Successful conclusion to GAA jersey campaign

IN June 2014, Northside People highlighted the story of two Coolock brothers who started an ambitious fundraising venture dedicated to the memory of their sibling who took his own life in 2011.

Jonathan Kinsella was just 27-years-of-age when he tragically died on May 28, 2011,

As Jonathan was a big Dublin GAA fan, his brothers Ian (23) and Gary (27) came up with the idea of collecting a signed jersey from the GAA panels of every county in Ireland, plus one from London and New York who have both appeared in the All-Ireland Championship.

The brothers were successful in their

’32 County Jersey’ campaign and auctioned the shirts to raise funds for Pieta House.

The Dublin Airport Authority purchased the jerseys at a fundraising event and is delighted to now have them on display.

Dublin Airport Head of Operations, Gary McLean, said he was particularly pleased to showcase such a unique display of GAA jerseys at Terminal 2.

“This is a fantastic collection of jerseys with a very touching story behind it,

? said Mr McLean.

“The exhibition is a great welcome to Ireland and we hope it will be a talking point and generate interest for passengers arriving into T2.

?

Pieta House is closely associated with the 3Ts suicide prevention charity, which was daa’s charity partner in 2011.

Staff raised

?¬225,000 for suicide prevention through a range of fundraising initiatives that year. At the unveiling of the jersey collection, Gary Kinsella described it as a very special day for his family and a fitting tribute to their late brother, Jonathan.

“We’re thrilled the jerseys are on display in T2 for passengers to enjoy,

? said Gary.

“The real message for us is to raise awareness about self-harm, suicide prevention and the excellent work carried out by Pieta House in that regard.

?

The display of jerseys is supported by the GAA who provided the colourful backdrop to the exhibition installation.

The exhibition is located in T2 on the arriving journey just before the Garda Immigration area and passengers are encouraged to take a photo of their county jersey and tweet to @DublinAirport and @officialgaa using the hashtag #DUB32