Surviving on €3.60 a day

A Tullamore man has this week outlined his stark daily reality since losing his job as a result of the demise of the Celtic Tiger. Paddy Murphy (not his real name) said he survives now on €3.60 per day and would have no choice but to use a soup kitchen if one opened in Tullamore. Having never been out of work for a day in his life until just under three years ago, Paddy says he's been trying to set up a business but has in essence been told he won't get financial support unless he stumps up capital in the first place. He's now put the call out to potential investors with the hope of turning his fortunes around. "I worked all my life since I left school until the death of the Celtic Tiger that neither myself nor thousands more like me had anything to do with creating," Paddy, who's a single man in his mid-50s, said. With emigration not an option, Paddy survives on benefits. "I receive a weekly benefit of €140 as a survival kit," he said. "I am like a soldier parachuted into the jungle with one survival kit, except my jungle happens to be Ireland - my homeland." With no rent or other allowances, Paddy says €80 of his weekly sum goes on rent, while €15 is spent on rent arrears and a further €15 is spent on electricity. Medication costs Paddy €18 per month, leaving him with just €25.50 left each week, or roughly €3.60 per day. "If I cut down any more on food I will be hungry every day instead of only being hungry three days a week," Paddy says. "Then my condition will really go out of control." Cutting down on medication is not an option. In fact Paddy says he's been advised to increase it, but this is not an option. "I know this will cause other problems later on that will without doubt land me in hospital long or full term," he says, "but what can I do?" Paddy says his main source of protein, even on Christmas Day, is a packet of scrap ends of bacon that he buys for €1.99 in Dunnes Stores. "I hope they never stop stocking it," he says. This bacon is spread over four days of the week along with bread, milk and beans. "The other three days every week is Good Friday - every day a fast day," Paddy says. Adding potatoes to the mix is out of the question, as Paddy says they have "gone too expensive". "After that I search for fruit gone off or going off in the bins marked reduced to clear alongside all the other scavengers, all good decent human beings just like myself now sadly rising in numbers every week, creating an ever increasing demand on these valuable scraps and sadly causing disputes between each other over the last few packets," he describes. Paddy says his motto is 'Never Give Up', however, and he still hopes to set up his own business to get him out of his financial black hole. "I held on to my hope and that gave me that strength to be strong," he says. "I was always a positive person and still am. The sparkle and determination is still truly alive and shining from inside me." Paddy said he has for some time been trying to start up a business that would employ not only him but others too. "I have been to many government departments regarding grant aid etc, armed with my business plan," he said. "They all really like our project and want to help, but first one has to have the full amount of capital in order to pay up front in full for your equipment and tools needed to get started." Financial agencies have praised his idea as having potential, but Paddy says the advice he was given was to return when "fully up and running with a good steady, strong turnover". "Another similar institution suggested to us to first save regularly with them for at least three to four months and only then should we come back and then they would take to us," Paddy says. "It's another chicken and egg scenario Irish style." Paddy insists that should an investor be secured the enterprise - the nature of which he can't reveal - would be up and running in no time, taking some locals off the dole with it. "We're not talking about huge figures of money here," he said, putting out the call for anyone interested in finding out more to contact him at a.hopefulirishpaddy@yahoo.ie.