A RAMELTON woman living in Toronto will take part in St Patrick’s Day parade celebrations there to raise awareness of the mica crisis.

Yvonne Bryant plans to wave ‘100 per cent redress no less’ banners at the parade, which will be attended by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Donegal TD., Charlie McConalogue.

After putting out a rallying call on social media for ‘100 per cent no less redress’ banners and for other Irish Canadians to join her on the parade, Yvonne said she has been inundated with responses.  She also had one very special phone call.

Speaking to the Donegal News, Yvonne, a mental health care worker, said: “My sister Kathleen, who lives in Ramelton and whose home is mica-affected, just rang me to say she will be joining me in the parade. She’s bringing a suitcase of banners.

“I feel very passionate about this.  I have seen families living in caravans. Marriages are breaking down due to the stress of mica, while the Irish government is turning its back on its citizens. I am embarrassed by it.

“I read that Charlie McConalogue is going to represent Ireland at the St Patrick’s Day parade in Toronto. The government can send people all over the world but can’t look after its own citizens, who are hardworking taxpayers. It is taxpayers money that is sending them to these countries.”

Although living in Canada for 30 years, Yvonne is a regular visitor to Donegal coming back every year to visit her sister and mother, who both still live in Ramelton.

“Kathleen’s home is very badly affected by mica.  I stayed with Kathleen the last time I was over in October and the cracks in her home are awful. She is even more worried because of Storm Eunice because it will mean more elements getting into the bricks. Kathleen worked in Canada and Australia and came back to Ramelton to settle. She bought a house outright and now she is 65 coming 66 and she finds her home is destroyed because of mica. It’s incredibly unfair.”

Yvonne said people in Canada are becoming more aware of the mica crisis in Donegal.

“There is a large cohort of Irish Canadians. The St Patrick’s Day parade features The Donegal Club. They are represented every year in the parade.

“We are getting more educated by it. The entire world is becoming more aware of the mica crisis in Donegal. When the pyrite crisis happened in Dublin, it was sorted for those affected. Why are Donegal residents not seeing the same response from the government?”

Yvonne said the situation arising in Donegal from Mica would never have happened in Canada. “For a start, our quarries are regulated, they weren’t in Donegal.”