Almost €7k raised for 'A Bench for Dessie' at beach in Ballybunion

Almost one year on from the double drowning tragedy in Co Kerry that took the lives of Athlone natives Dessie Byrne and his sister Muriel Eriksson, the Ballybunion community have come together to raise funds for a memorial bench. The idea for a bench came from Paulette Daly, Dessie's partner, and will be located overlooking the beach where the accident occurred.

The 'A Bench for Dessie' fundraiser on GoFundMe was organised by Deirdre Walsh from Ballybunion, who had relatives and friends on the beach on the day of the tragic accident. Deirdre, who works for Radio Kerry, had heard of Paulette's wish for a memorial bench when she interviewed her back in April.

Deirdre felt that Paulette should not be the one to bear the cost of the bench, and so organised the fundraiser which went live on Friday, June 9. They met their initial target of €2,000 within 24 hours, and the fund now stands at almost €7,000.

On this overwhelming generosity, Deirdre said: “I thought it would be a nice gesture from the people of Ballybunion. But it’s important to say that we've had so many donations from the people of Athlone and Roscommon. Dessie was so loved in Athlone.”

The GoFundMe is still open, and the extra money will go to Dessie's partner Paulette and their sons Josh and Dean.

The aim is to have the bench finished and ready to be unveiled on August 4, the year's anniversary of Dessie and Muriel's death.