Roscommon men hitting the right note for autism awareness 

At a time when there are an abundance of charitable events being undertaken, Donamon duo Joe Murray and Seamie Lennon are in the midst of their own unique venture.

The neighbours have come together to raise vital funds for My Canine Companion, a charity that provides support dogs to children and young adults on the autism spectrum.

The two men are walking 80km for autism awareness, as they will complete sixteen 5km walks over the course of a month. However, there is a twist. Prior to each walk the two men will sing a song live on Facebook.

While Joe and Seamie complete walks across the county of Roscommon, the songs are often linked to the area they are walking. Prior to speaking to the Roscommon Herald, they sang ‘The Fields of Athenry,’ a Famine song, outside the National Famine Museum in Strokestown.

Even though Mr Murray told the Roscommon Herald that neither himself nor Mr Lennon practice their song prior to going live, he insists that he will gladly take any gentle slagging that comes his way.

Mr Murray, who spoke to the Roscommon before he and Mr. Lennon ventured to Elphin where they sang ‘The Button Pusher’ by The Dubliners, states that this cause hits close to home.

“A friend of mine (Ciara McDermott) has a child with autism (William) and she is heartbroken. I just felt I should do something for them. We decided to go with My Canine Companion because they provide dogs, which cost about €25,000 to train and that charity places the dog with a child that has autism. These dogs bring on the child and they find the children improve when they have one of these dogs.

“Myself and my neighbour Seamie Lennon were talking about it. So, I rang the charity and I pitched it that if we went for a walk, just two middle aged men and what about if we sang a song on Facebook before each walk. Seamie was hesitant at first but I said we are only singing to a camera. People are asking what are we singing tonight and I would just say you have to tune in.

“Now we have people joining us on the walks too. We are moving around the county and then we will draw up a plan for the next four walks and I will share it on my Facebook page. Samantha Scally will design a poster with where we are walking and she promotes it too. People are interested and we are raising awareness which is great to see,” he noted.

At the time of writing, Mr Murray and Mr Lennon have already raised over €6,000 for My Canine Companion. They hope to have a support dog alongside them for at least one of their walks to show the importance of their fundraiser. The pair will be completing walks until September 18th, with their final one concluding at the The Rockfield Inn – Kennys.

For Mr Murray, it is simply about trying to promote autism awareness and ensure children and families can avail of a support dog.

“There are families everywhere who are heartbroken and are trying their best to help children with autism. Surely someday something will make a difference. We will keep chipping away at it until things get better. We will keep working at it and keep doing everything we can,” he concluded.

To donate, go to www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/JoeandSeamiexMCC