Though we're used to seeing them laced with mics and lit with studio lights, RTÉ news journalist Keelin Shanley and GAA commentator Joe Brolly blossomed into their borrowed roles as flower sellers, as part of the launch of the 65 Roses Day Appeal for cystic fibrosis (CF).
The appeal takes place every year and takes its name from the way children with cystic fibrosis first learn to pronounce their condition.
Organised by Cystic Fibrosis Ireland (CFI), the annual 65 Roses Day fundraising appeal takes place on Friday 12th April when people will be urged to lend their support to the CF cause by buying a Purple Rose for €2 or donating online at 65RosesDay.ie.
In the bucolic setting of Dublin's Herbet Park, Shanley and Brolly swapped the mics for bouquets as they joined Dublin flower stall traders, Gerry and Mags Draper, as purple rose flower-sellers. Completing the cheerful group were Alfie Dardis, age 6, from Stepaside, who has CF, and his best friend, Ava Casserly, age 6, from Dundrum.
Speaking about why the cause is so close to her heart, CFI ambassador and RTÉ Six One news presenter Shanley said "I have seen and heard first-hand many times the heart-breaking stories of people living with cystic fibrosis and their families. The simple act of breathing in and out – something which the rest of us perhaps can sometimes take for granted – can be Herculean.
"Given the daily Everest they climb, it is perhaps not surprising how formidable and impressive people with cystic fibrosis are in their resolve to live their lives to the full and to let nothing hold them back.
"As a journalist, my role is to observe and report on a story. But as citizens, I firmly believe that we all have a duty to be part of that story by making that load a little lighter and to make our country a better place for people with cystic fibrosis. You can do that by the simple act of buying a purple rose for €2 on 65 Roses Day, Friday 12th April."
As a CFI ambassador, Brolly has also seen the effects of the illness, and supports soft opt-out organ donation. "We know according to research that, in the unfortunate situation of their untimely death, most people in this country would want to donate their organs and to pass on the gift of life to up to eight people.
"I am delighted that the Government intends to introduce soft opt-out organ donation, where the presumption is that people will want to donate their organs, unless they opt out or their family declines."
The launch also coincided with the appeal by CFI that the government announce the long-awaited final go-ahead date for the new 20-bed cystic fibrosis (CF) in-patient unit at Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital.
People can support 65 Roses Day by:
- Buying a purple rose for €2 from volunteers, and in participating shopping centres and Spar Stores, or by donating online at 65RosesDay.ie
- Completing a 65 Roses Challenge such as playing 65 holes of golf non-stop, or baking 65 muffins for a bake sale at work, or having 65 friends and neighbours around for afternoon tea – for details visit 65RosesDay.ie
- Texting 65ROSES to 50300 for €2 (Text costs €2. Cystic Fibrosis Ireland will receive a minimum of €1.80. Service Provider: LIKE CHARITY. Helpline: 076 6805278.)
