| Music and Sports heroes rally around brave Ryan |
12 January 2009 – Young Ryan Egan realised the dream of a lifetime when he met rally driver Shaun Gallagher and hometown idol Shane Filan at the same time. For much of his short life, Ryan (5) has been battling cancer. He has also, in between hospital visits and treatment for his leukimia, developed a huge interest in rally driving.
The youngster was an avid spectactor as Gallagher, 2007 World Rally Championship Rookie of the Year put is Citroen car through its paces in Sligo in preparation for this year’s contest. So, too, was fellow local Shane Filan, who popped along to help promote this year’s opening event in the world championship in Ireland’s north west. “Come here, buddy”, said the singer, as he invited Ryan and mum Suzanne to join him for a photograph.
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Ryan, from Maugheraboy, Sligo, was just a week from his third birthday when he was diagnosed with leukimia. He completed a three-year treatment course at the end of the year. His proud dad Declan said: He is doing really well, we’re very hopeful that he will make a full recovery. He’s been through a lot but he has done it with amazing courage”. He said that Ryan started showing an interest in cars almost as soon as he could talk. “He has collected small cars from the age of two and always had a keen interest in knowing how they worked. When other children his age were into Power Rangers and what have you, Ryan was taking the wheels of his dinky cars and looking under the bonnet".
Ryan will get a chance to see some real action during Rally Ireland 2009, between 29 January and 1 February, when there will be 18 stages through countries Sligo, Donegal, Roscommon, Cavan, Leitrim, Fermanagh and Tyrone. Other youngsters have been getting involved in preparations for the rally. Local schoolchildren have been preparing St Brigid’s Crosses to hand to the drivers. Children from Boyle Parochial National School, Roscommon, weaved the traditional crosses by hand.
The event will mark the start of the 2009 World Rally Championship, with 12 rounds across the world. It is the first time in almost 30 years that the beginning of the series has been held outside of Monte Carlo.
Failte Ireland, one of the sponsors, said that in 2007 the event attracted 250,000 spectators, generated €48m in economic benefit to the region and was viewed in over 180 countries by in excess of 62 million people. It was acclaimed by the WRC as the second-best round of the World Rally Championship this year.
| Source: Independent.ie by Paddy Clancy. Thanks to Lucy for the scanned picture.
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