Donegal Mammy Votes Count in 2016 Election

Donegal Mammy  started as a facebook page for mammy in the county to share news, views and opinions. All ages all stages. It has grown over the past number of months and now it has raised a very important issue that needs to be discussed. Not just in Donegal but for all mothers throughout Ireland.

Mothers who do not work outside the home should be acknowledged for the role they do and the huge asset they are to their family. Will anyone in this election genuinely make an effort to include this group of citizens. Did you know that there is NOTHING in place for the Irish mammy when her children grow up.. she does not exist..not on the live register...not entitled to benefits..no courses geared to support or integrate her back into employment, she is left a Redundant Mammy This needs to be addressed.... 

Many of the Donegal Mammy on the page have expressed their views such as the following  " 


"Thank you for saying this, and well said. I could get lost in all the things that I could say about my life that confirm everything you've said., but at 60 I have experienced it all and it happened just as you explained. I remember someone suggesting that I sign for credits even though I wouldn't be entitled to anything financially, on 3 occasions I was told by the welfare office that it would affect my husband and to not change anything. I didn't realise the significance of this at the time. It is too big a discussion to go into here but there is so much more in this conversation (value transference of a generation who being reared by a person who is not valued by the state/society; value of the self if you choose to stay at home, if the government don't value you, then society will follow suit; or maybe, as in rural areas and especially since the recession there is not work/schemes/training available that supports the school hours therefore excluding mothers with children at school; training/work schemes with criteria of unemployment for over 12mths but no recognition for mothers who have not been working;"

This blog post is to start a conversation. For those who have spent many years raising their children in the home, contributing to society, why is there not a system in place to support them when their children grow up and leave. What happens to this group of people? Are there statistics on what they do or where they go? They are not on any live register, so who supports them, who acknowledges the unpaid work they have done?

Donegal Mammy just feels it is time to start a conversation.....

Donegal Mammy Visits Marley & Tea

 Donegal Mammy enjoys her pancakes!

Donegal Mammy  went on a road trip today and ended up in Cloghan about 8 miles from Ballybofey and Stranorlar following the main road to Glenties.

Having been tagged in their face book page with some very enticing pictures, I headed  for a little tea room called Marley & Tea  I decided to  check out the pancakes, that I had seen on their page. I was not disappointed!!!

The setting is beautiful, a scenic drive brings you to Marley & Tea  where apart from welcoming staff, delicious food and although gardening isn't really my area of expertise, I was impressed by the wide range of flowers and plants in their garden centre attached to the tea room.  Also on display were some great novelty signs and gifts to purchase, with some hand knitted items that Donegal Mammy  thought the tourists would love to bring home as gifts after a visit to this lovely area. Great spot to stop off on the  The Wild Atlantic Way

But as I was there for the food,and it being Independence Day my main interest was the pancakes.                  

My partner in crime enjoyed a full breakfast, which he declared was excellent, we liked the way a diet coke was substituted for the tea without any difficulty.
My pancakes were served with sugar and lemon by my request and came with a side order of healthy fruit. Grapes, Kiwi and orange segments served in a dainty little cup, as part of the order is a nice touch and removed my guilt in the amount of calories two large pancakes contained. (So I actually got 3 of my 5 a day fruit intake!)

Live music from one of the members of staff (yeah during the day!) added to the unique overall experience and in between the locals and tourists Donegal Mammy enjoyed the visit very much and felt very welcome and well looked after.

There is a little play park just around the corner for junior members of the family and  ten minutes drive further on is  Fintown Railway    

the only operational railway in Co. Donegal.  a unique journey along the shores of  Lough Finn in a custom built passenger carriage , and guaranteed to please all members of your family.

There is talk of evening events for grown ups where they can bring their own wine and enjoy food and music, to add to their day time treats but  this Donegal Mammy highly recommends you visit with any age members of your family . A warm welcome awaits and delicious food. Have the pancakes, tell them
DONEGAL MAMMY  sent you!

Great food, beautiful garden centre and excellent 
welcoming staff.

DONEGAL MAMMY IS A BLOGGER!

Well here we are Donegal Mammy is a blogger! Her very first post, and if the Donegal Mammy facebook page is anything to go by then it's going to be a busy time and there won't be much other work done.

 So who is Donegal Mammy, well she's pretty much...  YOU!
 She wants to know what's going on in the county, especially if its FREE (so we will have FREE EVENTS posted regularly) she wants to hear where she can go for afternoon tea with the "girls" , where the kids can go for Summer Camps, she wants tips on anything and most probably will offer advice on everything. She's all ages, all stages so she might want to know where the best bingo is or if there is a great night out locally when she manages to get a babysitter.

Sometimes she will talk about silly stuff and then again she might go off on a tangent about serious stuff.
She certainly wants you to connect and tell her what you want to know or tell her what you do know. 
She's lived life in the fast lane of child rearing, she may have travelled from Donegal shores, she may even still be there but she loves Donegal , its beauty and its people.
So welcome aboard the Donegal Mammy bus... sorry,  blog.... Let's make the Summer a great one. Tell us your stories, share your pictures, if you tackle the Wild Atlantic Way or climb Errigal we want to know and celebrate with you.