26 April 2021
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Priscilla Connolly from Ratoath, Co. Meath Winner of Brand New 3-bed Showhouse in Enable Ireland Win A House Cork Raffle
What a present! Priscilla Connolly from Ratoath, Co. Meath was announced as the winner of a brand new 3-bed fully furnished showhouse in Janesville in Carrigaline, Co. Cork. Pricilla’s winning ticket No. 5066 was pulled from the raffle drum by Enable Ireland Win A House Cork campaign sponsor Stephen McCarthy from Astra Construction at the event broadcast live on Facebook.
Free Pic No Repro Fee 25 4 2021
Priscilla Connolly from Ratoath, Co. Meath, winner of a brand new 3-bed showhouse in Enable Ireland’s ‘Win A House Cork’ raffle, pictured with her husband Fergal Rooney and children Bailey, Olivia, Shane and baby Milo.
Images by Gerard McCarthy 087 8537228
For more info contact Maria Desmond
Enable Ireland, Lavanagh, Curraheen, Carrigrohane,
087 7905029 mdesmond@enableireland.ie
Speaking after she heard the news Pricilla said, “We are absolutely thrilled to bits after hearing the incredible news from the Lavanagh Centre on Friday evening. Like most families across the country, we were just about to sit down to put our feet up and unwind from a very busy week with the children being back in school. To say we were in shock would be an understatement. To win a house is just the ultimate dream….and what makes this even more special to us is the fact that the house is in Cork. We absolutely adore Cork and had our very first holiday together as a couple in Kinsale. We have so many little connections to Cork…it just feels like home from home. We have been overwhelmed with the amount of message and calls we have received from friends and family who are just delighted for us.”
“We were just so happy to be able to support Enable Ireland and all of their volunteers for the incredible work they do, but we never thought that we would actually win. Enable Ireland is an amazing charity, they provide such vitally needed support to children and their families all over Ireland. We would like offer our most sincere thanks to everyone involved in this raffle and particularly Enable Ireland and Astra Construction and look forward to meeting all of the team as soon as restriction allow.”
Priscilla Connolly (40) and Fergal Rooney (45) have been married for 17 years and live near Tayto Park in Ratoath, County Meath with their four children. Bailey 16, Olivia 14, Shane 9 and baby Milo 10 month old.
Enable Ireland launched the fundraising campaign in December and were delighted to sell all 10,000 tickets raising valuable funds for the charity which provides services to over 9,200 children and adults with disabilities. The proceeds from the raffle will go towards the new Children’s Service Centre in Curraheen, Cork and will benefit children with disabilities for generations to come. Over 1,500 children and their families attend the new Lavanagh Centre in Curraheen, where three Children’s Network Disability Teams provide services including physiotherapy and hydrotherapy, speech and language, social work, psychology, early years education and occupational therapy.
Enable Ireland Director of Services Niall Horgan said, “We were absolutely delighted by the support this campaign has received from the public. The funds raised will help us to complete our vital new Children’s Services Centre in Curraheen, Cork. Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket for this raffle, your support enables us to continue to provide our vital therapy and rehabilitative services for generations to come.”
Also winning at the draw on Friday were Kenneth O’Leary from Cork, whose ticket No. 8033 was drawn for the 2nd prize of a car worth €25,000 sponsored by Astra Construction and Sinéad Rose from Midleton, Cork whose ticket No. 1844 won the third prize of €5,000 cash sponsored by Right Price Tiles & Wood Flooring. All three winning tickets were drawn by sponsor Stephen McCarthy from Astra Construction. The independent auditor present at the draw was Mr. Niall May from RSM Ireland.
Enable Ireland Cork Fundraising Manager Maria Desmond said ”We couldn’t have done this without the support of our two sponsors, Astra Construction and Right Price Tiles and Wood Flooring, and our fundraising committee lead by stalwart volunteer Mrs Anne Hegarty who has worked tirelessly fundraising on behalf on Enable Ireland for the past thirty years.”
Commenting on the success of the fundraising campaign, Mrs Anne Hegarty said, “Up to 1500 children with a very wide range of complex disabilities will now have the benefit of this beautiful facility thanks to the generosity of the people of Cork.”
File photo of a fine new housing estate in Cork. The semi-d was popular in the 70s, 80s, 90’s, then apartments arrived around the Country, and now ‘co-living’ on the agenda
Pic: Brian Lougheed