Retired Galway teacher honoured for work with Russian children

It was minus 35 degrees Celsius in February of 2013, when Máirtín Ó Dubhghaill visited Hortolova, a children’s orphanage in Bryansk in South-West Russia.

The heating in the building was broken, due to a faulty pump system, and the residents, mostly in their mid-teens, were perishing in the cold.

Máirtín immediately headed to the nearest town, and with money fundraised in Galway and Connemara, bought warm blankets, woolly socks, and electric heaters for the children.

No wonder in this part of Russia, halfway on a map between Kiev and Moscow, he is sometimes referred to as Santa Claus.

Since he first got involved with From Russia With Love, the charity founded in Dublin in 1998, the Indreabhán resident has visited Russia at least 40 times to bring much needed cash to buy practical items for orphaned children.

He has been there three times already this year (October, May and January), and is planning another trip early in the New Year to dispense the money fundraised in Galway and Connemara during this festive season.

Now, his dedication to the charity, and volunteerism generally, has resulted in him being named as a recipient of a prestigious award, which he received at an awards ceremony at City Hall in Dublin on December 7.

It was during his teaching days at St Pat’s primary school Lombard Street in the city, when Máirtín first became involved with From Russia With Love, a subsidiary of the newer version, From Children With Love.

Máirtín used to bring children from St Pat’s to sing carols on Shop Street during Christmas, something he is still doing with choirs including at Na Forbacha.

One Saturday night 18 years ago, Máirtín saw founder of the charity, Dublin’s Debbie Deegan on Pat Kenny’s RTÉ television show Kenny Live, where she was speaking about the abandoned children she had met in Russia.

Máirtín rang her the following morning to pledge his support and that year’s St Pat’s carol songs collection was donated to the charity. And he has had an association with the charity ever since.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.