It’s a Christmas greeting with a difference.
Donegal TD Pearse Doherty took to Facebook on Christmas Eve to tell the story of how he first met his Sinn Fein colleague Aidy Glackin.
The meeting was a very ordinary one which ended in an act of kindness often missing in today’s modern world.
Many years later Deputy Doherty revealed how that act of kindness by Aidy came full circle resulting in the two men working together.
The true-to-life simple story has gone viral and is many people’s Christmas highlight.
Here is the story as written by Deputy Doherty.
“13 years ago last Friday my eldest son was born and 13 years ago tonight on Christmas Eve, baby Padraig left Letterkenny hospital with his proud parents on our journey home to Gaoth Dobhair. The next day being Christmas Day and with a new baby in the house we were keen to have a present for our first born. The problem was by the time we left the hospital all the shops were closed but we drove down to Tesco’s on the off chance that it had a late closing. The shutters were down the doors were locked but some staff were still inside. As myself and Róisín with baby in-hand approached the doors we knew in our hearts it was a lost cause. But one of the staff saw us and came to our rescue. He told us they couldn’t let us into the shop but that they would do our shopping for us, we told him what we wanted and 10 minutes later they came back with a beautiful present for baby Pádraig. Christmas Day 13 years ago was special because of that act of kindness by a member of staff in Tesco’s. Fast forward 11 years later and I’m atttending the Sinn Fein convention to select a replacement councillor in the place of Cllr Mick Quinn for the Letterkenny / Milford area. Aidy Glackin was selected and afterwards he told me that we had met before. I couldn’t remember, he told me it was one Christmas Eve with a baby in my hand standing outside a closed Tesco store. He was the staff member, he was the person – at that time a complete stranger – who showed that act of kindness and made our first Doherty family Christmas so special. So this is just a wee note to say thank you to Aidy and all of the other Aidy’s out there, for all of the kindness that you have shown to me and my family during 2018 and before. Christmas is a very special time, but I can also be a very difficult time for many. So let’s all take a leaf out of Aidy’s book and show each other that little extra special bit of kindness this Christmas. Happy Christmas to one and all. Nollaig mhaith daoibh go leir.
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