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FLORENCE HAMILTON HAS lived in her home in Ballivor, Meath for over 30 years. She has reared her children there, her playschool business is based in her back garden. Children come and go as we chat. Fifty metres away, diggers shift huge mounds of earth and a man dressed all in black keeps a watchful eye.
There is hoarding and ‘Keep Out’ signs. Building work has started and the pounding of steel on stone is deafening. ‘Any queries should be sent to info@narconon.ie’ is written on a sign posted on the hoarding.
Narconon bills itself as a drug rehabilitation therapy linked to the Church of Scientology. It was confirmed at the start of this year that the centre was to open in Ballivor. The multi-million euro development will cater for 34 “students” and 18 staff.
According to its official website, Narconon “uses unique rehabilitation technology that gets to the problem at its source and provides a path for long-term success”.
But their methods have proven controversial.
Their drug detoxification programme uses high doses of vitamins along with long periods in dry saunas which it says is an attempt to flush toxins out of your body. The HSE has previously said that “Scientology’s drug treatment programme has no standing amongst medical professionals involved in the treatment of persons with alcohol and drug use disorders”.
A spokesperson at the National Drug Treatment Centre said:
“It comprises a series of interventions (‘Narconon’) with limited or no basis in a scientific understanding of human physiology and brain functioning and may potentially be harmful directly (with overuse of vitamins and other products) and indirectly in that persons are engaging in an intervention with no evidence of potential benefit for them.”
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Florence described the fear and anxiety she and many in the small community of Ballivor are experiencing. Her fear masks an anger. Hamilton, along with a large number of locals opposed to the Narconon centre, feel abandoned by the Government.
“I found out about it before Christmas and I didn’t believe it. I thought our Government would not allow it to happen because there is no supervision of what they do. It’s not going to sit easy with me, them being there. I run a preschool and my preschool is situated here. Having a rehab centre for drug addicts there – it doesn’t marry at all.
“Seemingly the powers that be don’t have the will to change it. They don’t care because it’s not on their doorstep. We had politicians down here. They were going to do this, that and the other, they got the photo opportunity and ran for the hills and left us to it.”
The noise of the drilling is now impacting on Hamilton and the children she and her colleagues look after, she says, and is something which she finds distressing.
“They’ve started here a week ago. The noise of the pounding and pulling up the foundations – my little ones who make a lot of noise themselves couldn’t take it – they had to come in from the play yard.”
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A sign telling people to stay away from the building site. Nicky Ryan / TheJournal.ie
Nicky Ryan / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie
TheJournal.ie travelled to Ballivor on Wednesday of this week and attempted to gauge the opinion of locals. We were soon to discover first hand how security deals with curious visitors.
Our video journalist started filming the outside of the building, outside the hoarding on public property, when he and this reporter were met by a man dressed head-to-toe in black with a cap pulled down over his face. He had earlier started filming protesters who were standing outside. The man walked out holding a camera in his hand.
Both journalists identified themselves as working for TheJournal.ie and asked why the man was filming protesters. He did not respond but instead walked back behind the 12-foot hoarding. The man’s camera then appeared over the top of the hoarding and started filming again. The protesters had long gone at this stage. TheJournal.ie once again asked the man why he was filming and what he thought about locals’ concerns. There was no response.
A security guard films reporters outside the Narconon centre in Ballivor, Meath. Nicky Ryan / TheJournal.ie
Nicky Ryan / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie
The camera peeking out over the hoarding. Nicky Ryan / TheJournal.ie
Nicky Ryan / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie
The security guard who declined to comment when asked why he was filming protesters. Nicky Ryan / TheJournal.ie
Nicky Ryan / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie
Attempts to find someone locally who is in favour of the centre to talk on the record proved unsuccessful. Business owners were concerned that any apparent support for Narconon could mean a reduction in their business. They also feared being ostracised in their community.
One business owner, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said he had no problem with the centre coming in. He added that he had read up on it and urged locals in the area to do the same.
“I had people coming in saying, ‘isn’t it terrible’ and all this and I thought I’d read up on it. I think people are thinking that there’ll be drug addicts just wandering around the place and that’s not what it is going to be, I think.
“But I can’t put my face and my name out there because Ballivor is a very small place. Everyone knows everyone. I’d actually be risking my livelihood if I did that.”
Many people we approached told us that they did not know enough to comment on what was happening. Others said they didn’t want the Church of Scientology knowing their names or face.
Protests
Claire O’Mara is a member of the ‘Ballivor Says No’ group – a community programme attempting to resist Narconon coming into the village.
Her message is similar to Hamilton’s – Narconon and its Scientology links are not welcome in Ballivor.
“I’m very nervous. I didn’t know much about Scientology or Narconon but I spent days and weeks reading up on it and I’m worried. We have no idea why they chose such a small village. It’s a very small place. I have not spoken to anyone who wants it here. They’re going back home and parishioners if you can call them that, that they’re welcome. They’re not welcome. We are going to everything in our power to stop them.”
