*Vicky Phelan
The Vicky Phelan Campaign and Portrait Tour will be held in Danlann An Chlair, Ennis at 7pm on January 26th.
Campaigner Vicky Phelan, who was terminally ill, unveiled a scandal involving cervical cancer treatment. Vicky was diagnosed with cervical cancer, three years after receiving the all-clear in 2014. This led Phelan to investigate the matter further, however she ultimately found that a number of additional women would eventually be affected. Vicky later passed away on November 14th, 2022.
The Vicky Phelan Campaign and Portrait Tour has commenced over the last few months and will commence in Clare for the first this Friday at 7pm in Danlann An Chlair, College Road, Ennis, free of charge.
This event will be hosted by Relay for Life Clare, and Clare Haven Services, along with Cllr. Mary Howard (FG).
There will be plenty of activity and affairs on the night, including David Brennan (a childhood friend of Vicky’s) will talk about Vicky’s life, her work and passion as well as explaining the imagery and symbolism on the Vincent Devine painting that he purchased at an auction in February 2021.
Cllr. Howard spoke to the Clare Echo ahead of the event and provided more detail on what to expect on the evening. “Two local cancer advocates, healthcare campaigner, John Wall of Lahinch and 221+ member Caoimhe O’Neill-Forde will speak about their cancer journeys also”.
The Ennis councillor is looking forward to her involvement with the event at Danlann An Chlair, “I was at the Campaign and Tour when it was hosted in Gort a couple months back, and I was fascinated by it. Just to learn about their stories, even the Imagery and Symbolism behind the Vincent Devine painting offers is intriguing. And to learn about Vicky and Laura Brennan’s push for medication over the years is very interesting. They were two great campaigners”.
David Brennan also spoke to the Clare Echo ahead of the event, as he will provide in-depth detail about Vicky, her battle with cervical cancer, and more.
“I knew Vicky all my life and have fond memories with her”.
He recalled to the Clare Echo, the incident in Dublin when she refused to sign the Non-Disclosure Agreement, which is a private interaction and is a constitutionally enforceable agreement. By adopting the legal document, the participants acknowledge that whatever delicate data they acquire will remain private. For David, that encapsulated Vicky’s personality, a strong, self-reliant lady.
“That moment describes who she was, and that will go down as the most selfless and heroic act in history”.
He added, “not only did she now have to fight her corner with cancer, but also had to fight the battle of the agreement, and she was willing to do so, having little time to live”.
Cllr. Mary Howard also expressed, “This event is not only for women, this is for everybody as men also get diagnosed with cancer, and it would be nice for everyone to come along and attend the evening”.
Plenty will happen at the event, as Colum McGrath from Clare FM will be the mc for the evening and will chat with the various guests. Presentations from the two Ennis secondary schools of Coláiste Mhuire and Ennis Community College, and a performance from the SMV Community Choir in Ennis will also take place on Friday evening.
Danlann An Chlair, College Road, Ennis (V94 C5RT) will host the only Clare scheduled event, Doors will open from 6:30pm and will kick off at 7pm-9pm.
