Community on parade for Leon
The esprit de corps of Ballyhaise was on display this St Patrick's Day as a unique socially distanced parade was staged for one young member of the community. Leon Briody is the son of Diane and Alan from Corratubber, Cavan. Four year old Leon was diagnosed with leukaemia last December. The brave little boy commenced chemotherapy treatment and required regular visits to Crumlin hospital for treatment.
He was well enough to be home for St Patrick's Day and was surprised by a parade in his honour.
Castletara Community Alert at updated the community on his programme just days earlier:
Jonathan Kane, co-ordinator of the Parade for Leon, explained the background to the event: “I came up with the idea last year at the start of lockdown. I organised a parade in Ballyhaise where we got about 25 vehicle within one hour's notice. This year I had a bit more time to think about. We were originally going to do it as a fundraiser, but instead we decided just to have the parade for Leon.”
Jonathan said the response from residents was overwhelming: “The people of Ballyhaise have been very supportive of Leon and the Briody family. The idea of this year's event was to just put a smile on people's face. I rang the Briody family on Monday night to make sure Leon was home.”
The organiser said there was great support from people to ensure that the parade took place in a manner that allowed social distancing and a responsible regard for COVID-19 restrictions: “Car park stewards and stewards along the route helped the 94-vehicle parade go off without a hitch.”
A number of musicians performed outside Leon's house to add to the festive atmosphere: “The eight musicians were socially distanced and played Irish music before, during and after the parade passed. As we passed we could see that Leon and his parents had real smiles on their faces. We hope that, for the hour or so, they they forgot about all they have gone through for the last few months. They really enjoyed it. They knew every person in every car that went past.”
A Gofundme page was set up 'Support for Leon' with a goal of raising €20,000 to help the family with their medical costs and other expenses as Leon battles Leukaemia. Almost €100,000 has almost been raised to date for the Briodys.
The fundraiser was established by neighbours with the consent of the Briody family.
To date, click here
Community spirit
The close knit community are very proud and supportive of their area: “Last week we had a litter pick that saw 24 people collect 113 black bags and 14 tyres. People are great within our community, they really put in an effort. It was great to see. Everyone who took part in the parade and the litter pick was delighted to be involved,” said Jonathan.
* For more photos from Leon's parade, see this week's Celt out Wednesday.