Home Lifestyle Entertainment 2019 Remembered: Clonaslee families welcome two Dublin teens in Raised by the...

2019 Remembered: Clonaslee families welcome two Dublin teens in Raised by the Village

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LaoisToday Reporter
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RTE brought us a brilliant series, ‘Raised by the Village’, back in September and Clonaslee played a huge role. 

The Dunne family welcomed Melita from Dublin while the Keeley-Cusack family welcomed 14-year old Jamie Lee who caught the hearts of the nation. 

Jamie turned his life around after spending time with the Keeley-Cusack’s and still comes back to Laois to help out on the family’s Clonaslee farm when he can get the chance.

He was given an army cap from the Keeley-Cusack’s father, Mark which brought Jamie to tears and helped him decide on his future. He also went back to playing soccer and has been keeping out of trouble.

We loved watching the two families have a positive influence on the life of the young teens. We love the updates!

Kind Laois family set to appear on popular RTE TV show

As the saying goes “it takes a village to raise a child” – and one Laois family is going to put that theory to the test.

RTE One’s ‘Raise By The Village’ has been airing on our TV screens for the past couple of Sunday evenings and this weekend the show heads to Clonaslee.

Each episode tells the story of two city families who need major help with parenting and are taking drastic steps to get it.

In a last ditch attempt to rein in their rebellious kids, they’re each moving their troublesome teen to the heart of the countryside and allowing them to be raised by the village.

This Sunday, Melita from Jobstown in Dublin will be sent to Clonaslee where Mary and Tony Dunne will take her in for a week in a bid to get her back on the straight and narrow.

14-year-old Melita lives with her Mum Louise in Jobstown. Until they were finally allocated a house two years ago, the pair were homeless – moving between Hotels and B&B’s for a deeply unsettling four years.

Compounding a difficult childhood, Melita’s Dad Anto died in 2013 when she was aged just eight. Over the past year Melita’s behaviour has spiralled out of control.

In her first year in secondary school she was suspended 34 times for being abusive to her teachers. She’s been disappearing for days on end with a new gang of friends who, her Mum believes, have been leading her into dangerous activities.

In July, she was caught stealing scented candles from a local shopping centre. Melita admits that her new friends encourage her to ‘go on the rob’.

Melita’s mum Louise is struggling to make a home for Melita – she has a full-time cleaning job and worries that she can’t be at home to police Melita’s movements.

She’s reached out to the Village to help Melita realise the value of knuckling down in school and to reroute her away from her recent reckless behaviours.

Louise also believes that her daughter’s problems stem from the trauma of losing her Dad and living in homeless accommodation throughout her childhood.

She hopes the village would give Melita the time and space to process and deal with the issues that blighted her childhood.

Mary and Tony Dunne run a mixed Beef and Tillage farm in Clonaslee. They are helped by their 3 teenagers Emer (13), Phillip (15) and Luke (16).

The Dunne teens are heavily involved in the local GAA and are high achievers in school.

Mary and Tony put a high price on education and family life at The Dunnes is tightly scheduled with the teens rostered to do pre school farm-chores including mucking out the family stables.

Can they turn Melita around? Tune in at 6.30pm on Sunday October 20 on RTE One to find out.

Second Laois family set to appear on popular RTE TV show

A second kind-hearted Laois family are set to appear on our TV screens this weekend in the popular RTE show ‘Raised By The Village’.

This morning, we revealed that the Dunne family from Clonaslee are going to be on our TV screens on Sunday evening as they try to turnaround a young teenagers life. 

And now a second Clonaslee family have confirmed that they will also be on the episode – the Keeley-Cusack family.

This Sunday, 14-year-old Jamie Lee, who is the eldest of four children living in a 2 bedroomed apartment in West Dublin, will travel to Clonaslee.

His Mum Valen is separated from his Dad and Jamie Lee lives in an area besieged by drug dealing, joyriding and anti-social behaviour and many of his friends have already been in trouble with the gardai.

His Mum is terrified that her son might be next. When he was younger Jamie Lee played junior football at a high level with St Francis and had trials with Manchester City.

At nights Jamie Lee goes missing, hanging around his estate watching the joyriders and playing chicken with the gardai.

He’s been mitching from school and when he does turn up he’s disruptive in class.

Jamie Lee’s Mum hoped that the Village might wake Jamie Lee up to the fact that he’s not living up to his own potential.

She hopes that time out in a healthier environment might inspire her son to aspire to a better life.

And so he is off to the Keeley-Cusack family who are a ‘blended family’ – Mam Noeleen’s two teenagers Matthew (15) and Ellen (16) hail from her first marriage, while dad Mark and Noeleen together have two daughters aged 4 and 5.

Mark works as an Army Ammunitions Engineer stationed at The Curragh and is a big believer in discipline, order and the value of a regimented life.

Noeleen echoes her husbands’ belief in discipline and keeps a tight reign on her two teenagers.

Although the Keeley-Cusacks are an Army family their home is attached to a farm owned by the extended family and teen son Mark is heavily involved in farming activities.

Mam Noeleen said: “We were approached by Frank Fitzpatrick in Clonaslee about taking part in the show and we said we would like to try help.

“Jamie Lee came down to us and he is a great kid. He really got involved in all of the activities that we asked him to.

“He milked on Kevin Flynn’s farm, helped out at the Clonaslee Show, went thatching in The Heath and spent some time with the Gardai in Mountmellick.

“He still comes down to us at the weekends and he really is a great fella.”

Each episode of Raised By The Village tells the story of two city families who need major help with parenting and are taking drastic steps to get it.

In a last ditch attempt to rein in their rebellious kids, they’re each moving their troublesome teen to the heart of the countryside and allowing them to be raised by the village.

Can they turn Melita and Jamie Lee around? Tune in at 6.30pm on Sunday October 20 on RTE One to find out.

The overwhelmingly positive Twitter reaction as two Laois families star on RTE TV show

Two Laois families appeared on the increasingly popular RTE One TV show Raised By The Village this evening.

Each episode tells the story of two city families who need major help with parenting and are taking drastic steps to get it.

Tonight, Melita from Jobstown and Jamie Lee from Clondalkin were sent to Clonaslee in Laois by their parents in a bid to turn their lives around.

Mary and Tony Dunne took in Melita while the Keeley-Cusack family took in Jamie Lee.

14-year-old Melita lives with her Mum Louise in Jobstown. Until they were finally allocated a house two years ago, the pair were homeless – moving between Hotels and B&B’s for a deeply unsettling four years.

Compounding a difficult childhood, Melita’s Dad Anto died in 2013 when she was aged just eight. Over the past year Melita’s behaviour has spiralled out of control.

14-year-old Jamie Lee, who is the eldest of four children living in a 2 bedroomed apartment in West Dublin, went to stay with Noeleen Cusack and Mark Keeley.

His Mum Valen is separated from his Dad and Jamie Lee lives in an area besieged by drug dealing, joyriding and anti-social behaviour and many of his friends have already been in trouble with the gardai.

The pair got on really well in Clonaslee with viewers really getting behind them.

Check out the overwhelmingly positive Twitter reaction below:

 

 

 

SEE ALSO – Check out more from the 2019 Remembered Series 

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