In Pics: Grand Slam Winners Visit Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital
Grand Slam heroes Declan Kidney, Brian O’Driscoll, Rory Best and Jamie Heaslip paid a surprise visit to the Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin on Friday, visiting the kids in the wards and treating them to some personal time with the RBS 6 Nations and Triple Crown trophies.
Ireland head coach Declan Kidney summed up the mood of the visiting party when he said: “It is indeed a privilege for us to be here this evening. This is probably the highlight of the week for me, so thank you very much.”
It really has been a whirlwind few days for Kidney, the management team and the players and for some, the Grand Slam triumph is still just sinking in.
Patients, family members, nurses, doctors and hospital staff gave a very warm welcome to the Corkman, Brian O’Driscoll, Rory Best and Jamie Heaslip and they returned the favour by visiting ward rooms, signing autographs, posing for photographs and giving the kids a chance to hold the trophies won last Saturday in Cardiff.
‘Positive energy’ and ‘sheer excitement’ pulsed through the corridors as news of the special visitors spread and Kidney and company made their way from room to room with the trophies.
The smiles on the childrens’ faces said it all for O’Driscoll.
Paying tribute to the kids, he said: “People look at rugby players and they think, ‘oh my God, how incredibly brave they are to go out and put their bodies on the line.’
“But I don’t think bravery has anything on what I have heard of some of the stories that have come through this hospital.”
To view photos from the Grand Slam winners’ visit to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin, please click here.