This Retired Dubliner’s Gesture For Crumlin Hospital Has To Be Highlighted

Darragh Berry

Paddy Brennan, this is some effort, fair play.

The 64-year-old Dublin retiree raised over a lot of money, we’re talking six figures in fact.

He raised €359,000 for CMRF Crumlin, to help some of Ireland’s sickest children.

Paddy, who has been fundraising for CMRF Crumlin for 20 years, has been praised by the charity for ‘going above and beyond’ to help tiny patients in Crumlin hospital.

Here’s his story.

“From the age of five to 14 I attended Crumlin Hospital.

“I had mastoiditis, a condition to do with the ear, and missed time in school. I always said when I was older that I would do something for the hospital because they’d helped me. I’ve been fundraising for CMRF Crumlin for 20 years now and raised €359,000 for sick children since then.

“When you have a personal connection with a charity, it makes you want to give back and to help in any way you can.

“I was involved in a gym in town when I was in my twenties and a man, Michael Roche, was telling the owner of the gym about a fundraising challenge they were doing for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.

“I told the owner of the gym about my ear condition because it affected my balance, so he knew I’d been in there as a child. He called me over and Michael Roche said they were doing a walking challenge in San Diego the following year, 1999, to raise funds for sick children.

“I think you had to raise £5,500 in those days for it. So I said I’d give it a go! I fundraised so much that year that I paid for a second person to go on the challenge too. The following year the challenge took place in Grand Canyon and I fundraised well over what I needed to for it.

“That’s how my interest in fundraising kicked off. I’ve been doing it ever since. Between coffee mornings, bucket collections, raffles, head shaves, duck races, challenges and more, I’ve done a lot of fundraising for Crumlin since 1998. I’ve done about 20 challenges for Crumlin, which involved travelling abroad to do some activity.

“Some years I would do two challenges – they were hard too. It was far from a holiday, and in those days over a hundred people were going on the fundraising trips. We built up friendships and I still have very good friends around the country who I met on the challenges.

“We keep in contact and many of us are still raising money for sick children, it’s just the challenge aspect has changed. The last challenge organised was to the Rhine Valley, about five years ago.

“I still do bucket collections and counter collections now. I also have a walking group on a Tuesday morning. We start at 10am and finish about 11am. There’s no hard rule about donations but we have a bucket there so if anyone has a bit of spare change they put it in.

“We collect the donations up over the year, from January to Christmas, and donate it in one sum to CMRF. I help other fundraisers too. I’ve fundraised for those involved in the New York Marathon in September. I wouldn’t be able to run the marathon myself now, but I can fundraise for and support those who can.

“One of my top moments was the first head shave we did in 2001. That idea was brand new at the time and was such a different and extreme way to fundraise. We had wall to wall prizes for a raffle and about 22 people there on the night in the local pub to get their heads shaved.

“Three professional hairdressers came to do the shaving and we raised about €20,000 altogether. We had a few talent shows and bingo nights which raised a lot of money too. I’m known around the Crumlin and Perrystown/Manor Estate area. People know that I’ve been fundraising for the hospital for years and I’ve built up a lot of trust.

“Businesses have been great, donating raffle prizes over the years. I’ve had loads of jerseys signed by county and country teams, in football and rugby too. People really are very good and everyone has some sort of link with the hospital so they want to help if they can.”