Branch Story - Limerick

The Limerick Branch of the Irish Guide Dogs has been actively involved in the Mid-West over the past fifty years.

There have been several volunteers over the years who gave their time and commitment, including Pat Foley from Shannon and his friend Tom Downes, who was visually impaired and a Guide Dog user.

The Branch had a strong committee of approximately ten people in the early days, and they worked hard organising annual fashion shows and golf outings, all of which raised a significant amount of money for the fledgling Cork charity.

Unfortunately, numbers declined in the early 80s, but Pat Foley kept it going with the help of Margaret Hogan and Claire Cussen. They held a very successful fundraiser each year at the Novena in the Redemptorist Church in Limerick, and students from the Presentation Convent helped out with bucket collections once a year.

There was also a golf classic in Ballyneety Golf Club. A large collection dog in the Woodlands House Hotel was very successful, with reports that it was the most profitable one at the time. The Branch also had a stand every year at the Limerick Show.

Around 1983/84, Pat left Shannon and stepped back from IGD. In 1997, Roger Beck took over running the Limerick branch.

Around 2012, the first National Guide Dog Walk was organised by Tom and Marie Ryan (separate from the Branch). It was held around the grounds of the University of Limerick. Tom and Marie ran these walks annually until 2019, when the pandemic hit, and then a few times afterwards. They also helped out with flag days and supermarket collections

In 2018, a meeting was held in Limerick to revive the Branch; several people who were previously involved attended. Marie Ryan got involved at that stage, along with her son Shane Ryan, who has a vision impairment.

Today, the Limerick Branch is a busy and active Branch that attends and organises numerous fundraising and awareness-raising events throughout the year. It is lucky to have several dedicated volunteers who continue to give their time and energy to the charity.

Our volunteers Mary Raphael and her sister Ann McDonough, along with being involved in puppy raising and temporary boarding, have also, over the years, held many fundraisers and St Patrick's Day parades in their neighbourhood - many of them quite novel. They currently attend most of our Limerick-based fundraisers and continue to be involved in temporary boarding.

The stars of the Limerick Branch are our wonderful Ambassador, Assistance and Guide Dogs without whom we simply couldn’t do what we do.

Numerous wonderful dogs over the years were also instrumental in fundraising for the charity.

Guide Dogs: Stan, Vince, Higgins and Umar.

Ambassador Dogs: Ben and Oak.

Our current dogs are: Guide Dogs Kyle, Manny, and retired Guide Dog Yogi.

Assistance Dogs Hana, Tommy, Harvey, Oonagh, Clover and Sultan.

Ambassador Dogs: Peaches, Logan, Alfie, and we are hoping to welcome Winnie soon.