This article is from page 4 of the 2007-10-02 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
ALMOST 5,000 people gathered in the square in Ennis on Saturday af- ternoon to see a former patient of En- nis General Hospital tear up a once prized photo of herself and Taoiseach BTUs owaUNOUIe
Maureen Hall, originally from Newbridge in Kildare but living in Doonaha with her husband Richard since the 1990s, brought the early afternoon protest to a close with her personal demonstration.
Mrs Hall told the crowd how she was ill and rushed to Ennis General Hospital; a hospital that, due to its lo- cality, saved her life.
Among those protesting for a 24- hour consultant-led accident and emergency service in Ennis were Clare People with Disabilities, Ennis Active Retirement, SIPTU, Shannon Aer Lingus Workers, Kildysart Agri- cultural Show, District Daycare Cen- tre Clarecastle, Birth Choice Clare, Clare Sinn Féin, the INO, The Lions Club and members of Clare’s locals PAu ieee ele lone
Notable by their absence were Clare’s two Fianna Fail TDs, Minis- ter Tony Killeen and Timmy Dooley. Marian Harkin MEP and Fine Gael deputies Joe Carey and Pat Breen were among the most senior politi- cians lending their support.
At midday, a crowd estimated by gardai at almost 4,000 left Cusack Park in Ennis and marched through
the town demanding that the HSE re- tain 24-hour accident and emergency at Ennis General Hospital and reo- pen the mammography unit.
People joined the march to the sound of the Tulla Ceili Band while those gathering in the square listened to the Ennis General Hospital Com- mittee’s fundraising CD.
The protest march was led by a cof- fin carried shoulder-high with the
slogan “20 deaths each year”’.
Once in the square, the crowd were addressed by a dozen speakers in- cluding the Chairman of the Ennis General Hospital Development Com- mittee, Peadar McNamara, for more than an hour and a half.
Each speaker outlined his or her fears for the local health services un- der current Government policy, most notably the so-called Hanly Report.
‘We are here in the square which has been a historic rallying point in Clare from O’Connell’s time right down to de Valera. Numerous politicians of all shapes have spoken here seeking our rights. We are in the same position. We pay taxes,” said Mr McNamara.