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Air Ambulance service to be grounded due to lack of funds

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Ireland’s first charitably funded Air Ambulance operated by Irish Community Rapid Response (ICRR) and staffed by the National Ambulance Service (NAS) medical personnel is to be grounded indefinitely this coming Friday - due to lack of funds.

The service has flown over 351 missions in just under eight months since it began operating the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service.

“We are incredibly upset that lives will be lost due to the grounding of this service at this time, especially given how vital frontline medical support is during the COVID-19 pandemic and how incredibly successful the service has been to date,” Operations Manager for the charity, Ruth Bruton said.

ICRR had already implemented harsh cost cutting measures in an effort to continue, which included the laying off of non-essential staff, cutting hours of current staff and the already introduced five-day operational week.

“Our sincere thanks to the people of Ireland who supported this service and kept it flying for the last eight months, you have all been part of a community that has saved hundreds of lives and impacted many, many families. We could not have gotten off the ground without every single person who donated money, gave their time to fundraise or share our mission.”

All fundraising avenues have been extinguished due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a last resort, ICRR immediately sought interim support from Government, however, they have yet to receive correspondence from them about interim supports to keep this vital frontline service flying as cardiac arrests, strokes, farming accidents and road traffic collisions still occur amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Board at ICRR are distraught at having to cease operations and withdraw this frontline service during the current crisis, she added.

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Irish feature film set for Killarney cinema debut

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A new feature film, created by Irish writer and director Liam O Mochain, is set for release in Killarney next Friday, November 7.

Mr O Mochain said he is delighted to bring ABODE to a Killarney audience following its sold out world premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh and a screening at the recent IndieCork film festival.

ABODE is a feature film with five stories connected by the theme of home and what it means to the different characters in the film.

It shows that home has an importance and a different meaning for everyone.

In ABODE, everyone wants to belong somewhere. The film was shot over a three-year period and finished in early 2025.

O Mochain says that the stories are a mix of drama and comedy, inspired by true stories, events or incidents.

It is set on the theme of home which is very relevant today.

Ryan Lincoln, Sophie Vavessuer, and Liam O Mochain are among the cast.

ABODE is O Mochain’s fourth feature film. His 2017 feature film ‘Lost & Found’ screened at festivals around the world from the Galway Film Fleadh to the Austin Film Festival

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Local pharmacies restock Lions ‘Message in a Bottle’

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Killarney pharmacies are restocked with ‘Message in a Bottle’, an initiative by Killarney Lions Club.

It is a small plastic container, available free of charge, with an information form which people can fill out with their basic medical details for use by Paramedics, Gardaí, Fire-fighters and first responders in an emergency.

Once the information form is complete, the bottle should be placed in the fridge.

Self-adhesive green cross labels should be put on the front door of the home and on the fridge so that first responders know its there.

Bottles are available at the following pharmacies: Allcare (New St.), Boots (Deerpark), CarePlus+ (Park Rd.), Kennelly’s (Reeks and New St.), Reens Life (Plunkett St.), O’Sullivan’s (New St.), Sewell’s (New St.), Sheahan’s (Main St.), Trants (Park Rd.) and Aherns Farranfore.

Jason Higgins, President of Killarney Lions Club, said that the initiative has been very well received to date as hundreds of people are already using the bottles.

He said: “We just want to make sure everyone who wants a bottle can get one, so the support from the pharmacies is fantastic and if it helps even just one person to get the help they need more quickly and effectively, it is well worth it.”

More information about the Message in a Bottle initiative can be found on the Lions Ireland website: https://lionsclubs.ie/service/message-in-a-bottle/

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