A strong 'sense of community' at Leon's coffee morning
A coffee morning for the Leon Briody Memorial Fund over the weekend was so successful that the organisers ran out of coffee cups.
It wasn’t a lack of organisation that sent helpers over to the shop for more cups, it was the sheer numbers that turned out to support Diane Briody’s morning for her son Leon, who passed away with cancer last year.
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Rachel Faulkner with Joey Faulkner. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 2 of 20
Charlie Markey, Ruby Markey and Sinead Mulvey. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 3 of 20
Enya Briody, Oniosa Briody and Siobhan Briody. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 4 of 20
The Briody Family pictured in Ballyhaise on Saturday morning last remembering Leon with a Coffee Morning Fundraiser in Aid of The Leon Briody Memorial Fund. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 5 of 20
Ryan Beirne, Sean Beirne and Killian Beirne. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 6 of 20
Tom O'Reilly, Darragh Morrison-Sharkey, Adam McDermott, Alex Morrison-Sharkey and Rory McCaffrey all wearing the Leon Briody Memorial Tee Shirt. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 7 of 20
Bonnie and Jamie Holland with their dad Darragh Holland. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 8 of 20
Seoidín Hegarty with Miriam and Fintan Hegarty. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 9 of 20
Amanda Lynch, Cllr Stiofán Conaty and Olivia McInerney in Ballyhaise for The Leon Briody Memorial Fund Coffee Morning. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 10 of 20
Danny McDermott, Darragh Leonard, Jamie O'Dowd, Josh O'Neill and Jaxon Smith. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 11 of 20
Enjoying their Cuppa Roisin Conaty, Louise Lyons and Grace Lyons. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 12 of 20
Miranda Wall, Kathleen Wall, Alex Peters and Niamh Wall enjoying their coffee. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 13 of 20
Sharon McCabe, Jessica Moore, Bernie Moore and Clare O'Reilly. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 14 of 20
Liam O'Reilly and Senan Dennany. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 15 of 20
Josh and Ben O'Neill with their parents Paul and Claire O'Neill. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 16 of 20
Lauren, Maureen and Dean Brady. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 17 of 20
Ryan Downey and Marie Downey. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 18 of 20
Max O'Rourke, Colin O'Rourke and Isla and Noelle Mooney. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 19 of 20
Seoidín Hegarty and Hazel Maguire. Photo by Alex Coleman.Image 20 of 20
Ben Rogers with Little Blue Hero Ryan Beirne. Photo by Alex Coleman.The morning alone raised almost €7,000, however donations were still coming in when Diane spoke to the Celt on Monday evening.
She described the numbers as “unreal” and expressed her heartfelt thanks to each and every person who came and helped, played music, baked, poured tea, donated and enjoyed the morning.
“Everyone who was there, who hadn’t a job, got themselves a job. There was a real sense of community, everyone just jumped in and helped out,” said an overwhelmed Diane.
In November, the family went to work tailoring a jersey exactly how Leon would have wanted it with the help of Cico in Cavan.
Diane put out the call for people to wear the jerseys to the coffee morning, and to her delight, both adults and children turned up fully kitted out. “When you looked up the hall, it was so heart warming to see everybody wearing the tops and supporting him.”
The presence of so many jerseys made Diane feel like her son “was in the middle of the whole lot”. “It was lovely.”
Some also wore their Leon half-zip tops, and Diane revealed that both the half-zip and the jersey will be available to order again on February 9 for a period of two weeks.
Funds raised will go towards erecting memorials in Leon’s favourite places. Meanwhile, the family have planned multiple events to remember Leon. The next event, a tractor run, will take place on March 22. More details can be found on the ‘Leon Briody Memorial’ page on Facebook and Instagram. Donations to the fund can be made by via Revolut to 087-1275725.