Buncrana’s iCARE  has celebrated 25 years of  providing support for autistic individuals 

It was a trip down memory lane for iCARE on Saturday 27 when it celebrated 25 incredible years. 

Family, friends and the community came together and joined all the iCARE Team to celebrate at the Inishowen Gateway Hotel for what was a fun packed night at the iCabaret!  

A massive thanks goes out to the fabulous Eoin Callaghan MC on the night, to the fantastic entertainers - The Inish Theatre Kids, Sister Act, The Gateway Singers, Folk & Flame, Vivid Performance, Studio 47, the wonderful iCARE Choir and Noise in General, to Catherine O’Donnell for decorating the room so beautifully, to Stephen Ferguson who made sure that sound and lights were top notch and to Sinead, Marie and all the Team at the Inishowen Gateway Hotel for their excellent service and all their support to iCARE over the years.

READ NEXT: In pictures: iCARE 25th anniversary cabaret

iCARE  has thanked the  main sponsors:  Coyles Homevalue, HML Plant Sales, Plant Hire and Construction, Gary And Sharon McCann, Padraig Lawlor, Shelley’s Childcare, Coyles coal and Colm Dillon Motors; and the the generous sponsors of raffle prizes: Buncrana Bottling Company, Adam Porter, Abrakebabra, A&N Fuels, Teresa Ann Boyle, Aspace Multisensory Centre, Lorena McGrory Cakes, Catherine McGrotty, Brunswick Moviebowl, Oopsie Daisy Florist, Martina & Paul McLaughlin, James McHugh, Garry Gamble, Orchid Beauty, Braw, A Tan, Della Kelly, Ella’s Nails and Zoe’s Beauty Studio. 

How iCARE began

The journey started when seven families all united with a common goal, to get the very best and whatever it took for their autistic children to be happy and to reach their potential. Safe to say they achieved their target! iCARE now provides a service that is the envy of the rest of the country.

Without these seven children and their determined parents, iCARE wouldn't exist. They were a force to be reckoned with and ‘no’ was an unacceptable word and not part of their vocabulary.

Blessed to live in Inishowen, every door they knocked on, the answer was a resounding ‘YES’ from Sinead McLaughlin in Scoil Iosagain to Cecelia Keaveney then TD and everyone in between, IDP, Don Mc Dywer HSE, local media and every other organisation in the peninsula. They made numerous trips to the Dail or Cecelia took ministers up to them. Basically, they put their shoulders to the wheel and broke down barriers. There were no special classes for autism back then, there were no courses for teachers or SNAs to upskill, they had to lobby for all that.

Doreen Friel, iCARE chairperson and founding member, drew on her experience of teaching autistic children and teenagers for over 25 years, 

“What I do know is every autistic person is unique. There is a pathway for everyone. To younger parents, I would say don’t compare your autistic child to anyone else. Readiness to learn is hugely important and comes to different children at different times. Never give up, you will not be disappointed. You might be exhausted, frustrated, at the end of your tether but your child will lead you and will make you proud.”

Members of the organising committee of the iCARE 25th anniversary celebration: Kathleen Gill, Agnes Doherty, Karen Callaghan and Christy Gallagher

Referencing the many milestones over a quarter of a century Doreen said “ We have so many people and organisations to thank but specifically the community first and foremost and all the local groups for supporting and sustaining iCARE for 25 years”. She went on to mention the opening of the iCARE centre at Looking Glass Brae. Angela Tourish was central to this, the establishment of Sonas the youth club, Liam Gill was central to this, the foundation of iADULT, the children coming of age inspired this and most recently, the funding announcement by the HSE. 

Doreen thanked her fellow directors, committed staff, Edel Quinn HSE and team and elected representatives Charlie McConalogue, Padraig McLaughlin, Jack Murray, Fionán Bradley and Joy Beard for their ongoing commitment to iCARE and support in getting this funding over the line.

“You don’t get to a landmark 25 year birthday without support and renewed energy. There have been many more families, management committees and Boards of Directors over the course of the 25 years. They have all contributed to getting iCARE to where it is today and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for that contribution. Every single person made a difference. To everyone who has worked and volunteered for us over the years. We could not have kept going without you.

We thank the founding parents for their vision 25 years ago: Hugh and Edel Mc Gonagle, Catherine Gallanagh, Bernie Galligan, Bridget and Seán McCauley, Afke and John Barr, Doreen Friel and Paddy Doherty. Angela Tourish was singled out and thanked for the many years she dedicated to the organisation.”

The landscape of autism has changed dramatically over the past 25 years as awareness, acceptance and understanding grows. That said, a diagnosis of autism is still a lonely and isolating place to be.  25 years ago, there was little awareness and even less understanding. The parents stuck together and supported each other and Doreen urged other parents to reach out to iCARE, to the parent support group which meets every Friday at 10am at the iCARE centre.

The next 25 years

iCARE has a vision and a strategic plan going forward. It aims to appoint key personnel and to replace our prefabs with a permanent building and it will expand and reach out to all areas of the peninsula.

Employment rates for autistic adults in Ireland are alarmingly low, with estimates suggesting that as few as 20% of autistic adults are in full-time employment. Ireland has one of the lowest disability employment rates in the EU, and autistic people face the highest unemployment rate of any disability group.

Our autistic community is as entitled to employment, to independent living and to housing as anyone else. Parents are aging and need peace of mind. For iCARE, the sky is the limit. When the 7 parents set out they wanted the same opportunities as everyone else for their children. That hasn’t changed. Now they want the same opportunities as everyone else for their autistic adults. 

There’s a few miles left to complete this marathon but they are still going step by step! Watch this space!

iCARE will also be featured on RTÉ’s Nationwide in the coming weeks.