Albie Marsh. Photo: Ann Hennessy

€500 returned to owner after being found in The Batteries

In these economically tough times, most people could do with an unexpected discovery of some extra cash. But when Battery Heights resident Albert Marsh recently found a wallet containing €500 he immediately opted to do the right thing - and return it to its owner. The wallet was found just over three weeks ago when Albert was walking his 11-year-old daughter Edel to her last day of the school term at Dean Kelly NS. Edel had prepared an 'end-of-year' gift for her teacher but she had left it behind her. When she and her father were returning to the house to collect it, she spotted the wallet on the ground near Our Lady's grotto in Battery Heights. Albert later took the wallet - which held bank cards and an envelope containing €500 in cash - to the Monsignor McCarthy Family Resource Centre in Battery Heights. Albert didn't know the owner of the wallet, but the centre's acting co-ordinator Sheena Lawless helped to locate him. "It took us three days to get in touch with the owner of the wallet," she said. "It's important to recognise good deeds and in this day and age, when everybody is in need, I think it was absolutely fantastic (for Albert to return the wallet)." The wallet's owner is an Athlone resident from another area of the town. Speaking to the Westmeath Independent on Monday, Albert said the owner was grateful the money had been returned. The man told him the €500 sum had been the proceeds of a fundraising event. "He tried to give me €50 for returning it but I wouldn't take it. But then he told me to take it and give it to my daughter, so I did that," said Albert. He said Edel had spent some of the money on take-away food for the family, and she then bought some clothes with the remainder. Albert indicated that he was satisfied with his decision to return the money. "It's nice to be nice," he said.