An Ghaeltacht to Sri Lanka...with loveAs An-Gaeltacht squared up to opponents Feale Rangers in their eagerly anticipated county championship clash last Saturday in Galluras, a man from Baile an Lochaigh was also hoping to make a real difference on the sidelines by raising funds for a children's orphanage in Sri Lanka.
Dónal MacGearailt of Baile an Lochaigh is currently committed to raising as much as he can for St. Anthony's Children's Orphanage in Columbo, Sri Lanka, a region devastated by civil war and the 2005 Tsunami that killed thousands in South East Asia. Dónal witnessed the devastation first hand when he travelled there last May to act as groomsman at the wedding of one of his best friends Tony Arulanndam whom he met while working in London. Tony Arulanndam and his wife Kumudu DeCosta, who is a nurse, moved back to Sri Lanka from London to help aid workers cope with the fallout of the immense natural disaster that
killed, maimed and left thousands homeless. At their wedding this year, the couple asked that their guests forego giving them wedding presents and rather make a donation towards St. Anthony's Children's Orphanage.
Dónal travelled to the orphanage with his friends to present the wedding money raised to the nuns who run the orphanage and was moved by what he saw. He returned to West Kerry where he promptly raised €1,600 for the orphanage, the equivalent of 300,000 Rupees. Returning to Ski Lanka last June, Dónal brought with him a box filled with sweets, taytos and treats for the children who were stunned and exhilarated when presented with the gifts. "Their faces just lit up" explained Donál "many of these children have no one left in the world and receiving even just a small gift means the world to them." The children were brought to a games arcade as a treat and were totally mesmerised by the lights and figures on they saw on the computer screens. "They had never seen anything like it" said Dónal, "they didn't realise that you could actually play the games by inserting some coins, when we got the games working for them they were absolutely enthralled." "Its amazing when you consider the world we live in; they have so little and we have so much." The West Kerry man hopes to return to St. Anthony's Orphanage in Sri Lanka this year with the money raised in West Kerry. Cumann Caide an Gaeltacht have also come on board by allowing Donal and other local volunteers to collect funds during the Gaeltacht-Feale Rangers clash in Gallarus last Saturday. "It costs only €3 to feed a child at the orphanage for a week; our Euros really go a long way out there" said Donal, "we really want to raise as much as we, it can make a huge difference to the lives of these children."
If anyone would like to contribute to the cause, a special account has also been opened in the Dingle Credit Union for St.Anthony's Orphanage. To donate to the cause contact Dónal on +353 (0)87 7900690.
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