A pair of Kerry football boots have raised a massive £25,000 at a charity dinner in London.
Boots worn by GAA star Aidan O’Mahony in this year’s All-Ireland final were snapped up by a group of Irish businessmen at the Kerry Association London dinner last Friday.
The proceeds will now go to the Killarney-based charity Home from Home.
The Kerry Association dinner, which took place at the Crown Moran hotel, also hosted the Sam Maguire and Tom Markham cups along with members of the winning senior and minor teams.
“It is a great honour to host the members of the Kerry team along with their hard-working management to London," said Tara Cronin, Secretary of the Kerry Association London. “I believe it is important that we show our support for our boys after an exciting and hard All-Ireland campaign.
She added: “It is with great pride that I congratulate them on all their efforts and we look forward to welcoming them to London next year with the Sam Maguire and Tom Markham cups under their arm again.”
The event was attended by the Irish Ambassador Dan Mulhall, Minister for Diaspora Jimmy Deenihan, Mayor of Kerry John Brassil and over 300 members of the Kerry London community.
It was also a night of great celebration for this year’s Kerry Person of the Year John Griffin.
Mr Griffin was presented with the Denis Reidy Memorial shield by outgoing Kerry Person of the Year Shelagh O’Connor.
Accepting his award Mr Griffin, whose father hails from Glenbeigh, Co. Kerry, gave his thoughts on emigration.
“We need to get rid of the Diaspora,” he said. “We don’t need people leaving Ireland."
"We want them to stay and make them a living. It shouldn’t be necessary for them to have to go abroad.
"I hope to a part of the solution and I know we are all here because our parents had to leave Ireland because there were no jobs.”
