A SOUTHSIDER who joined a humanitarian aid convoy when he was just 16 was one of those praised at a special evening held at Áras an Uachtaráin to mark a pivotal milestone in the history of Concern Worldwide.
President Michael D Higgins hosted the event to pay tribute to the generous spirit of the Irish public as the chararty marked its 50th anniversary.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Higgins acknowledged Concern’s extraordinary contribution to overseas humanitarian aid for five decades.
President Higgins said: “Through your work you crafted a vital bridge between the Irish people and some of the poorest people in our world.
“I would like to thank Concern most profoundly for all that you’ve achieved, not just for the work that you’ve done but for the work you continue to do. It is so important.”
Dubliner Karl Vekins, from Walkinstown, but who now lives in Greencastle Co Donegal, was among those who attended the event at Áras an Uachtaráin.
Karl just 16 when he spotted a ship at Sir John Rogerson’s Quay and decided to join the crew as a cabin boy.
He recalled: “I was intrigued and eventually I found out that they were looking for crew.
“I had just finished my Junior Cert and was just going to go on the vessel for six months and continue on with the Leaving Cert then. It didn’t quite work out like that.
“The people who set it all up were so farsighted. Can you imagine nowadays? Just going out and buying a ship, loading it with cargo and bringing it down to West Africa. It was an incredible experience.”
Founded in 1968 in response to devastating famine in the breakaway state of Biafra, Nigeria, Concern is now Ireland’s largest international aid agency, reaching over 26 million people in 26 of the world’s poorest countries last year.
From the beginning, a group of volunteers, led by a young Dublin couple, John and Kay O’Loughlin Kennedy, had a bold, inclusive vision that brought supporters from all backgrounds and all corners together, including from north and south of the island of Ireland.
Their efforts built on the legacy of the Irish missionaries and opened a new chapter of ambitious Irish humanitarian relief that was both compassionate and professional, and supported by communities and volunteers from all over the country.
In the first year alone, they raised the equivalent of €4 million to send a ship-load of vital supplies to the starving population of Nigeria in what was the largest relief operation to ever come out of Ireland at the time.
Irish vessel ‘The Columcille’ set sail from Dublin Port on September 6, 1968 and arrived off the coast of São Tomé 23 days later, where pilots flew consignments of aid into the war-torn country.
Channelled through the strong and capable hands of the Finucane brothers, Aengus and Jack, on the ground, thousands of lives were saved in the war-torn country.
Concern has a number of events planned to mark the 50th anniversary of the organisation over the year including an international conference on conflict to take place in Dublin in September.