On Friday, the 11th of February, the ILoveLimerick.com team in the form of Rich Lynch, Sean Wrenn, Gary O'Donnell and Photographer Pat Browne and I made the trip out to the Lough Gur/Bruff area to meet with the founders of the Cliona Ring Foundation, Breandan and Terry Ring.
You may or may not know that on the 22nd of January I attended the Fourth Annual Cliona Ring Foundation Commemorative Night. Brendan Ring was good enough to meet with me earlier that day to explain what the Foundation does - support families of children with life-threatening illnesses with their non-medical expenses. I was shocked that the organisation had not received the recognition it deserved and decided to make it my mission to raise as much publicity for it as possible.
Whilst being interviewed for ILoveLimerick.com (which you can view here), I spoke about the Cliona Ring Foundation. Cliona's story had a big impact and the crew decided that they too wanted to help. It was for this reason that we could be found on that Friday afternoon in the home of Brendan and Terry Ring, strolling down the road in Lough Gur (me in my new Wacky Shoes booties and 7 Camicie shirt), visiting Cliona's resting place , disrupting the classes of Lough Gur National School in order to talk to Cliona's former schoolteacher, Carmel, and taking a walk around beautiful Lough Gur.
For more information on the Cliona Ring Foundation and how you can help, please visit the organisation's Facebook page here.
Until Next Time,
Sami Long
Miss UN Ireland 2010
Miss UN Europe 2010
