World Cup controversy music to Irish company’s ears

FOR one web-based Irish company, the drone of the vuvuzela horn at this year’s World Cup is music to its ears.

Restored Hearing, a new innovative Irish company, is offering a successful therapy to sports fans suffering from the effects of listening to the vuvuzela at the World Cup, or at any other sporting events.

The company has developed and provides a low-frequency therapy for people who are suffering from temporary tinnitus.

Commonly known as “ringing in the ears”, temporary tinnitus is caused by exposure to loud environments, for example listening to the vuvuzela at sporting events, loud music at concerts or operating loud machinery.

To assist this problem, Restored Hearing offers online, minute-long therapy sessions for people who want to clear their ears of the ringing sensation and regain normal hearing.

The sessions, which have a 99% success rate, can be purchased singly by SMS (€2.50) payment or in batches of 10 (€14.99) using a credit card.

According to co-founder of restored Hearing Rhona Togher, the World Cup vuvuzela controversy has provided the company with an unexpected customer base.

“The growing phenomenon of the use of the vuvuzela horn at the World Cup and other sporting events around the globe, including GAA matches here in Ireland will see sports fans using our temporary tinnitus therapy in the same way concert goers currently benefit,” she said.

The company, which is a client of NovaUCD, The Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at University College Dublin, originated in Co Sligo.

Founded by Rhona Togher, Eimear O’Carroll and Anthony Carolan in May 2009, the company has received international interest and sales in Ireland, Britain, Europe, North America and Australia.