Bantry humanitarian Amy Boyden opens our eyes to life in a refugee camp on Lesvos Feast in The Field page 28 pages 2-3 www.westcorkpeople.ie & www.westcorkfridayad.ie July 2 – August 5, 2021, Vol XVII, Edition 227 FREE Old Town Hall, McCurtain Hill, Clonakilty, Co. Cork. E: [email protected] P: 023 8835698 FOOD & LIFESTYLE pages 25-42 NEW 3008 Plug-in Hybrid Holly and Michael Tanner from Enniskeane, with their cousin Max Tanner (centre), enjoy a day out at CLARKE BROS LTD Ballincollig Regional Park. Main Peugeot Dealer, ClonakiltyCLARKE Road, Bandon, BROS Co. Cork. Tel: 023-8841923 ARTS & Web:(BANDON) www.clarkebrosgroup.ie LTD ENTERTAINMENT Billboards celebrate creativity in Bantry Main Peugeot Dealer, pages 43-47 West Cork is known as a hub of cultur- Brendan Jennings, shoemaker; Belinda Clonakilty Road, al activity: Now an outdoor exhibition Lang, actor and director; Annabel of life-size portraits organised by a Langrish, visual artist; Danny Vincent Bandon, Co. Cork. volunteer group, ‘Bantry Creates’ fea- Smith, painter; and Ashley Wholihan, Tel: 023-8841923 tures local artists, some well-known, traditional musician. others unsung, working in different The BantryCreates.com website www.clarkebrosgroup.ie disciplines and living in the greater provides more information about each Bantry area. Using photography and individual. Contact Ian Carey text, these remarkable billboards Bantry Creates is organised by cura- 087 2624747 show visitors and residents alike how tor Catherine Hammond, photographer prevalent creativity is in this part of Benson Russell, and graphic designer [email protected] West Cork. Jenny Dempsey, all also from the Eleven large portraits on exterior Bantry area. The project is generously walls of businesses and public build- funded in part by the Cork County ings throughout the heart of the town ment or heritage, but its people. Council Arts Office, Creative Ireland, will be on show until October. They Individuals featured include: Jef- the Cork County Council Municipal tell stories of exceptional people who frey Caine, screenwriter; Rory Conner, District Amenity grants, West Cork are representative of the many ways master cutler; Wendy Dison, visual Music, and other generous sponsors. A HOME & GARDEN creativity contributes to the communi- artist; Claire Dix, filmmaker; Nobby crowdfunding campaign at GoFund- pages 48-52 ty. They focus on what makes Bantry Dunne, inventor; Marlene Enright, Me is underway to cover the rest of special, not just its beautiful environ- songwriter and music educator; the budget. Now that we can go further..... Add your business 83,000 unique website westcork.ie today! visits last year! explore 2 July 2 – August 5, 2021 Bantry volunteer says Ireland needs to do more to help with refugee crisis “Everyone deserves the since 2016, when her passion inside,” shares Amy. is when they cannot stop smiling same chance at life,” says for international human rights People spend months to years and they are so excited to start humanitarian aid worker and global justice, inspired trapped on the island due to the their lives.” by her Godmother, who has inadequate resources available The role of a volunteer is and UCC law graduate volunteered with many different for asylum processing. “When mostly rewarding. “Being able Amy Boyden from Bantry NGOs over the years, led her to and if their asylum is granted, to teach the residents English “and it should not be begin volunteering with Trocaire many face a transfer to mainland and watching them improve with determined by where you and then also with the NGO Greece where they have more their writing and vocab skills were born.” Amy is volun- Bridge to Resources, Integration difficulties accessing servic- makes me feel very proud,” says and Justice (BRIJ), an organi- es and are often left alone to Amy. “It is a win/win situation, teering at a refugee camp sation that aids people in Direct navigate the complex finance, they want to learn English and on Lesvos in Greece and Provision. medical, and legal systems. it makes me happy. We have shares her heartrending ex- “The conditions across the “If they receive a second re- a good time together, they perience with West Cork Aegean islands for refugees and jection of their asylum they have aren’t just refugees they are my People of the struggle and asylum seekers are horrific and to apply for asylum from the friends.” inhumane,” shares Amy “with very beginning all over again. However, some days in camp conditions the refugees in inadequate shelters and a severe Some of the residents have spent are harder than others. “There the camp face every day for lack