Charlie, who works with the Aisling Project, said to me one day that she had just assessed a new referral that was the spitting image of Fred Astaire, right down to his shiny shoes. This was Sean, who arrived at the Irish Centre on our day of departure for our latest trip to Sligo looking… Read More

I didn’t even know Mick was Irish. I thought he was a cockney git always causing trouble at reception, a bit like Alf Garnett’s more bigoted brother, but without the charm. When Sally said she wanted to bring him to Donegal with us, I mustn’t have seemed best pleased, but she explained to me that… Read More

There was a concert for Aisling held at Vicar Street in Dublin last December. It was organised by Sean McGarry, a supporter of the cause and a very decent man. Before the concert myself and Joe sat in a corner of the bar meeting friends of Sean’s who had been out selling tickets over the… Read More

It is good to be able to put a story to bed. Last summer we reported on our website about a visit we made to Schull in Co Cork and the journey we made while we were there to Killarney, on the trail of the family of Patsy. Patsy is one of our long-term contacts… Read More

For the last two years Aisling has been staying for a free week every May in two holiday cottages in Donegal donated by supporters of the project. The cottages sleep 10 and we have enjoyed some memorable times there. John went to collect Billy at the hostel where he lives in Willesden. Billy had no… Read More

In Blessington by the lakes we hired four houses for the week of St. Patrick’s Day. When we arrived in Dublin on the ferry we were having serious trouble with Shane who it seems had decided that he did not want to be with us. He had wandered off a few times on the way… Read More

Corkery’s bar is on the high street in Killarney. It stands proudly as the last of the old pub/groceries in the town. It is a pleasure to make your way through the shop at the front past the sacks of grain, boxes of fruit and veg and stacks of tinned food. In the back is… Read More

We returned to Mulranny this year as if it was our home. It feels like that now and we always receive a great welcome from our spiritual parents and brothers and sisters in the small, unique community on the edge of Clew Bay. This year the weather was beautiful. The sun shone for the whole… Read More

Wicklow is a surprising county. It is only a few miles from Tallaght which is now the largest conurbation area in Ireland after Dublin, bigger than Cork, Limerick or anywhere else. This has all happened in the last 20 years or so. Yet Wicklow has some of the most beautiful unspoilt scenery in Ireland: the… Read More

‘I don’t think I’ll bother’, said John, standing in the doorway of Our Lady of Hal Catholic church on Arlington Rd, just down from Arlington House where the Aisling project began. Aisling were taking a group to Kerry and wanted John to come with us. John had a room in Arlington but he didn’t live… Read More