ONE Home opens In Cobh

VETERANS’ CHARITY OPENS ITS FOURTH HOSTEL FOR HOMELESS VETERANS

On Sunday 3rd of October 2021, a very significant occurrence for Defence Forces Veterans happened in Munster, and south of the River Blackwater. Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann (ONE) or the Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel opened its fourth hostel Brú na Farraige for homeless veterans, and a Veteran Support Centre in Cobh, Co Cork.

ONE prides itself on the charitable work it carries out for the welfare of veterans of the Irish Defence Forces by way of providing accommodation and advice to homeless veterans, or veterans in need.

This project finally came to fruition for a small number of volunteers and staff of ONE after 4-years’ work. The idea to open a home in Cobh came to ONE volunteer Diarmuid Higgins 4-years ago when he was driving home from the ONE conference after hearing of the great work the organisation was doing with homes in Letterkenny, Dublin, and Athlone. Diarmuid knew the ideal building in Cobh and set the plan in motion.

Many VIPs were present including Minister for Defence Simon Coveney TD, Deputy Mayor of Co. Cork, Cllr Cathal Rasmussen, Secretary General Dept of Defence Ms Jacqui McCrum, Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lt-General Sean Clancy, along with DCOS (Sp) Major General Adrian O’Murchu and FOCNS Commodore Michael Malone. Other guests included members of the Oireachtas, Cork County Council, Defence Forces, other Veterans Organisations, Defence Forces Representative Associations, and the Office of Public Works (OPW).

Prior to the official opening, ONE had an inauguration ceremony for the position of national president. Outgoing holder Jim Fay thanked all those he had the opportunity to meet during his term and handed over the chain of office to incoming National President Diarmuid Higgins. Diarmuid spoke about the project and thanked all his branch members and his family for supporting him.

ONE Board Chairperson Colm Campbell said in introducing Diarmuid as the new National President, “It is truly fitting that he assumes the office of President of ONE at the opening of our house in Cobh, a house that could not have been developed without his dedication and leadership.”

In his address, Colm explained, “Cobh is a town rich in maritime, naval and military history. It has an unbroken association with the Defence Forces, and it was really important that we established a presence in the town to support our veterans. It is also fitting that we do so on the 70th anniversary of ONE and continue to build on our four enduring pillars: Support, Comradeship, Advocacy, and Remembrance.”

He continued, “The needs of our veterans developed from difficult situations and the circumstances in which some veterans now find themselves are both real and challenging. The opening of Brú na Farraige is another important step in addressing those challenges and this home and Veteran Support Centre joins our other facilities and services across Ireland which include: 37 Branches; 15 Veteran Support Centres for advice and support which operate with the backing of the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces.”

In his conclusion, Colm thanked a lot of donors and supports of the project, too many to mention here, but they have been thanked personally and at the event itself. He said, “ONE does not blame others for the plight of our homeless veterans; rather we have a host of volunteers and professional staff wanting to find solutions and accepting, in the spirit of comradeship, responsibility for their fellow veteran. Instead of asking questions about what others are doing, ONE must continuously challenge ourselves to do more. Please continue to help ONE to make Ireland one of the best places to be a Veteran.”

In officially opening the new hostel and Veteran Support Centre in Cobh Minister for Defence and for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney TD, congratulated ONE on the opening of the new facility, saying that it is “A proud day for all members of Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann as the project to convert an old Social Welfare building into a facility with accommodation and a drop-in advice centre for veterans comes to fruition.” Minister Coveney concluded by stating that “ONE has made a great difference to the lives of ex-servicemen and women who have had cause to avail of its services.” Minister Coveney then wished ONE every success with the facility in Cobh and in the future 

Visit http://one-veterans.org/ for more information on ONE.

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