This article is from page 28 of the 2008-01-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 28 JPG
HELP is out there is the central message in a new song co-written by Ennis man Gerry Malone.
‘Clouds and Whispers’ was writ- ten by Gerry and Mattie Slattery and released as a charity single shortly before Christmas to benefit the Clare Living Links charity.
The two men are also members of the One and All group, established last year with the aim of promoting fellowship and helping those in soci- ety who find themselves in difficult situations.
All proceeds raised from the sale of Clouds and Whispers will also go
towards Clare Living Links. For five years the Living Links organisation has offered a suicide outreach sup- port service to families and individu- als in Clare who have been bereaved by suicide.
There are currently 10 fully trained volunteers staffing the service in the county.
In addition to healing programmes, volunteers respond to approaches made by a bereaved family or in- dividuals and can arrange to meet them inside or outside their homes or wherever the bereaved person feels most comfortable. All meetings are conducted in strict confidence. Gerry said he was moved to write the song
to address the tragic frequency of suicide in Ireland.
“There is an awful lot of despair and loneliness in society and suicide, sadly, seems to have become all too common in Ireland. It is an emotional song and acknowledges the fact that there are people in need of emotional support.”
Whispers and Clouds was produced by local man Mattie Purcell at his studio in Ennis. “I had the idea for a few years but I was never involved in a project like this before. I thought it would be good to give something back and I thought a CD would be a good idea,” added Gerry.
One and All is a community sup-
port group established by Mattie Slattery in Drogheda in 2006.
“It’s only in the initial stages at the moment in Ennis. There are other branches in Drogheda and Athlone. It mainly involves visiting people who are sick, the elderly and getting in touch with people in difficulty or who can’t help themselves,” said Gerry.
Clouds and Whispers is available in stores in Ennis. For further in- formation on One and All, contact oneanall@oceanfree.net.