Irish Barrack O'Bama

Last Sunday, I was at Action For Mobility's Christmas and 21st birthday party in the Royal Dublin Hotel. It makes me sad to think that was the last Christmas party in the hotel, because it's closing its door on December 21st.

The Royal Dublin Hotel is the only accessible hotel in O'Connell Street. AFM is a voluntary group made up of people with and without disabilities. The aims of AFM are promote accessible issues in the areas of transport, education and promoting indepence of its members and thus making people aware of issues which affect people with disabilities in their daily lives. In 1988 Sean Farrell (Barrack O'Bama) was a volunteer in the Irish Wheelchair Association, he was troubled by the attitudes that people had towards people in wheelchair and people with disabiliies in general. The prevailing attitude was that they were the receievers and it was people without disabilities who dictated what was good for them and the people with disabilities had little or no input. So Sean and his friends (who were of the same opinion) asked around and organised two weekends away. They didn't want to go to the usual places that people with disabilities went instead they tried to explore Bed and Breakfasts and hotels that were accessible. The other problem that they faced that there was no accessible transport so AFM was the first group to lobby CIE. Well after the great success of the weekends Sean and his friends set up Action For Mobility, what makes it different is that people with and without disabilities have equality and can input to the running of the charity. I was at Chairperson in 1994, secretary in 1993 and PRO in 1995. I was in charge of the Holiday and social committee from 1994 - 2000. One of the weekends I organised was an adventure weekend to Triglin. Members went Absailing (even those in wheelchairs) canoeing, sailing orienteering(although certain people with no sense of direction of direction got lost, yes I'm talking about myself). Sean when he made his speech at the party talked about the support he got fro Mochra Na Fiernne and Peter Murphy who organised a Table quizes to funraised for AFM. Carmel the current chairperson and Colm Nolan a former member talked about thier experiences in AFM and it was than that sean was christened Barrack O'Bama. There have been several Christmas parties, holiday and social and transport committee meeting and of the occassional drinking session in the Royal Dublin Hotel. Although they may not have gotten right (One or two members have christened it Fawlty Tower, with appologies to Basil) they were there for us!
The hotel is going to be flattened and turned into a car park (do we really need another one!)