Wandering bard Francis Kendall Husband on the healthcare system and why east Limerick should be avoided.
Pilgrim poet and musician Francis Kendall Husband describes himself as,
A well-known musician and poet, I wander anywhere between Scull and Dunfanaghy in Donegal, where I am the Bard of the West Coast.
He has been suffering from ill health. While in Cork, he has needed treatment for bronchitis. Getting a hospital bed has proven difficult, as he was told his illness was not bad enough.
Francis Kendall Husband is fed up with the bureaucracy in the healthcare system. Having a Cork Health Authority medical card is no use if he falls ill in another county.
What I'll have to do is get 26 medical cards, one for each of the 26 counties and get a special coat with a special pocket to hold 26 medical cards.
While Kerry writers Bryan MacMahon and John B Keane hold Francis Kendall Husband in high esteem, the health system classifies him as a travelling man,
I am a poet and I give something to society and I think society ought to give me something in return I ought to be put into somewhere when I'm not well.
Francis Kendall Husband was not extended any hospitality to attend the Limerick Festival in Croom, County Limerick. He decrees that east Limerick is to be avoided.
Francis Kendall Husband's next engagement is opening a carnival in Carrowkelly in County Mayo. This role was previously carried out by Frank Hall, who received £50 for the honours. Francis Kendall Husband does not know the full details of his remuneration but,
They certainly won't let me sleep in a shed when I go to Carrowkelly.
A 'Newsbeat' report broadcast on 28 April 1975. The reporter is Cathal O'Shannon.
