Haven’t done one of these in a while, but @rickoshea of 2FM fame just tweeted something that deserves to go on the list. Didn’t hear the show (no radio at work) but a lady called in to say she is in debt to the oil company for €200. 5 children at home, and they all have to sleep in hats and coats.

20 minutes later, Rick updates his Twitter status saying

“That simple. That lady and her 5 kids are having their oil bill sorted by one incredibly generous listener. Wow. That was a good days work”.

and then :

“It has been a long and incredibly hard week. But for now, for this one moment, something good has come. Thanks to everyone.”

Wonderful stuff. To that person and all those who do good things that never get a mention, you’re on Ireland’s Real Rich List.

While I’m doing a post about the rich list, I’d like to give a hat tip to parishioners of St. Patrick’s Church in Wicklow Town, who donated over €9,000 before Christmas to the annual St. Vincent de Paul church collection. The biggest sum ever collected, despite the fact that money is tight for many sitting in the pews.

Grace Stynes, 7 years old pictured outside the high court in Dublin yesterday. She suffered brain damage at birth due to a lack of Oxygen. Grace’s mother Sabrina sued the Coombe Women’s Hospital on her behalf and she was awarded €4.25 million in damages.

This wonderful piece in the Irish Independent says :

“She sat giggling while all the people in funny white wigs fussed around on her behalf inside Court Three, just off the round hall of the Four Courts in Dublin.

A little girl with a huge smile, seven-year-old Grace Stynes was said to be just looking forward to Halloween and all the goodies she will get.

For the briefest of moments her happy smile vanished. She burst into tears as her birth was discussed and she was taken outside by her mother Sabrina.

Grace, described as a real fighter, won a major battle yesterday to help make her life with cerebral palsy as comfortable as possible.”

Speaking afterwards through family solicitor Ann Nolan, her parents said their daughter was a “fighter with real spirit”.

As Grace smiled from her wheelchair with big pink wheels, she heard herself described as a girl “who makes the best of everything”.

Grace, your smile alone would make any rich list, let alone your story which brought a tear to my eye. May you continue to bring joy into the lives of your loving parents and everyone that knows you.

Michael Jenkins today join Ireland’s Real Rich List.

Michael received his Leaving Cert results earlier this week along with thousands of other students. He scored an A1 in English, A2 in Business Studies, B1 in Geography and Biology and a C2 in Maths.

He spent much of his time studying for the exam in a cold, damp coal shed at the back of the family home. The family had no funds to renovate the house to make it wheelchair accessible.

Michael suffers from leukaemia and before the exams he was fighting a host of other complications and had to go through 10 operations before having a hip replaced.

Through all of this he maintained his study schedule with the help of Mary Clarke, a 71 year old retired lecturer from Trinity College. Michael said of Mary :

“If it wasn’t for Mary, I wouldn’t have done nearly as well. She’s my hero”

Michael’s mother said :

“We have nearly lost Michael three times since he was first dianosed with cancer aged 13. We sometimes didn’t think he’d make it, but look at him now. He has made us so proud”

Michael is planning to continue his education and will start a post leaving cert course in Computer and Business Studies in September.

A really positive story, and a very worthy additions to the Real Rich List.

This entry to Ireland’s Real Rich List comes from the Carlow People and it’s one of those stories that just makes you go “Yes, good for you”

It’s Seamus Murphy who is about to be awarded a FETAC Level III in Computers for Beginners at the age of 84. Mr. Murphy knew nothing about computers before beginning the course and is going to use his new found skills to compile his memories and stories from his lifetime.

Longevity seems to run in his family. His mother lived into her 90′s and most of his siblings are still alive, all near the 80 mark as well.

So, hats off to Seamus for showing us all that it’s never too late to learn.

Read about this in the local paper today and think it’s a fantastic achievement.

Wendy Ryan is from Wicklow Town and has single handedly brought about a change to regulations that barred any dogs (apart from guide dogs) from travelling on public transport.

