Shane’s epic GAA adventure raises more than €11k for children’s hospital
A 17-year-old Sligo man who overcame very serious health issues as a young child is about to complete a unique 32-county challenge this week which sees him visit every GAA county ground in the country and into the bargain raise more than €11,000 for Temple Street Children’s Hospital.
Sports fan Shane Kelly from Ballintogher, accompanied by his mum Sabrina, has been hitting the road as they visit top football grounds from Corrigan Park in Antrim last Sunday to Croke Park this Friday evening. The trip marks Shane’s 18th birthday on November 24. As a young child he overcame illness and despite being non-verbal, he is one of the best communicators going. Shane does not speak but uses ‘Lámh’ (sign language) and sounds to communicate.
His mum recalled how Shane was born “a very sick boy” in Sligo and then transferred to Temple Street for lengthy medical tests and procedures.
They will visit 33 GAA grounds covering an estimated 2,500kms and a special bonus was a spin to The Showgrounds in Sligo as Shane, much as he loves his GAA, is an ardent Sligo Rovers fan too.
His mum Sabrina said one of the most important things she did before they set off on their epic journey was to put a new set of tyres on the car!
A GoFundMe page called ‘County to County trip’ set up by Shane’s mum had already raised a remarkable €10,770 by lunchtime on Wednesday and will certainly clear the bar at €11,000 if not more.
A SPORT mad Ballintogher teenager and his mum will have driven up to 2,500kms by this Friday evening when they end a remarkable week where they will have visited every major GAA ground in the country – 33 of them to be precise!
Shane Kelly and his mum Sabrina have been blown away by the welcome and generosity they have received from officials and players across Ireland during their trip which started on Sunday at Corrigan Park in Antrim and will end on Friday evening at Croke Park, Dublin.
The trip, to mark Shane’s 18th birthday on November 24, is a dream come true for the Ballintogher teenager and it will also raise invaluable funds for Temple Street Children’s Hospital, Dublin.
A GoFundMe page called ‘County to County trip’ set up by Shane’s mum had already raised a remarkable €10,700 by lunchtime on Wednesdayof this week.
In all the Ballintogher mother and son team will have visited 33 GAA grounds (two in Dublin, Parnell Park and Croke Park) and one soccer ground - The Showgrounds in Sligo which also holds a very special place in Shane’s heart.
Shane as a young child overcame illness and despite being non-verbal, he is one of the best communicators going. Shane does not speak but uses Lámh (Sign Language) and sounds to communicate.
Despite being unable to speak he is more than capable of shouting louder than anyone else on the side-line, his mum said.
She recalled how Shane was born “a very sick boy” in Sligo in November 2004 and then transferred to Temple Street for lengthy medical tests and procedures.
Shane spent a lot of time on the road up and down to Temple Street over the years.
“Despite being told I would never be able to care for Shane at home he is now the most amazing boy. He is obsessed with pretty much all sports going, but nothing comes close to his love of Gaelic Football and Hurling. Sabrina described her son now as “healthy as a horse” and she revealed how he is having the time of his life being driven around the country by her.
“He is having a blast; he just sits back and is having a great time. People have been brilliant everywhere we have visited, our first ground was in Corrigan Park, Antrim, and they made a huge effort. In Armagh at the Athletic Grounds on Sunday we were met by Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney who made a special effort to be there and presented him with an Armagh jersey. “In McHale Park in Mayo Shane’s name was up on the electronic scoreboard and we got some great pictures,” Sabrina told the Sligo Weekender on Tuesday last as the duo made their way to Hyde Park in Roscommon. On Monday night in Sligo there was a very special welcome from GAA officials at Markievicz Park where family gathered with officials and various jersey presentations were made.
There was an equally warm welcome at the Showgrounds. While Shane is a very big GAA fan, he also loves Sligo Rovers and was very keen to go there. He was met by club officials and members of both the Sligo Rovers men and ladies’ teams.
Mother and son are big St Michael’s Ballintogher fans, and his local club means so much to him as well. A student at Ballinode Secondary School where he will go into sixth year in September.
Shane was at his first All-Ireland final a few years ago and since then has been at many more since, both football and hurling.
Sabrina says she is enjoying the trip herself; she is bowled over by the generosity of the “GAA family” nationwide.
“The welcome we have received everywhere is amazing, players, officials, everyone going out of their way and Shane has been given so many beautiful things, he will never be short of a jersey by the time we are finished,” she joked.
The trip took quite some planning and according to Sabrina ‘Google Maps’ has come into its own.
“We sat down and prepared carefully. The first thing I did was put a new set of tyres on the car and we worked out the best route starting in Antrim and finishing in Dublin. Our own map is very carefully put together. For me the big thing was not to be doubling back, so that took a bit of time,” she said.
On Wednesday they were due to start from Killarney where they were due to meet members of the Kerry All Ireland winning side and today, Thursday, Shane is looking forward to rubbing shoulders with some of Kilkenny’s star players. They will make their way across Munster and from there on to the Leinster counties by Friday, with the finish in Croke Park.
Commenting on the response to the GoFundMe page, Sabrina said she wanted to thank everyone who had donated. “Temple Street is very close to our hearts, and I know the same can be said for so many people. The amount of money (over €10,000 on Tuesday) that has been pledged is unreal and I’m sure will be very much appreciated by the team at Temple Street. All donations big and small are greatly appreciated.”
If you wish to donate, go to ‘County To County Trip’