Achill Rovers Joseph N’Do presenting his Eircom League winners medal that he won in 2006 with Shelbourne Football Club to Gearoids Smile Three Peaks Challenge. He is pictured presenting the medal to Gearóid’s brother, Eoin. Also pictured are Gearóid’s parents, Cormac and Mary, brother, Oisín and sisters, Áine and Eilís.

Anton McNulty

Achill Rovers footballer, Joseph N’Do’s generosity and selflessness shone through over the weekend when he donated his 2006 Eircom League winning medal to Gearóid’s Smile, for it to be auctioned to raise money for children’s cancer.

The former Cameroon International footballer was one of over 400 people who took part in the Three Peak Challenge in aid of Gearóid’s Smile on Achill Island over the weekend. Gearóid’s Smile is a children’s cancer charity which is in memory of six-year-old Gearóid Murphy from Achill who died from cancer in 2014.

N’Do who made 21 appearances for Cameroon and played in the 1998 World Cup in France stunned Gearóid’s family when he presented the Eircom League medal he won in 2006 while playing for Dublin club Shelbourne. The medal will be auctioned at a later date to raise money for Gearóid’s Smile.

Generosity

Gearóid’s mother, Mary told The Mayo News that this gesture by N’Do was an example of the generosity and support which people have shown towards them.

“You don’t expect things like this…you don’t expect someone to hand over their medal which they worked hard to win. It just shows you of the absolute generosity of the people and the outstanding community spirit in Achill which is second to none. People who were not able to climb made themselves available to volunteer to do something else. Everyone rallied behind the event, just the same as last year,” she said.

Gearóid would have made his First Holy Communion this year and his class in Dooagh NS presented a cheque of €100 towards the charity, which was raised from donations they received for their Communion.

A huge number of people took part in the Three Peak Challenge in Saturday which involved climbing the three highest mountains on Achill Island. The climb started at 6am with 138 people starting the first climb of Croaghan, 200 took part in the climb and walk at Slievemore while 105 completed the challenge with the climb of Minaun.

Mary said they were thrilled with the turnout and thanked all the people who travelled to take part and made it an enjoyable event.