Community worker Anthony Duffy tries to be a positive presence
Local Faces: Anthony Duffy
Regular readers of my little column, will know that your humble correspondent hails from what is now known as North Clondalkin. To paraphrase JFK, Ich bin ein North Clondalkiner, writes Ken Doyle.
When we moved to the area, believe me when I tell you, there was nothing there. Absolutely nothing. We were out in the country. Our local shop was Mrs Nolan’s van in Neilstown and that was your lot as far as community resources went.
Naturally, being of the parish, I’m all too aware of the unjustly bad name the area has. This week’s ‘Face of the Community’ is a man who spends his working life trying to change the perception of the place and restore the community spirit which cradled me as a young child.
Anthony Duffy is the man in question and he is truly dedicated to the welfare of the people of North Clondalkin.
Anthony, a Rathfarnham native, graduated with a degree in Community and Youth Work from Maynooth University in 2017 and his first assignment, through Foróige, was a spell as a Community Worker in the Summerhill area of the north inner city, another area with severe social issues.
As he will tell us, this only made him keener to make a difference to people who needed it.
“I came to my current position in 2018 and I’m a Community Worker working for the Empowering Communities programme, with particular focus on Rowlagh, Balgaddy and Quarryvale. It can be challenging of course, but it’s also stimulating and no two days are ever the same.”
“We’ve had a lot of problems with anti-social behaviour unfortunately and one thing that springs to mind is the epidemic of scrambler bikes of recent years. We’ve had some success in curbing that danger, but there’s still plenty of work to do.”
Anthony is a keen cyclist and enjoys open-water swimming
“I’d like to think I’ve built some strong relationships with the people I serve. I try to be a diligent and positive presence to the residents and above all else, be a friendly face that people can approach safely.”
Anthony focuses on what he calls ‘Pride of Place.’ Instilling a sense of dignity about the areas, encouraging clean-ups and the maintenance of horticulture placed in the estates.
“We work on Area Enhancement alongside South Dublin County Council and one thing we really want to promote is Area Leadership.”
“Simply put, we would like some people from the estates to step up and become leaders within their communities. The emphasis is on volunteerism and most of all to tell people they can make a positive impact on their communities. Whilst the rewards may not be financial, the sense of pride in the work is immeasurable.”
To that end, Anthony was delighted to tell me about an extremely important event beginning in September.
“From the 17th September, the Empowering Communities programme is running a free course on Community Leadership. Starting on the 17th September, and running once a week thereafter for eight weeks the course will offer training in many skills required for effective Community Leadership.
‘We will be offering Leadership skills, Leadership practice, alongside practical challenges and much, much more.”
Anthony Duffy dedicated to the welfare of the people of North Clondalkin
For more information, contact Anthony at Rowlagh Community Centre.
Anthony is quick to point out that it can be a ‘heavy’ job and it would be really difficult to get through were it not for the support of his colleagues. He’s afraid to
name them in case he leaves anybody out but he expresses huge thanks to them.
Away from the office, Anthony is a lover of the great outdoors. He’s a keen cyclist and enjoys open-water swimming. He’s also never happier than when taking his dog Dutchy out for a run.
“I have to admit that I took a few dodgy turns in my younger years,” he tells me, surprisingly.
“Things could have ended up very differently for me but my uncle, Eugene Murphy, took me in hand and advised me not to waste my potential. Uncle Eugene was a free spirit and a bit of a hippy really so I followed his path for a while. I did a lot of travelling and lived in New Zealand and then Canada for a time.”
You could have knocked me down with a feather when Anthony told me he had lived in London for five years studying acting of all things.
Still, thespianism’s loss was North Clondalkin’s gain and I would ask the residents down there to work with Anthony and his colleagues every chance they get.
If ever a place deserved it, it’s North Clondalkin.
