Conor McGregor donates €10k to UHK intensive care
UNIVERSITY Hospital Kerry’s Intensive Care Unit has benefited to the tune of € 10,000 after mixed martial artist Conor McGregor donated to a fundraiser organised by Killarney teenager Ian O’Connell.
Ian, who was left paralysed from the neck down following a biking accident in Killarney National Park nearly three years ago, has met the hugely controversial star on several occasions and remains in regular contact with him.
McGregor is among the many who’ve been impressed by Ian’s response to incredible adversity, and that respect became evident once again last week when he gave a five- figure sum to Ian’s GoFundMe efforts.
“It was him all right, I was talking to him on the phone after,” Ian told The Kerryman.
“I sent him a message and I asked him could he share the link. I didn’t ask him to donate or anything. Within the ten minutes, he had put in € 10,000.
“He was just saying [ afterwards], ‘ Fair play for what you’re doing for the area, keep improving, and try your best’.
He was delighted to help because he knew how good they were to me.
“I was blown away altogether. I’d have been as happy if he’d shared the link, so when he did that, it was amazing.”
Ian set up the fund- raiser ten days ago. It serves as a ‘ thank you’ to UHK’s ICU – which cared for Ian in the aftermath of his 2017 accident and after he suffered a clot in his lung last October – and as a support to the Unit in these most challenging times.
“It’s just gone past € 16,000,” Ian said of the fundraiser’s success to date.
“I know Conor put in the 10 grand, but lots of people put in a fiver, tenner, 20, 30, and it all adds up.
“If people have a few Euro to spare, I know they [ UHK] would be very grateful. They’ve saved my life twice.”