It’s been another busy few months for the Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs and also a few months of fun filled with plenty of celebrations for our branch. With the final event of the summer culminating with continued celebrations of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blinds 50th birthday and also a milestone birthday for our very own, Tom O’Neill in O’Dwyer’s GAA club, Balbriggan. As I’m sure plenty of you know, Tom and his late wife Breege founded the Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs back in 1987 after Tom received his first guide dog, Frank and immediately noticed the positive quality of life Frank provided him. Inspired by his newfound confidence, Tom and Breege started with small group walks to fundraise and the community of the branch grew and grew and has lead to nearly four decades of community fundraising and over €5 million raised for the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. The tentacles of the fundraising in Balbriggan also resulted in the setting up of the Tuam Branch by Toms sister Mary Byrne, who raises about €20,000 annually and the foundation of the Cavan Branch by the late Brid McEvoy and Patricia Hannick in 2018, raising up to €10,000 annually.

In 1995 the branch name changed to include ‘North County Dublin’ as no one was raising money in Skerries, Rush, Lusk, Oldtown or Garristown and now the branch also fundraises in Duleek, Stamullen and Ardcath, Co. Meath all thanks to the late Francis Wall of Duleek, who met Fred, another Guide Dog and brother of Toms first guide dog, Frank, when Fred went to live in Duleek in 1985 with his late owner Gerry Healy.

Tom and the Balbriggan/North County Dublin branch of guide dogs continues to be a very active Branch and as determined as ever to keep up the work. We want to wish Tom O’Neill a very happy belated birthday and thank him for everything he has done for the Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs.

You can contact Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Irish Guide Dogs by phone/text 0876489479, email: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or find us on Facebook at Balbriggan
Branch of Guide Dogs.