PLEASE HELP A YOUNG COUNTY WICKLOW FAMILY

With 2020 being a year we all will want to forget but a year we will unfortunately never forget now behind us, we would have all been looking to 2021 for better days. For one County Wicklow Family, 2021 was to herald their exciting move into their newly built home at the end of January and with the completion of their dream home only a mere three weeks away Michael & Aisling Morris and their three young children Oran, Fia & Chulainn had plenty to look forward to.

In the early hours of Friday night a devastating fire ripped through the soon to be forever home of the young Askanagap family destroying years of hard work in just a few hours despite the best efforts of the heroic firefighters from the Tinahely & Hacketstown Fire Stations. 

WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP

One thing that the people of County Wicklow have shown above all else in times of tragedy and strife is that we rally for our own and we are always there to support any fellow Wicklow people who have had misfortune strike. The GAA community is also outstanding in this regard and despite on field rivalries the GAA communities treat other GAA folk like one of their own in times of need. If you don’t believe it the GoFundMe Page set up yesterday has now hit the €70,000 mark in a phenomenal show of support from the local community and is a key cog in getting this young family’s roof over their heads in a time when normal fundraising methods are not possible.

We appeal to anybody who reads this to make a donation no matter how big or small as every contribution moves a young family closer to getting the home they worked so so hard for back on track.
The Morris family are steeped in Wicklow GAA with Aisling being originally a “Byrne of the Bawnes”, her father is Jim Byrne and her mother is Helen who was originally a Whelan. All the Byrnes played GAA over the years for local club Ballymanus with Aisling’s father Jim and his brothers Billy, Hugh & Ger all wearing the renowned Green & White Hoops of Ballymanus. Aisling’s uncle Billy is the current manager of the Ballymanus team. Aisling’s brothers Kevin, Liam, Paddy and Jim play on the current Billies team and Adam (15) is with Michael Dwyers and will be with Ballymanus shortly. Shane, Brendan and Kieran Whelan are first cousins of Aisling and so is current County Wicklow Football player Mark Kenny who are all current Ballymanus players and played with Michael Dwyers and Kiltegan and Wicklow County Juvenile teams.

Aisling herself was a star LGFA & Camogie player and was a tough, tight marking corner back that took no nonsense or a backward step who played with the Aughrim Camogie team and also with Arklow Rocks when there was no club in Aughrim. Aisling also starred for the AGB Senior Ladies Football Team when they were winning County Titles as well as playing GAA out in Oz with McAnallans. Aisling is pictured below in happier time with her partners in crime celebrating their championship win with AGB – Christine, Caitriona, Aisling and Aine Byrne.

Donate

To help get the Morris family back on their way we appeal to you to donate whatever you can here: GoFundMePage 

Your support to this is crucial in helping this family in a time where other fundraising methods are not possible. If you can share this article or the GoFundMe Page Link to help spread the word and we can all do our bit to help a young family in an unimaginably tough time for them.

The GoFundMe was set up by Aisling’s sister Edel, Anna (all the way in Oz) and her sister in law Louise and despite Anna being so far away in Sydney she has been a major driving force despite the distance. The local community have been phenomenal in all aspects as well as the go fund me with offers of help, labour, machinery etc and we have been told that the whole Morris/Byrne family have been overwhelmed by the expressions of kindness and generosity shown by so so many people from near and far as well as family, friends, neighbours, work colleagues etc. All the donations, expressions of help in the clean-up operation, baking etc has been truly humbling and kept them all going and the people/businesses have been incredible too, offering them various tools, machinery etc for the clean up.

We know the people of County Wicklow and the GAA community will continue to rally behind the cause as so many have already done and we can’t say enough about the amazing generosity shown by so many who have already donated so far.