Signs on the door of a local community centre. Nicky Ryan / TheJournal.ie
Nicky Ryan / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie
Local politicians have also been vocal on the matter. Sinn Féin TD Peader Tóibín said there was “a massive gap” in the government’s responsibilities, saying “there is absolutely no legislation and no regulation governing how these residential drug rehabilitation centres operate”.
Toibín said that, in addition to closer scrutiny of the centres themselves, the qualifications of the staff employed to administer the courses also needed to be regulated.
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Saunas and high vitamin doses: The discredited Scientology-backed drug rehab programme slated for Meath
Fine Gael Councillor Noel French has been part of the movement against the centre. He spoke of his disappointment that the initial plans for a nursing home did not come to fruition and that this drug treatment centre was instead coming to a village of 1,700 people.
“My main reaction was it was an awful pity that the original planning for a nursing home was not being proceeded with. There are about 23 older people from the parish here who are in nursing homes outside the parish. It would have been a great boost for the community
“We are concerned about the size of the centre. There will be 34 addicts being here for rehab. I don’t have a problem with rehab but I am concerned about the size of it within the community.
“There are no standards here in Ireland with a drug rehab centre. We have raised this with all three TDs from Meath West and each have said they too would be concerned.”
The main street in Ballivor. Nicky Ryan / TheJournal.ie
Nicky Ryan / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie
TheJournal.ie contacted the Department of Health and asked it to clarify its position of the Narconon centre and the complete lack of regulations in the drug rehabilitation industry.
A spokeswoman for the department said: “The Department of Health would advise anyone seeking treatment for addiction to contact their local HSE Addiction Service.
“The Department has no jurisdiction over agencies that provide private addiction treatment services. There is currently no provision in legislation for the regulation or inspection of residential treatment or rehabilitation centres specialising in addiction.
“Organisations which provide addiction services and are funded by the HSE are required to meet minimum standards in the delivery of services across a range of criteria which form the basis of any service level agreement.
“The HSE has informed the Department of Health that there is no evidence to suggest that the drug treatment programme, provided by the organisation referred to would meet with any of the criteria set out by the HSE for agencies that provide addiction services on its behalf.
The HSE considers that the organisation’s drug treatment programme comprises a series of interventions with limited or no basis in a scientific understanding of human physiology and brain functioning.”
TheJournal.ie contacted Narconon and asked if it felt it should be regulated by the State and asked its opinion on the protesters’ concerns. The HSE’s stance on the treatment was also questioned by Narconon.
A spokesman for the group said: “Narconon representatives have been meeting with local Ballivor residents over the past number of weeks and each meeting has been courteous and residents who have engaged are interested in the centre. Narconon has sent an information booklet to each house in Ballivor on which are email and telephone contact details if anyone in Ballivor has any questions or concerns
“Narconon follows the laws and regulations of the country in which they operate. Narconon prides itself is setting and maintaining the highest of standards in all aspects of the programme.
“This HSE statement is taken out of context and does not include that the person making the statement also said under cross examination that he did not know anything about the Narconon programme and had never met anyone who had done the programme.”
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My refusal to buy even the cheapest Saorview box to receive RTE means I haven’t seen it since the changeover,do programmes still resemble 80′s American community t.v.?.If there’s a Rugby game I can’t see anywhere else I stick the player on the laptop,otherwise no thanks.
They don’t scrimp on snacks because we the public pay for them.
Same tired auld presenters sure if the show is not working on Saturday we’ll just move to one of the other days sure go wan pick one there’s 6 more.
Tubs = messi shows how delusional RTE are he has about as much talent for interviewing people as me and I can barely talk at the best of times
Turgidy is too bland for words, no idea how he came to be the highest-paid ‘artist’ on taxpayer TV – as for the rest of it…..ugh. Just ugh! Actually it’s all ugh, just Turgidy is ughier, if that is possible.
I’ll give you this, even though I don’t know you, and, generally, handstands are not that important, your achievement is much more important than what we’ve learned from RTE.
Just the same old sh*te churned out in another crap version of the same format fronted by the same talentless gimps. Only there because of nepotism and despite no talent have a job for life. Meanwhile to see anything worth watching we all subscribe to sky yet are force to pay the rte tax that is the tv licence. Just scrap the institution altogether and let the publuc vote with their feet.
Ah now I see the urgency in sending people to prison over not paying their TV licence – the RTE branded Cookies!!! This bunch of saps can’t be left without their RTE treats!
If you seen any of the 50 reruns of every program ever shown by RTE…fear not!…..you can now be bored out of your tree on the internet too with RTE Player….again and again!
Who (I’ll use the word wrote) wrote this article, are we to believe that it is just drivel about more drivel? There are people who could have written this properly for ye, pointed out the pros and cons, oh I know they are not really pros but they are extremely well overpaid, the cons have also been spotted by previous contributors
I hearby refuse to pay my T.V licence renewal and henceforth accept 10 years hard labour at Spike Island prison, but please do not make me pay for the likes of this shower of talentless wasters!
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