and not just take. He congratulated the graduates, Sarah-Jane Crosby, Nora Hannigan, Shane Loughlin and Damien Treanor and all the FETAC award winners and wished everyone success. Norah presented Mickey with a replica of the Sam Maguire cup made in Drumlin's craft workshop and Patrick McPhillips thanked everyone who had supported the trainees throughout the year. On behalf of the management committee Catherine Farrell thanked the trainees and staff for making the day a success and invited everyone to enjoy the refreshments provided by Drumlin's catering team.