Ice cream dates with grandchildren keep pensioner's spirits up

The proud daughter of a Dunboyne widower has revealed how regular ‘ice cream dates’ with his grandchildren are keeping his spirits up as he copes with cocooning.  
 
Last month Ciara McCrossan’s dad Colm Brennan (72) was forced to cut his six week trip to Australia to see his daughter and her family short due to the pandemic. On his return he had to self isolate for 14 days.
 
 Despite worries that her father who she describes as ‘a real people person’ would struggle with the restrictions the mum of two says the family ‘couldn’t be prouder’ of the granddad of eleven.

Daughter Orla with finance Eoin and grandkids Sadhbh & Fiadh taken just before he left for the airport to come home. 

She said:
 
“Dad went on the February 15th and he wasn’t due home until the 29th of March but when Leo made his speech on Paddy’s Day about things getting more serious we decided to book him a flight there and then so he left the very next day and cut his trip short by ten days.
 
“When he came home he had to self isolate and we weren’t sure how good he would do because he lives smack bang in the middle of the village and loves talking to everybody.
 
“But he’s been unreal, he hasn’t left the house. We are really proud of him.
 
“He has just seen us dropping up food the odd day and having a chat at the window while keeping our distance.

 Colm with grandad  Shay, Labhaoise, Sadie Cillian, Arthur & Alfie!
 
“My children Sadie (4) and Alfie (2) are thrilled when they can go and see him. I buy the ice-cream myself in the shop and pretend that grandad gives it to them out the window and they think it’s coming from him.”
 
Colm who is dad to Niamh (43) Orla (41) Emer (37) Colm (36) and Ciara (33) was a John Deere tractor sales man in Lyons and Burton Kilcock for 34 years before retiring in 2012 and is well known figure around the town as Ciara explains:
 
“Dad is also well looked after by his friends in Dunboyne who have been fantastic, they are dropping him coffee at his front door in the morning time, they are dropping him dinners some days so he is really well looked after.

Colm with children Ciara, Colm Emer & Niamh.
 
“My mam Kathleen died ten years ago this year. He only moved into the village from the back roads two years and it is best move he ever made.
 
“Myself and sister and brother all live in Dunboyne in a 2km radius of dad so we can all pop in and out to him, there are five of us altogether and we all have our own families.
 
“He has eleven grandkids, Sophie (9) Shay (8) Labhaoise ( 7) Cillian (6)
Sadhbh (6), Arthur (5), Senan (4), Sadie (4), VJ (3), Fiadh (2) Alfie (2) so he is never short of company.”