Honesty pays as Westmeath man donates 'lost and found' cash windfall to charity

A remarkable story of honesty and generosity has been shared by An Garda Síochána in Westmeath, where a local man, accompanied by his dog, found a substantial amount of cash blowing in the wind while driving on September 20, 2024.

Without hesitation, the man stopped his car, collected as much of the money as he could, and drove straight to Mullingar Garda Station to turn it in.

According to Garda procedures, all lost items must be held in the 'lost and found' section for a period of 366 days, allowing time for the rightful owner to claim them.

Despite exhaustive efforts by Mullingar Gardaí to locate the owner, no one came forward to claim the cash.

As the 366-day period concluded in early October 2025, the gentleman was contacted and informed that he could now claim the money, as no one had made a claim.

When he arrived at the station to collect his windfall, which amounted to several thousands of euros, he revealed his intention to donate the entire sum to Guide Dogs for the Blind and Special Assistant Dogs.

Asked about his decision to give the money away, the man explained that there was a deeply personal reason behind his generosity, though he chose to keep the details private.

While the authorities were eager to publicly acknowledge his selflessness, they honoured his request to keep his identity confidential.

"To say it is lovely, is an understatement," said a spokesperson from Mullingar Garda Station. "We would have liked to name him, but we promised to respect his wishes."