The cup of human kindness . . .


Teresa adding the final layer of fishing net to the float



This past week has seen the preparations for the first local St Patrick's Day Parade since the first lock down. And some absolutely incredible fundraising for our Ukrainian guests.

Firstly - the parade

I was asked to decorate a float with plastic. It is well known locally that I have a stockpile of plastics from local farms and beaches.

The float in the parade

I asked my friend Teresa to give me a hand, we had a great afternoon decorating the trailer. It was good to be working in the warm sunshine. I had a selection of coloured plastic to use. We decided to use the colours of the Irish flag.

The sun shone on the day of St Patricks Day. Kilkee was packed with visitors, it is a very popular place to holiday at any time of year. It was brilliant, such an amazing atmosphere

Having fun in the sunshine

  

The winning float. Carrigaholt School 

***

Then, on Saturday the town of Kilkee did something amazing. 

 When I chose to live on Loop Head, I knew it would be a challenge. What would the local community be like? These past few days have reinforced the respect and love I have for the local communities on Loop Head and in Kilkee.

6 days ago 85 Ukrainian refugees arrived at a local hotel in the middle of the night, they had been traveling for days. 45 are under 18. We are all highly aware of what has been happening in the Ukraine. Most of us want to help so very much. It can be hard know what to do. There has been a remarkable outpouring of help all over Europe. Our new guests are safe and warm, they have every thing they need to keep body and soul together. It doesn't bear thinking about what they have left behind. The local council, Irish government and the medical service have worked their magic. School age children have been registered for local schools, uniforms are being sorted.

 

A wonderful table full of cakes

On Saturday morning the the swimmers who swim daily in Kilkee had a whip round and raised €600. Kilkee Dive Centre had a coffee and cake morning which raised nearly €6.500.

Volunteers from the Kilkee Fire Brigade 

Then there was the car wash!! My goodness, the volunteers from Kilkee Fire Brigade didn't stop from 11.45 to 4.30. There were queues of cars all day long. People traveled from far and wide to donate and join in the fun

There were queues of cars all day long

Having a great time with water and foam

The car wash raised almost €6.000. There is still money being donated. The total so far is over €12.500. Local businesses and community groups really came up trumps with the organisation of this remarkable day. The money goes in to a special fund that is looked after by local community members and an accountant. Our Ukrainian guests will be here for several months and there will probably more arriving. 

Isn't it wonderful when communities work together? 


XXX


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