If The Walls Had Ears

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"I'd like to think I know him best because he smiles a lot when I'm around especially when I pretend to slip and fall"

Sean Ryan from Portlaoise is 12. 

His twin brother Liam has Cerebral Palsy. Sean is very proud of once having been awarded the youngest Carer of the year. His first thoughts of the day are about his brother. His mother Niamh says this comes with growing up around siblings with complex needs and it naturally brings out the kindness in him.

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"I always stand up for myself because that's what you have to do. It is hard, but I just do it to say that I'm able to do stuff myself"

20 year old Aoife Byrne from County Laois has never let her Down Syndrome get in the way of her life. As a volunteer for the Irish Red Cross, and now studying, she tells Ann -Marie of her many hopes, among them, her dream of living independently in the country. Aoife's mother Geraldine talks of a difficult time Aoife experienced when she had to be taken out of school. Aoife's prospects of living independently are positive as we hear of a Field of Dreams coming to her county.

“If the bedroom walls had ears” platforms a group of people finding hope and purpose and coming to wisdom on their individual and unique journeys.”

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"The Pandemic has exposed the extremities of the working conditions of the Carer in the Private Homecare Sector. Not receiving sick pay, not being able to make ends meet".
25 year old Nicholas O Neill from Abbeyleix believes his research can make a change.
Being the first in his family to go to college, Nick has just received a substantial award to undertake a PhD with his research.

After jaw dropping findings, the research became 'like a piece of investigative journalism'  when Nick and his Supervisor realised no one had documented what's going on in the homecare sector in Ireland.
Nick's focus is now on the gap between a HSE worker and the Private Care worker. 
"By outsourcing care to the private sector, it's much cheaper than employing HSE carers".

"Ireland uses a model which cuts costs as much as possible. Private care providers are run as a business with a for-profit ethos, usually this comes at the expense of the workers". He finds they suffer the most because of the lack of government regulation in the Private Sector. He's giving a voice to carers who have been on the front line.

"It's always been my focus if I get into academia, to put out research that is actually relevant to people. I hope that the research I'm doing can lead to positive change".

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Kai is turning 18 and last year, during the first lock down, he decided it was time to come out and transition. He felt such a relief when he could finally speak about it to his family and friends because as he says 'I was a very angry person for so many years.'
Kai's brother and sister, parents and grandparents have been incredibly supportive - His father Jason who is in the army says: 
'He's still my child, all we can do is support his decision and make sure he's happy. That's the main thing.'
Kai speaks openly about the relief he feels , his love for his 12 year old sister who reassured him that he would always be loved. And of his hopes and dreams of living in Dublin.

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Tobi-A is a 21 year old R'n'B singer originally from Mountmellick, Co. Laois who has found his voice after playing drums and rapping for many years. Tobi is a devout Christian. At the age of 17 he "found his faith and joy in Jesus" which, he says, made him the person he is today. 

This is the first episode in a 6 part series, produced by award-winning Broadcaster Ann Marie Kelly. In it, she documents the hopes and dreams of young people, now confined to their bedrooms, hidden away, often behind a screen. What is revealed over the 6 episodes is a group of young people looking for hope and purpose and finding wisdom on their individual journeys.

If The Bedroom Walls Had Ears would like to acknowledge the funding it has received from the Keep Well Campaign which is brought to you with thanks to Healthy Ireland, an institute of the government of Ireland with funding from the Healthy Ireland fund and the Sláinte Care fund delivered by Pobal, administered  by Laois County Council and Healthy Ireland Laois.

Send us Fan Mail

Tobi-A is a 21 year old R'n'B singer originally from Mountmellick, Co. Laois who has found his voice after playing drums and rapping for many years. Tobi is a devout Christian. At the age of 17 he "found his faith and joy in Jesus" which, he says, made him the person he is today. 

This is the first episode in a 6 part series, produced by award-winning Broadcaster Ann Marie Kelly. In it, she documents the hopes and dreams of young people, now confined to their bedrooms, hidden away, often behind a screen. What is revealed over the 6 episodes is a group of young people looking for hope and purpose and finding wisdom on their individual journeys.

If The Bedroom Walls Had Ears would like to acknowledge the funding it has received from the Keep Well Campaign which is brought to you with thanks to Healthy Ireland, an institute of the government of Ireland with funding from the Healthy Ireland fund and the Sláinte Care fund delivered by Pobal, administered  by Laois County Council and Healthy Ireland Laois.