Emma wins Garda Award for charity fundraising initiative

EMMA O’Connor from Ballinaboula, Dingle, always thought that Garda Youth Achievement Awards were something ‘other people’ won. So it came as a surprise when she was presented with one of the rare awards last weekend for her fundraising efforts on behalf of the Brú Columbanus hostel in Cork.

Emma’s grandmother, Maura O’Connor, was a patient in Cork’s South Infirmary before she died of cancer in September 2015 and during that time her family received huge support from Brú Columbanus. “It’s like a hotel for the families of hospital patients and they didn’t once ask for a penny,” said Emma who later decided to organise a walk “in Nan’s memory” and to help raise funds for the hostel.

The charity walk, which was held in Dingle last spring, soon grew into a fundraising campaign. Emma’s uncle, Colm, had his head shaved by Mickey O’Connor – who normally reserves the shears for shaving cattle. Emma took the campaign to school with a bake sale in Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne and she had volunteers out doing a bucket collection on the streets of Dingle. They also went back to Gallarus with their buckets to collect money to on the GAA pitch on the day Top Gear was filming there and were delighted when the good people from Crean’s lager, who had a stand at the pitch, emptied their cash register into the collection bucket at the end of the day.

“I was shocked that so many people knew what Brú Columbanus was and amazed at the support from everybody in Dingle and beyond,” said Emma.

Pobalscoil principal Pádraig Firtéar nominated Emma for the Kerry Garda Youth Achievement Award, which was presented in Tralee on Saturday night. “I thought this was the kind of award other people get, not me,” said Emma. “It’s an amazing award that promotes charity work and I’m shocked to have won it.”

Emma O’Connor