Penguin Harold and his human friend find a new home in Offaly
GOVERNMENT ministers never know who or what they are going to meet on their travels. But a penguin in Offaly? Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien had that honour when he met Harold the Penguin and his human companion Barry Clarke in Tullamore.
Barry Clarke, a 53-year-old father of three who has moved into one of the new homes in the Jackson's Hill social housing development, is a mental health and neurodiversity advocate with a special interest in those on the autism spectrum.
Mr Clarke was delighted to meet Minister O'Brien and especially pleased that the Dublin Fianna Fail TD posed for a photograph with himself and Harold.
Harold the Penguin is a prop Mr Clarke developed primarily for his own children when they were younger for storytelling and assisting in their development.
He has also developed a number of other characters including a tiger called Bruce who “brings joy and entertainment to children and adults alike”.
He said he “very much wishes to expand upon” his efforts “in terms of reaching out to others who are on the spectrum with their mental development”.
“Autism is a kind of a scenario where people who are autistic don't always react to how those not on the spectrum see things, and sometimes they identify with animated characters or larger than life characters such as Harold or Bruce,” Mr Clarke explained.
When he discovered that creating the character of Harold helped some children close to him, he went on to bring the penguin to a much wider audience.
As a result, over the past few years Harold the Penguin has popped up at Star Trek events, the Comic Con in Dublin, online forums and fundraisers for mental health.
“It's about comedy and entertainment. In a lot of the videos we shoot, you can't see me, I'm not on camera and Harold is the stand-alone comedy sketch.”
Harold has attended a number of events over the years and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Lee Majors and William Shatner.
“We've met a lot of famous people, a lot of Dr Who actors and the late Nichelle Nichols who played Uhura in Star Trek.”
Mr Clarke grew up in the UK with Irish parents but has been in Ireland for the last 20 years, living in Carlow, Navan and Cloghan.
“At the moment because of the pandemic I'm seeking work. My background is in direct marketing but at the moment I'm just working with my sons,” he said.
He was renting in Cloghan for six years before moving into Jackson's Hill.
“I went on the housing list around 2014-2015. Obviously I was in private rented accommodation and essentially I just kept asking 'Can you help me? I need somewhere to live, I can't afford the rents',” he explained.
“Amazingly out of the blue I was able to come and live in this amazing place. It was a life changing experience, it really is and has turned my life around. Every day still, I still can't believe it's real.
“I think Tullamore is a very exciting and emerging place, it's somewhere that's really going to lift off. It's great to see all these new communities and it's got a lot going for it. It's a wonderful town.”