This article is from page 1 of the 2011-12-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 1 JPG
A 16-year-old Ennistymon girl who was struck by lightning in her home is fighting to be out of hospital for Christmas. Sixteen-year-old Aisling O’Connell was using a hairdryer in her home in Clonomera, just a mile outside Ennistymon when she was struck by lighting on Thursday, December 16.
Aisling, who is a keen basketball player and a student at Scoil Mhuire in Ennistymon, remains in hospital in Galway at the moment with burns to her head and neck. She has undergone a number of skin-grafts on the effected areas and is responding well to treatment.
Aisling is a member of the school U-16 basketball team who won the Munster U-16 title over the weekend. Members of the team contacted Aisling in hospital after the historic win.
“Everyone at the school is hoping and praying for a speedy recovery. We would also like to wish her and her family all the best over Christmas,” said a spokesperson from Scoil Mhuire in Ennistymon.
According to one Ennistymon local, Aisling is a brave girl and hoped are high that she will be out of hospital for Christmas.
“What we have heard is that she is doing well and is making a good recovery, she might even be out for Christmas,’ they said.
The last recorded report of a lighting strike in Clare took place in January of 2009