of accessibility to various two years of their life waiting to was a case where a mother of years on end. services.” get their application through and three, pregnant with her fourth People can remain in the camp then to be rejected for a second child, put her three children here are approximately for months to years, in a state of time is soul crushing for them. outside the tent and went back 6,000 refugees in the limbo, with no clear answer on All they want is to start living inside and set herself on fire,” Lesvos camp, 2,000 of their asylum application. There their lives again; they want to says Amy sadly. “She couldn’t Twhom are under the age of 18. is also a lack of accessibility of move forwards with their lives take it for one more day. But she Amy, a law graduate from UCC, structured education for children not stay stuck.” didn’t die, and now she is being has been volunteering there for who account for almost half the Despite being faced with prosecuted for arson. the past four months, helping population of the camp. When such hopelessness and harsh “Each refugee has their story, with distribution and outreach matched with the under-re- only one member from each Temperatures in Lesvos conditions every day, Amy their own horror story. Life is programmes, which includes sourced and slow processing of household can leave camp per have now started to rise over says these people are inspiring far from easy; it is a constant providing clothing for babies, asylum applications, this leads week,” says Amy. “The tents are 30 degrees and will continue to in their resilience; they dare to struggle for them. We will never children, teenagers and adults. to a sense of hopelessness and small and have hardly any venti- rise up to 40 degrees. “There dream and aspire like all of us. understand what they have gone She also teaches adult English dismay. lation; in some cases two to three is no shading in camp and, as a “When someone has been grant- through unless it would happen classes to beginners and basics. “The camp has restricted families share these tents. Some result, the tents the refugees are ed asylum and they have been to us. And if it were to happen Amy has been volunteering access for entry and exit, and get along and others don’t.” provided with are too hot to stay accepted to go to Germany, this Continued on next page... 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She strongly believes that a basic human right to be treated ‘Push backs’ needs to be brought Ireland needs to take more as a human. to an end; these people are treat- refugees. “These people just want to ed without any humanity.” “When Moria, the previous live in peace, restart their lives Amy passionately believes refugee camp, burned down in Get ready for summer days with our and have a better future for their more needs to be done to help September 2020, Ireland said children. Is this too much to refugees. it would take in four, out of comprehensive range of paints, ask?” “The EU needs to do more, the 12,000 refugees that were blinds and shading solutions. With restricted access and exit Ireland needs to do more, we all displaced due to the fire. Four from the camp on Lesvos due need to do more. people, that is shameful as a to lockdown, there has been a “I find it bizarre that certain country. Delivering all over West Cork & Cork City! greater decline in mental health. countries, such as Denmark, “Since the 1800s, 10 million People are trapped inside the want their refugees who have people have immigrated outside CURTAINS • FABRICS • BLINDS • PAINTS • INTERIOR DESIGN camp and they don’t have access been granted asylum and estab- of Ireland; I think we should HOME INTERIORS & DECORATIVE FURNITURE to the same hygiene levels be- lished their lives in Denmark welcome people the same way Cork Rd, Skibbereen (next to Apple Green) cause they all share the same toi- to be sent back to their country we have been welcomed. Ireland lets and showers. While there are of origin because some of their should also end Direct Provision, 028 23162 • [email protected] • www.fusionhome.ie masks, hand sanitation and rapid countries have been deemed as as this system is inadequate and Opening Times: Mon - Fri 8am to 5.30pm | Sat 8am to 5pm antigen and PCR tests available, ‘safe’. is demoralising. Within this sys- the camp doesn’t always allow “In Kabul, Afghanistan, 40 tem people eat off paper plates, for social distancing; it is not schoolgirls were killed in a use plastic cutlery, are not able to physically possible because there bombing last month; in Iran, work or cook, they are not able are several people sharing tents.