Wendy has two pet dogs and is involved as a volunteer with an organisation called Peata. Peata organise pet visits to patients in hospitals and institutions.

“The therapeutic use of pets as companions has gained increasing attention in recent years for a wide variety of patients -people with AIDS or cancer, the elderly, and the mentally ill. Unlike people, with whom our interactions may be quite complex and unpredictable, animals provide a constant source of comfort and focus for attention. Animals bring out our nurturing instinct. They also make us feel safe and unconditionally accepted. We can just be ourselves around our pets.”

Due to a disability, Wendy can’t drive so her only alternative is to use public transport but her two pet dogs, Nina and Bitsa were not allowed to travel with her up to now.

After four months of lobbying ALL the public transport services in Ireland, therapy dogs can now board buses, trains and trams for the first time once they are wearing the officially recognised Peata coat.

“The news that the dogs will be allowed on is a big boost but I didn’t just want the changes for me. I wanted it to happen on a national level so that’s very satisfying. I know other people across the country had the same problem.” says Wendy

My hat goes off to Wendy for having the determination to bring about the new regulations and ensuring those who cannot drive themselves can still volunteer and bring the therapeutic benefits to those who need them.

I’m always on the lookout for stories like this, and would really appreciate if you could bring them to my attention via the talk to le craic page.

There’s a charity ball going on in Donegal tonight and it’s for 19 year old Alan Doherty.  Guest of honour is Bertie Ahern. Alan suffers from a rare disorder called otocephaly and was born without a chin and lower jaw. When he was born, his parents were told that his chances for survival were slim. He had to breathe through a tube in his throat.

He did survive and tonights ball is the latest in a series of fundraising events that have taken place in Donegal raising funds to pay for Alan’s medical treatment.

Get this. In 11 months, the people of Donegal raised over €600,000 towards medical expenses and they are still going strong.

Alan himself has already gone through several operations since October last year and has faced a number of setbacks but he still maintains his optimism and good spirits.

Raising that amount of money for a local cause is absolutely phenomenal, so hats off to team Alan. They are truly deserving of an entry on Ireland’s Real Rich List.

I’ve been thinking about something like this for some time now. A real rich list. I’m thinking about the people and stories that just don’t make the news very much, if it all.

Take the piece from the Irish Times on Easter Saturday. It was in the Thinking Anew section of the paper, under the letters page. Probably not a section anyone would read very much. The story told there was of a man called Jamie.

Jamie was diagnosed with cancer seventeen years ago. He wasn’t given a long time to live. He was even annointed as his death was expected at any moment. He recovered and lived for another 17 years.

Jamie decided that he wanted to give thanks to those who had cared for him while he was in hospital. He organised a 30 km walk from Castlegregory in West Kerry to Tralee. In the seven years that the walk took place, he raised more than €100,000 for the oncology department at Kerry General Hospital.

The walk became an event in the West Kerry calendar, with 100 walkers or more taking part. Every year, Jamie was out front leading the way, on his horse and cart.

“Jamie was a man who was all about giving and never taking. He died three weeks ago. He was not a famous person. His obituary would never feature in the national newspapers. In the eyes of the world, there was nothing ‘important’ about Jamie. Yet his funeral attracted one of the biggest crowds ever seen at a funeral Mass in Castlegregory church. The reason for this was because people saw the pure and straight goodness in this small man”.

I think the story of Jamie illustrates what Ireland’s Real Rich List is all about. It’s the opposite of the Sunday Times Rich List and the bling bling culture.

I would love you to pass this story on to someone you know and if they come across a similar story or something that has happened to them, please submit it via the Talk to Le Craic page.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be a massive fund raising effort. It can be something as simple as a random act of kindness someone did for you at work, good service at a business, or someone that inspires you for whatever reason.

The Real Richline is open… Talk to le craic.