Walking for Peggy and Casper

HUNDREDS of people from Dublin and around the country are expected to take part in a sponsored walk next Saturday to remember Peggy Mangan and her beloved Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Casper.

Peggy and Casper went missing from Peggy’s home on Mount Tallant Avenue, Terenure on Tuesday September 24. Peggy’s body was found four days later by a group of volunteer searchers in a field beside Ikea in Ballymun.

When her body was found, her loyal dog Casper was still beside her, although tragically he passed away just over two hours after been taken to a local vets to be checked out.

Peggy, who was 67, suffered from Alzheimer’s and had been spotted wandering around the film set of Brendan O’Carroll’s Mrs Brown’s Boys movie in Glasnevin at 3pm on the day of her disappearance.

Over the course of the week as the search grew, more and more sightings were reported, mainly around the Finglas area. A massive search was coordinated from the DID Electrical store at Clearwater Shopping Centre in Finglas and the story touched the hearts of thousands of locals who joined in the search for Peggy and Casper.

Peggy’s son-in-law, Darragh Lynch, said the walk was being organised to try and ensure something good came from the tragedy that touched the hearts of so many.

“The amount of cards and letters sent to family home, plus Facebook messages that were sent in the aftermath was just unbelievable,

? he said.

“Because of that reaction the family just felt that it was important something good came out of it, even if it prevents just one family going through what we went through.

?

The walk will depart from the scout hall on Mount Argus Road near Mount Jerome Cemetery at midday on Saturday, December 14, and roughly follow the path Peggy is believed to have taken before ending up near Ikea in Ballymun.

Walkers will depart from the starting point and head down Clanbrassil Street towards Thomas Street, up through Phibsboro and on to the Finglas Road.

The route then passes Glasnevin Cemetery and Finglas Village and up the North Road past Charlestown Shopping Centre before finishing at IKEA, close to the spot were Peggy was found.

“It is quite a distance but people are welcome to join the walk at any point along the route,

? Darragh continued.

“It’s almost 13 kilometres but we believe Peggy could have walked as much as 18 kilometres on the day she went missing because she came back on herself several times.

“She was very, very fit. She would have gone out for several walks a day but there was some days she didn’t get past the driveway because neighbours would be walking by and she’d gladly stand there chatting.

“Peggy loved to chat and that was some of the feedback we got from those that met her on the set of Mrs Brown’s Boys as it was being filmed in Glasnevin. She hung around for quite a while and mingled with the crew and actors.

“Peggy went out with Casper every day. She adored him and followed the same route, around the block and came back home. But unfortunately whatever triggered that day, she got lost.

?

Northsider Jean Barry was one of hundreds of volunteers who took part in the search for Peggy and was inspired to set up a Facebook page promoting the walk.

“I was sitting at home and I saw on Facebook that the search was on and I just felt compelled to join in,

? said Jean, who’s originally from Glasnevin and now lives in Bettystown.

“And then after getting out and meeting the family, my heart just broke for them. Being part of the search was just unbelievable.

“Just to see the amount of people coming out was incredible. I’ve never seen the likes of it before. It was very sad but it was also amazing to see the community coming together like that. It was great to see that people still have that bit of goodness in their hearts and that they’d want to come out and help.

?

Peggy was cremated along with her beloved Casper’s ashes at Mount Jerome Crematorium following a funeral mass at Mount Argus Church on October 4.

The walk is the inaugural event for the Peggy Mangan Foundation. Participants are welcome to bring their dogs and sponsorship cards are available.

The Peggy Mangan Foundation, while very much in its infancy, aims to raise awareness of missing persons and Alzheimer’s sufferers in Ireland.

The family is working with the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland and money raised from this inaugural event will be used to fund a mobile outreach unit that will provide an information and support service to people with dementia and their families in their local communities.

The cost of the unit is estimated to be e50,000 with annual running costs of e30,000.

The unit also gives staff and volunteers an opportunity to increase awareness about dementia and promote brain health. The unit will be brought to shopping centres, car parks, farmers’ markets and community halls to bring a service into the heart of Irish communities.

“We want to use this service to ensure that no-one faces dementia alone,

? explained Darragh.

“This will be the first undertaking from the Peggy Mangan Foundation and while it is a considerable amount of money, we are confident of raising it through on-going fundraisers.

?

Details on the walk and registration is available online at peggymangan.ie and you can follow progress on the Peggy Mangan Facebook page.