Marathons4Muireann, the Dandy Lodge and Childers Park

This story has only the vaguest of Listowel connections but it is nevertheless an uplifting tale.

This is the story of one participant in the Bank holiday Dublin City Marathon.

Declan O'Flaherty is a solicitor from Athlone. He is the father of four children,

Muireann is his youngest. This is what her parents tell us about Muireann on her website.

"Our fourth and youngest child, Muireann is two and a half. She can’t walk, she can’t talk she can’t feed herself and she requires constant monitoring. She is frequently unwell and takes a daily cocktail of medication including anti-seizure tablets, medicines to keep her bowels clear and antibiotics to keep infections at bay. When Muireann is well her laugh lights up the room and all of us feel better for having her in our lives. Muireann has been diagnosed with an extremely rare neurological disorder – Ponto Cerebellar Hypoplasia. She also has microcephaly and epilepsy. So on the October bank holiday weekend , Daddy Declan, plans to run on the old N6 from Kilmartin’s Roundabout in Athlone to Temple Street Hospital and then complete the Dublin City Marathon – a distance of just over 4 marathons in total! All proceeds will go to three charities playing such a key part in Muireann’s life: Temple St Hospital; Brothers of Charity and the Jack & Jill Foundation.

Please support us!"

Declan ran 4 marathons in 2 days in a huge effort to raise funds for the 3 charities that help Muireann. He ended up at the Dublin City Marathon where he met this supporter.

What an achievement! What a dad!
I don't know Declan. I know Jim MacSweeney who helped by taking the photographs. Another great dad and grandad. At the time of writing €140,000 had been raised.

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 Remember These innocent Halloween games?

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These photographs by Denis Carroll are of the Dandy Lodge as it was being moved across the road to Childers Park and the same park before the Community Centre was built.